How can you turn your critics into allies for sustainability?

In my opinion, a critical dimension to understanding your critics is to discern the underlying psychology of resistance. Often, criticism stems not from opposition to sustainability itself but from discomfort with change or fear of the future. A considered approach to this psychological aspect involves demonstrating how sustainable practices can provide stability and security, thus aligning with an inherent human preference for certainty. Engage with critics on a level that highlights how sustainability leads to predictable and reliable outcomes for businesses and societies. This approach can transform scepticism into a shared vision for a resilient future.

Your critics are in fact critical friends. If you don’t step out of your silo, you don’t get a fuller perspective about other stakeholders perceive you, so you are missing that all important external perspective, a holistic view of your challenges and potential solutions. Critical friends can ask you relevant questions and can provide important insights. Don’t just understand your critics, but dare to engage with them. Critical friends are also brilliant for testing messages and may challenge you on your ( unintended ) greenwashing. Before engaging with critical friends, it’s important to have the right facilitator that NGOs and other policy stakeholders trust.

You need to spend time and listen to one another. Ask each other questions, add a bit of humor, tell a story and try to understand why you don't agree. Both have to be open to the idea that you can shift your stance to find an agreeable way forward.

The closing speech at COP 28 in Dubai focused on the crucial link between knowledge and understanding. The unknown is frightening, as is the case with foreigners and all innovation. Sustainable transition is an innovation, so we need to invest heavily in research, educate people, and repeat the message as many times as necessary, using all kinds of media, for all kinds of audiences, in all kinds of places. In any change process, the first phase is awareness, and the third is action. The second is knowledge, because without it there is no action possible, or not in the right direction.

Find out the value or benefit you can provide them. What are their pain points and how can sustainability reduce or improve them?

An important component here in sharing the vision is to ask for questions and input early from individuals or small groups that might see things differently. Understanding their vision and identifying the overlap and/or gaps between your own vision and theirs can lead to potential for collaboration and resource pooling. Creating a singular, inflexible vision without engaging stakeholders is not the best way to go… so, where possible, co-create a vision that helps accomplish multiple benefits (ie: addressing problems that critics have identified) and deeply incorporates the perspectives of others.

From my experience, you can’t underestimate the importance in doing this. And the challenges in creating a relatable story that resonates and has credibility in the outside world. Often good work is hidden beneath Company speak and jargon or it’s importance to the outside world simply hasn’t been understood. Companies need to use the expertise of their communicators like never before!

The essence of vision has changed over time. It’s no longer a bland statement of how we see the world, full of trite adjectives, ‘we want a sustainable world’, instead, it’s a commitment, it’s about something specific: the solution we are bringing to one or more of the world’s problems, the contribution that we ( our organisation or sector ) are making to the benefit of society. Less status quo. More a vision for change.

Frame the topic using the critic's values and language. Oftentimes people are critics of sustainability because it doesn't fit into the way they see the world or express it, but by using different language and framing it in values and terms that make sense to them, all of a sudden people go from disagreeing to agreeing. For example, I can talk about energy efficiency in terms of reducing CO2 emissions. The challenge? It's expensive to implement. I can also talk about it in terms of cost savings from lower utility bills. All of a sudden, the critic is quiet.

I engage SMBs by pulling out the old P&L statement of their business. - What drives revenue? - What drives expenses? Now, ESG initiatives are actually drivers of profitability. For example: reduce energy usage to cut expenses earn a sustainability certification to meet your large customer's new requirements (retain their revenue next year) develop a robust ESG policy, data, and targets to secure better investment opportunities (at lower rates) minimize the risk of business disruption by considering the physical and transitional impacts of climate change and social issues When you engage sustainability as a way to generate profits, rather than as something separate, then you change the conversation.

It's important not to expect one conversation to change everything. It may take lots of conversations, and you have to be willing to put in the work.

Make them the Hero! Your job is to be the mentor, take the time to educate and empower them. And talk their language. If they geek out on numbers or reductions or performance, tailor your mentorship to that. This will make it sticker for them and they'll feel empowered.

It's all about communicating the value! Sustainability has finally moved from the plant room to the boardroom. So, collaboration and clear communication are critical to effectively present a robust business case to the finance and leadership teams, expressing that sustainability isn’t a cost burden, but something that can generate profit for the business.

