Sustainability mindset
Sustainability mindset
Pathways to sustainability involve more than straight steps and obvious measures…
Sustainability is evolving – becoming a priority for more roles and functions. Great strategies are joined up, so easier actions can lead to changes of culture and practice.
Strategic mindset for sustainability is often the missing piece of the puzzle.
SUSTAINABILITY LEADERSHIP
As a sustainability leader you feel the excitement of innovation and you see momentum – but face continual threats and cost crunches. As you confront existing practices, people can pull in different directions. Good ideas get stuck as you try to bridge old dividing lines. Off the shelf campaigns fail to create accountability to deliver the change.
Often people tasked with reducing the ‘footprint’ lack wider support and can struggle to influence an organisational ‘brainprint’ – its collective mindset for innovation.
Sustainability leadership needs the talent and energy of your whole organization.
SUSTAINABILITY MINDSET
Sustainability benefits from a learning or ‘growth’ mindset. But a sustainability mindset is going further and challenging existing ideas and habits from an ecological perspective.
Getting sustainability mindset into your strategy creates confidence and ambition. It helps people to define and scale action on new goals with broader benefits. They keep improving and build resilience, to stay focused on the moving target of sustainability.
Sustainability mindsets don’t just think within current systems – they change them.
I help organisations to tackle critical human and cultural aspects of sustainability, get started on a unified strategy, shift to the next level or widen their scope of impact.
Contact me to talk through your needs around the neural network behind your strategy for sustainability – some potential areas where I could help are shown below.
sustainability MINDSET Services
STRATEGISE
Connect your sustainability brainprint and footprint into a coherent strategy.
Evaluate progress to identify delivery gaps that need greater capability or fresh approaches to collaboration.
Build coalitions with specialist teams who can join forces and be accountable for sustainability outcomes.
GROW TALENT
Expand your sustainability mindset using training, mentoring and coaching.
Connect sustainability into professional and leadership development, support and recognition.
Harness your internal talent to innovate and extend impact, adding insights that de-risk your sustainability plans.
COMMUNICATE
Find your unique purpose and impact story to create momentum and benefits.
Communicate effectively with your key stakeholders to create new partnerships towards shared goals.
Develop transparency and trust in your reporting and corporate content on sustainability.
Contact me for a free call
CREDENTIALS
My expertise in sustainability spans leadership, strategy and learning, with a track record for driving its integration as a strategic priority for organisations.
With 20 years’ experience in sustainability innovation, I blend a performance and accountability focus with learning-based change. This mix can help develop and mobilise the sustainability mindset shift in your organisation.
- Experienced sustainability director, having led my university to become the #1 most sustainable in the UK (2019 People & Planet league)
- UK National Teaching Fellow (2017) awarded by AdvanceHE for capacity building and innovation work in the higher education sector
- Led a sustainability programme nominated for 45+ sustainability awards, from leadership, reporting and supply chain, to education and partnerships
- Delivered performance and policy improvements on carbon, waste, fossil fuel divestment, purchasing, governance, workforce and communications
- Director of a United Nations Regional Centre of Expertise that created a range of dynamic and award-winning cross-sector learning partnerships
- Honorary Professorial Fellow at the Pentland Centre for Sustainable Business, Lancaster University
Sustainability MINDSET testimonials
“Alex embodies the leadership approach we need for sustainability transformation in organisations – blending transparency and accountability with a deep grasp of people and culture. Her knowledge and insight into professional learning and shifting mindsets drives real and powerful change.”
“The depth and richness of Alex’s strategic work in sustainability has a scale and impact that far exceeds what I’ve seen in other institutions. Her success is rooted in her ability to shift mindsets and create authentic collaboration in multi-level teams around an innovative proposition.”
“Alex understands the importance of collaboration for driving real change across sectors, connecting responsible business practices into the training and education of all professionals. Working with Alex is an exciting journey that creates strategic insights that push practice beyond expectations.”
Sustainability mindset contact
Contact me to discuss bespoke support