You don't have to convince everyone...
Have you noticed how persuading people to adopt a sustainability approach is like the funfair "whack-a-mole" game? You try to get them and they disappear, and then you have just too many moles to hit!
It can be utterly exhausting.
But what if I told you you didn't have to do that to progress sustainability?
There is a great concept sustainability guru Mike Barry shared with me when I interviewed him a few weeks ago for The Good Communicator podcast:
- Only about 10% of people are "deep green" (that's me and you, by the way, those that make sustainability their own life and see it as an absolute value);
- About 20% of people are either not engaged because they think the Earth is flat or have other priorities, like surviving;
- That leaves you with 70% of people who are "light green": open to it, perhaps partially engaged, but that would only fully embrace it if it made sense personally to them, or if it allowed them a better quality of life: for instance, those who are always looking for good quality in their purchases and could see sustainability as an enhancer of that.
That means you don't need to bother with the unengaged ones. You can, instead, push the "light greens" to go all in, which will be easier as they already are interested: you just need to make your arguments relevant to them and show them how sustainability can fulfil their needs and wants.
If you are trying to convince board members of a company you can be even more strategic and work with those who have the power to influence others within the company and an interest in sustainability. They will be your promoters, helping you champion your ideas within the company and making your life a lot easier.
If there are people powerful and deadly against your ideas, you might want to get someone with power and influence to work on them.
Don’t forget to involve those who are highly interested even when they haven’t got much power, not only because it’s the right thing to do but also because they can support you in other ways: for instance, by championing your ideas with others and creating a grassroots movement, like local communities, who will benefit from cleaner air, or staff champions, who can support your sustainability efforts inside the company. People are more likely to be swayed by their own peers, whom they already know and trust, than by outsiders.
[if you want to listen to the podcast episode with Mike Barry you'll find it on Spotify or YouTube]
This article was originally written for the Green Gorilla weekly newsletter. If you liked it, subscribe to receive more articles like this and learn how to communicate sustainability better, how to be more productive without selling your soul to the work devil, and how to make an impact in the world. Here is the link: https://newsletter.thegreengorilla.co.uk/