Education is critical for raising rates of environmental literacy. People want to learn more, 77% of individuals in a Forbes survey on sustainability said they wanted to learn more about the topic. If we have solid scientific knowledge about an environmental topic, we must present those concepts so that solutions are appropriately adopted based on facts and evidence rather than ideology or bias. Education is the greatest tool to teach skills on sustainability.

Agree completely on the immense value of educating critics - exposure to precedents and systems thinking shifts assumptions over time. When sustainability is presented as result-driven journey rather than a destination, hearts and minds open. Training that spotlights interdependence and proven solutions turns "either/or" arguments into "both/and" answers. Investing in such capacity building ultimately multiplies your efforts as critics morph into advocates influencing peers. Their wise counsel strengthens strategies and commitments.

Education, Awareness is the most powerful tool to convert any critic into your ally. Although I would always love to have critics than allies, as through them you can gain objectivity even more. The more knowledge you give the more it grows, is my fundamental belief. While imparting knowledge, educate your critics to deep dive into the subject,, given the rapid changes within the sustainaiblity domain, in doing so, through the process, your critics will realise that sustainaiblity is a dynamic, systemic and speciflaised domain. They would have questions, which will encourage answers from your end, answers in turn will lead to mutual exchange of dialogue, leading to effective, continuous communication and collaboration.

In my experience, what I’ve come to learn is that lack of education or exposure is usually the first cause to someone disagreeing with an opinion or ideology. So having a clear and digestible understanding of sustainability so that you may teach or inform others correctly is my first method of engagement. Secondly, most people want to feel a s if they are a part of something. So find what interests the said party being spoken too, and relate that to sustainability experiences you have endured or simply know about! This is one of the most unifying and confrontation avoiding methods I use in trying to educate students, staff, or community members on how sustainability can be practiced in everyday life!

It’s all about the win-win. Providing opportunities for everybody to engage in reflecting on the challenges and co creating sustainability strategies. Getting organisational wide change flowing, means first shaping and harnessing a unified mindset behind big ( and stressful ) sustainability goals. Incredibly I write a book on this topic back in 2014, which is still widely sold. It’s called ‘Creating Employee Champions: How to Drive Business Success through Sustainability Engagement Training’

I strongly believe: inspiring critics to embrace sustainability as a personal value catalyzes cultural change. Appealing to emotions through passion and storytelling spotlights how positive impacts uplift communities. And inviting higher goal-setting challenges assumptions on what’s possible. Most importantly, expressing gratitude for alternate views nurtures goodwill and partnership. By cultivating an appreciative mindset, skepticism gives way to collective innovation.

Don't focus solely on the challenges and failures of the sustainability movement. Highlight positive developments, celebrate successes, and inspire hope for a better future. Positive reinforcement motivates, negativity demotivates. Don't isolate yourself within an echo chamber of like-minded individuals. Seek to engage with your critics, understand their worldviews, and bridge the gap between different perspectives. Don't speak in theoretical terms. Translate sustainability principles into practical benefits, economic opportunities, and tangible improvements in people's lives.

Many years ago I was the sole Sustainability SME for a US Federal Agency and I remember sitting in a 3-day update session. Every presenter used the same format to present their update on their region. It was beyond painful to sit in. I was the last of course since sustainability was something that they had to do but didn't want to. Anyways I started seeing patterns of "we can't do this" or "we had to move this out" because of budget needs. After the second day I revamped my presentation and used their frustration as basis of my presentation. I focused on the benefit my programs would provide in real world examples. "If we install this efficiency program here it will safe enough to pay for the new roof". Show the benefits!!

An often overlooked facet is the establishment of a supportive ecosystem. Businesses should create an environment where questions and dissent are not just allowed, but encouraged, as they can lead to innovation and strengthen the sustainability initiatives. Moreover, providing platforms for critics to voice their concerns can demystify misunderstandings. By nurturing an inclusive atmosphere where every voice is heard, organisations can transform scepticism into advocacy, encouraging collective responsibility and progress towards sustainability. It's all about harnessing diverse perspectives to enrich the sustainability dialogue and strategy.

When coming across someone who disagrees with you, remember you don't need to change a critic into an endorser, just getting someone to neutral on an issue is a good thing!

You're not going to win everyone over. Focus on the people and businesses that see the value in sustainability. Maybe they don't want to lose their big customers. Perhaps they want to save the world. Either way, if they are 'in,' you can work with them. Leave behind those that remain skeptical.