LOVE these, Jennifer– particularly “focus on the work, not the label”.
A2: What works for me is leading with practical outcomes and letting people draw their own conclusions about values.
When I talk about remote work enabling a single mother to stay employed, or a person with anxiety to contribute their best work, I’m describing DEI outcomes - but I don’t need to use that language. The story speaks for itself. Frame it as business resilience and talent access, not ideology. Companies that can hire from anywhere access better talent. Teams that work asynchronously are more resilient to disruption. Flexible work reduces turnover costs. These are facts that don’t require anyone to adopt a political position.
I’ve also found that “remote work” itself has become politicised - coded as “lazy” or “privileged” in some contexts. So I talk about “distributed teams” and “flexible work models” and focus on what leaders need to DO, not what they should BELIEVE.
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Short-termism is also why we have such a terrible housing crisis, especially in Spain. I think you make a great point, which also applies to governing bodies and political parties.
Two R’s: Renaming and ROI. Renaming the work while still doing it (e.g. “resilience” vs. climate work head on). And making the business case, the business case, the business case…
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I agree with Hamish and Jennifer. People want to discuss positive stories and develop aspiring visions for the future. The ODA collapse & effect has taken longer than some people thought and it’s deliberating to see what companies and stakeholders can improve in their area of influence. I’m speaking more about inclusive business models again (20 years after Prahalad) and many company are open to discuss….
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Always love an alliteration!!
-Using the language that is allowed but still gets the same results eg healthier workforces, stronger communities, and more resilient systems rather than previous terminology
Looking for shared interests such as economic participation, productivity, wellbeing, and stability cut across political lines
- Voices from communities, health workers, and women leaders shift the conversation from ideology to reality.
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There has been a healthy dose of realism this last year among regulators about what is achievable (ISSB and EU) and, particularly, on time frames.
With regulatory change across the globe towards reporting and practices that consider environmental and social impact, it is important that communities and civil society are involved, in an iterative – and more sustainable process than top-down driven legislation and reporting alone
….bringing us again back to more inclusive business models.
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The EU roll-back has created both a risk and an opportunity - the progressive leaders who stuck their money where their beliefs lay are feeling a little “over-invested” but at least the panic-driven rush that could have led to many short term sticking plasters is now put to one side, and people can work towards real change and long-term impact rather than mere “compliance”.
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yes - like you say - giving companies chance to work “towards real change and long-term impact” - it would have been a compliance rush
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Paul, I was fortunate to be brought up in a company that invested in Core Values - one of which was “Listen generously” and another “Commit to the success of others as leaders”, both of these and their principled counterparts were founded on positive purposeful communication. A third summed it up beautifully and it said, “Speak the truth from the heart” and in today’s world truth remains a precious commodity and many are feeling that their voices are not only not heard, but effectively neutralised. If we have the ability and the “gift of the gab” to communicate powerfully we must use that talent to allow all voices to be heard…
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Our third question today:
Q3
A3
Mentoring and Coaching, including peer-to-peer {for both mentoring and coaching} are invaluable, IMHO. Reading, listening, observing, curiosity as well as active conversation (and debate) is how we handle VUCA world more effectively. Be conscious of bubbled, echo-chamber interaction—it’s essential to engage across the whole spectrum of… characters… in our communities and ecosystems.
That unquestionably carries risks, but that’s what’s required, IMHO. Less doing things “to, for, at” others and “informing and consulting” and more designing, developing, doing WITH others—inclusion and collaboration is not soft, woke, or “nice to do”, it’s the way to work effectively.
Here are a few of my “go to” masters of change and colleagues who have helped me learn more about managing change effectively:
· Reflections and lessons from the Aspen Institute Business & Society Program’s First Mover fellowship and community: “Making Work Matter: How to Create Positive Change in your Company and Meaning in Your Career by Nancy McGaw https://www.nancymcgaw.com/
· **Change Management Institute **https://change-management-institute.com/uk/
· Exemplar empowerment and enablement of individuals, families, and communities! Learn about The Poverty Stoplight for best practice in sustainable change—literally life-changing! https://www.povertystoplight.org/en/
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Find your people. Sustainability professionals are facing reduced budgets, leadership turnover and regulatory whiplash all at once. Business Fights Poverty and other convening organizations not only brings people together to work on particular challenges, but provides “air cover” that can allow a company to act.
