Get buy-in to sustainability

You’re leading your organisation’s response to the climate and nature crises. Your sustainability initiative makes sense but the people you need on board aren’t engaging.

You’re just not getting your colleagues’ buy-in – they are not prioritising sustainability in decision-making, other priorities keep taking precedence and the changes you hope for aren’t happening.

The evidence shows inaction puts the organisation at risk, and that your initiative will deliver real benefits for the business, for people and for nature.

So why the lack of serious engagement? It’s so frustrating! We’ve experienced this ourselves and we’ve seen many other sustainability leaders struggle with it.

Persuasion doesn’t work

Evidence is crucial to making good decisions about sustainability but facts and figures rarely get people sufficiently engaged to put sustainability high on the agenda where decisions are made.

We looked to social science to help us understand why persuasion doesn’t work – and to learn what does. With 20+ years of working on sustainability, we developed a practical approach, grounded in the reality of human nature.

Find common ground

Instead of trying to persuade people, find common ground between sustainability, their interests and concerns, and with organisational culture, values and commitments.

This shift from persuasion to finding common ground with colleagues and stakeholders was at the heart of our success in projects and sectors as diverse as:

• Leading PepsiCo’s climate strategy,
• Developing the University of Edinburgh’s sustainability strategy,
• Making Scotland a global leader in learning for sustainability.

Masterclass: Get Buy-in to Sustainability

Get Buy-in to Sustainability will help sustainability directors and managers turn colleagues’ disinterest or grudging acceptance into active collaboration and support for their organisation’s sustainability initiative by building a network of collaborators, allies and supporters.

It’s a one-day masterclass with the option of one-to-one follow-up coaching.

You will:

• Discover five steps to get buy-in to your sustainability initiative;
• Learn how to turn early engagement into ongoing, active support;
• Make a plan to get started – tailored to you situation.

In the Masterclass you’ll discover how to use the action learning cycle to build your network.

Make a plan to get started – tailored to your situation

Everyone’s situation is different. You may be starting to engage people from scratch, you may have tried and got so far, but no further. You might have an initiative you want to roll out or scale up. Or you may be looking to bring people together to co-create a sustainability strategy.

The five steps are a useful framework, not a rigid blueprint.

In the Masterclass we’ll help you work out a plan for action that’s tailored to your situation.

Optional one-to-one coaching as you implement

You will leave the masterclass with new knowledge and insight, and an action plan, tailored to your particular circumstances and interests.

This may be all you need. But sometimes, ongoing support to put your plan into practice can be invaluable.

That’s why we offer an optional programme of three one-to-one, 1 hour coaching sessions to provide additional guidance, feedback and support as you implement your plans.

Who we are…