Manila, 11 August 2021 — Applying the secret of change.

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” – Socrates

Story

It happened in 2021. This week saw the latest IPCC report make headlines as wildfires wreaked havoc in Greece, threatening its capital Athens. Such fires are now emblematic of our struggle with climate change. They illustrate the consequences we face if we fail to heed the scientists’ urgent call to action.

More than two millennia ago, Athens was also in a struggle as the city-state emerged from a costly and painful war with powerful neighbors. Socrates, a philosopher, grew up during that period and did his military service in the war. In the struggle of Athens, his counsel was to let go of fighting the old and focus all their energy on ’building the new.’ The Athenians called it Democracy, and Socrates had plenty to say on how to make it work.

In today’s world it’s us, the collective citizens of planet Earth, who are facing a struggle, and on a much larger scale. In our time it’s the scientists and activists who are urging us to focus on building the new. We call it Sustainability. And as the IPCC report makes clear, the clock is ticking for a new generation of change-makers to stand up. Are you one of them? The global quest for sustainability is, in real terms, a quest for 21st-century leaders of all generations and all levels. It’s a wake-up call for you and me to drive the positive changes that will get us to Sustainability. And it starts with a challenge for you to influence change in your workplace together with your colleagues.

Challenge

You might ask, what about CoP 26? Aren’t our national leaders responsible for turning our countries and economies away from the most dangerous IPCC scenarios by making a bolder commitment to mitigate climate change through more ambitious actions?

Well, when you consult historians, you realize how risky it is to rely on national leaders to drive positive change. In reality, their space to maneuver is smaller than we think, and they depend on their citizens’ readiness and commitment for change. Fortunately, the roles that you and I can play as citizen leaders to influence change are greater than ever before in history. That is, if we invest in growing our leadership abilities to make positive changes happen.

When you do step up to drive change in your business or organization, you might quickly realize that this is no easy task. The leaders I work with are full of stories of how their initiatives to drive change were met by unexpected resistance from their colleagues, clients, or partners. To overcome such obstacles takes commitment and hard work to grow your leadership abilities. Are you up to that challenge?

Question

If you are committed to growing your leadership abilities, good on you. Your example is needed like never before.

What comes next? From my experience, your development as a leader revolves around three core questions. First, are you practicing effective behaviors? Second, are adopting the right mindset? And third, are building strong habits? Working on your leadership behaviors, mindset, and habits is best done with others rather than by yourself. Think of collaborating with trusted colleagues, and reaching out to be mentored and coached.

If you are hearing a call to action for Sustainability in the words of Socrates and the warning of the IPCC and you want to grow your leadership abilities, then let’s set up a call to explore how you can apply the secret of change in your workplace and focus all your energy on building the new.