Remember this is a journey, not a destination. There are no green companies, only companies working to green themselves and their products. That framing helps me stay grounded. We’re not going to solve anything with a press release. The work continues, and that’s okay.
Bring in your comms partners early. If you’re feeling muzzled or frustrated, work with your marketing and communications team to shape the story. Every story has angles. Every story can be shaped. And being prepared for tough questions — knowing what the answers are before they’re asked — is one of the best ways to build internal confidence and resilience. Just being silent is not a strategy. It’s not strategic.
Be humble, be authentic, be as transparent as you can. That trio keeps coming up for me. If you can hold onto those three things, you can navigate a lot of uncertainty without losing yourself in the process.
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Q3: Avoiding the acronyms and potential conflict, instead focus on the fact that societal problems are still there (and even got worse) so the need for social impact is still enormous. We should break it down to the basics and re-build innovative solutions with the new realities. I feel inclusive business is back and at a personal level, employees will take even more pride in working for an organization that does the “right thing”.
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A3: Two things I’d offer:
First, on leading change: Build systems, not heroes. The organisations making lasting progress on social impact have embedded it into how they operate - hiring practices, meeting norms, decision-making processes - rather than relying on passionate individuals to push against the current. I have a framework for that at remotereadiness.net if anyone wants more,
Second, on resilience: The people driving social impact are often doing it on top of their “real job,” powered by personal conviction. That’s not sustainable.
What helps:
- Find your tribe - connect with others doing similar work, even outside your organisation- events like this today
- Measure what matters to YOU - not just organisational KPIs, but the small wins that remind you why you started
- Protect your energy for influence - not every battle is yours to fight, choice is a privelege but you can still use it
Honestly, sometimes the most resilient choice is recognising when an organisation isn’t ready, and taking your energy somewhere it can have impact.
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You really can’t talk about personal resilience without reflecting positively on what we learn from our Mums!
**Don’t overlook your own needs. Remember to constantly strengthen your own personal resilience.
**
Often times this means take the time to step back, reflect and consider the challenges you are facing and what you are doing to surmount them. Last year was the first difficult year for me personally since I established our consultancy business some 19 years ago, I deliberately took time out to reconnect with former colleagues and old friends to check in with them on what had created past successes. It was if you like a VALUES-BASED sounding board and taking on board their advice, I finally listened to some of my own advice that I give to my leadership development coaching clients, “Get Out Of Your Own Way!” - bizarre as it may sound, as easy as it may be to blame the current economic environment or the geo-political climate, most often it is ourselves who are blocking our own path to progress.
So rediscover your strengths, redeploy your “magic ingredients”, and remember what my Mum always said to me, “If a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well!"
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Strength in numbers, to echo a key takeaway from the Business Fights Poverty Landscape paper and comments today. Joining hands with individuals, fellow institutions. But a reminder to all of us to think about how we can reach outside of our echo chamber in 2026…
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Rest is a strategy. Burnout is not a badge of commitment. It poses a risk to impact.
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Peer to peer learning/ communities of practice. People driving social change need peers, not just performance targets.
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Spend time on the ground. Time spent with communities or beneficiaries is often the strongest reason to keep going
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1. Listen.
Listen to the other side of the debate. Try to hear that key message. Being closer to communities.
2. To gain buy-in of systemic change regulation needs meaningful engagement. In the mainstreaming of environmental and social consciousness of companies and investors – now politicization is bringing in the role of civil society. The results of discussion approached in this way are more constructive than positioning ‘a wall’ against criticism or the opposing side.
Follow the example of the Tropical Forest Forever Facility, launched at the last COP, that brings communities earlier into the process of funding design and impact assessment – specifically people and areas that an initiative intends to benefit.