The Challenge of Leadership for Sustainability
bring out the best in people . leverage collective action . make greater progress
At Realise Earth we help sustainability directors, managers and pioneers like you create powerful, effective collective action that delivers real progress on your sustainability objectives.
84% of people are concerned about climate change.
Business sustainability drivers are ever more obvious.
Yet 98% of sustainability initiatives fail.
Successful initiatives use the psychology of motivation and systems thinking to transform the knowledge, expertise, awareness and concern present within groups of colleagues into effective collective action that delivers greater progress on sustainability – inside organisations, and through multi-organisation collaborations.
Sustainability Culture Change
Do you need to deliver sustainability performance and embed sustainability in strategy and operations? To succeed you need a mature sustainability culture across your organisation.
Use the Most Sustainability Workplace Index to diagnose your organisation’s current sustainability culture, identify priorities for change and develop an action plan.
Implement the plan yourself, or let us to help you with advice, workshops and action learning.
Sustainability Event Facilitation
Do you want your sustainability workshops and meetings to be more vibrant and effective? Great events don’t just happen. They need designed and facilitated to reach their full potential.
We design and facilitate workshops and meetings that bring our the best in people to help your team, organisation or group make greater progress on sustainability.
Talk to us about designing and facilitating everything from a project kick-off meeting to a sustainability leadership retreat.
We’ve developed our expertise in sustainability leadership working with organisations including:
At last I seem to be getting some real traction and influence in this and the programme has helped me identify the parts of our organisational system where I could have the most effective influence.
Chris Smith
Subject Lead – Arts
University of Plymouth
Knowing more about how to make change has given me a feeling of empowerment. I’ve been really pleased to see how the approach has worked and is valued.
Sarah Lee
Senior Associate Architect
Stride Treglown
The systems approach was a bit of a lightbulb moment in recognising that we need both direct action on those things we could easily influence as well as pushing for more strategic change.
Oli Mackie
Strategic Service Manager
NSPCC
It was such a positive experience. It gave me this feeling of life and empowerment, and direction. It helped me clarify my strengths and how I can bring sustainability into biomedical research through the European research networks I’m involved with.
Prof Marieke
van Ham
Sanquin Blood Supply Foundation and University of Amsterdam
It helped me feel less overwhelmed by the change that I and others need to make. The safe space allowed me to develop my thinking, which has had a hugely positive impact on how I incorporate sustainability in all my work.
Benjamin
Carey
Sustainable tourism consultant and crisis recovery expert
A transformational experience I will always treasure that helped me develop a stronger sense of what matters most and where I should allocate my time and energy.
Jane
Morrison
Environment Professional | Trustee, Wellbeing Economy Alliance Scotland
Practical advice and support
Leadership for Sustainability Guides & Podcast
A growing library of free resources offering insights, tools and techniques to inspire and support you to make greater progress, including interviews with sustainability directors, managers and pioneers. Check out the Guides and Podcasts…
Leadership for Sustainability Roundtables
Join our online Roundtables to meet the Realise Earth co-founders and spend an hour with other sustainability directors, managers and pioneers exploring the key issues and challenges that matter to you. Find our upcoming Events…
Leadership for Sustainability Netwalking
Enjoy walks in great places with sustainability people for worthwhile conversations – in and around the Central Belt of Scotland. Help develop the ecosystem of people working to achieve progress on sustainability. Read more…
Latest resources, event invitations and subscriber-only insights.
Meet the Realise Earth team
We’ve been helping sustainability leaders make greater progress for over 20 years, using psychology, systems thinking and a deep understanding of sustainability – alongside a range of practical skills.
Hi, I’m Osbert Lancaster
co-founder & director
I’ve been helping people to be more effective sustainability leaders for over twenty years. I have consulted to numerous organisation, large and small, supporting them to design and deliver sustainability strategies and climate action plans. I’ve taught sustainability at masters level and developed the University of Edinburgh’s first online MSc for professionals tackling the global challenges of environment, development and health.
Hello, I’m Morag Watson
co-founder & director
I’ve been a climate change, sustainability and leadership policy expert for nearly twenty years, and am a former UNESCO expert adviser. I’m Director of Policy for the trade body Scottish Renewables, advising the Scottish and UK governments on transitioning to a net zero, renewables powered energy system. The first sustainability leadership programme Osbert and I created was recognised as an Outstanding Flagship Project by UNESCO for its contribution to UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development.
And I’m Richard Profit
co-founder & director
I’m the CEO of the Cool Farm Alliance and former Global Operations Sustainability Senior Manager, PepsiCo, where I led the company’s climate strategy. I work with organisations around the globe, supporting their sustainability journeys as they decarbonise their supply chains.