Leadership Social Norm Shifts For the Climate Influence Win
Friends: We have a climate action lever we have not yet pulled to it’s most strategic point, and that is: the public actions and louder voices of leaders with existing platforms. That sounds so wonky, so here’s the human version: There are a lot of corporate and political leaders who have not yet found the will to be more public about their personal climate behavior shifts. Yet, talking about our own climate-driven “conversions” — in what we eat, how we get around or how we heat our houses, etc. — is an incredible way to make the scary idea of lifestyle change much more accessible to many more people - quickly.
Still, we lean heavily on consumer-facing nudge campaigns that have not worked well enough or quickly enough. So - in this ten minute audio post, I share some thoughts about how even a “perceived” shift in leadership social norms would make a massive Climate Influence difference. (So, let’s GO!)
Here’s an excerpt:
But these points I think are worth looking at. It has been shown that it may take only a small number of trendsetters who question standing social norms and then start behaving differently to effect a major change. …That's why I often talk about how we need to shift the perceived social norm of leadership when it comes to climate action. We don't have to change all of the CEOs in the world. We need to select a couple CEOs, help them get more visible, be better at storytelling around what they're up to. Have them be surprising validators of progressive and innovative shifts by the storytelling and the way that we communicate and message that we can make three fortune 100 CEOs. They will make it look like this is the way things are going.
I also talk about:
- How changing social norms in climate values and action is a good social norm to talk more loudly about.
- How publicly committing to changing behaviors has many advantages, ….and that's why I'm always talking about BEING SEEN LEADING.
Thank you for reading Andrea Learned On Climate Influence. This post is public so feel free to share it.
Research download link for “Norms and Beliefs: How Change Occurs”
My Living Change podcast interview with Mark Gamba (see photo) is a great conversation (if I do say so myself) where Gamba talks about his strategic intention in being seen riding his bike by constituents and fellow local leaders. (Send the link to your local leaders Inspire them to talk about their personal climate behavior shifts more publicly!)
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My news:
My podcast conversation with Dr. Giacomo Dalla Chiara of the UW Urban Freight Lab at the Wo(men) In Tech Regatta in Seattle two weeks ago was excellent. The recording is currently being edited and should drop in the Living Change feed by mid-June (or so), so follow us there to be alerted.
And, the schedule for the Bloomberg Green Festival (Seattle, July 10-13) is developing in cool ways, so check it out. I just ran into one of my fellow Bloomberg Green Champions , Jessyn Farrell (City of Seattle’s, Director of the Office of Sustainability and Environment), yesterday at the Nordic Innovation Summit where she talked about her team’s focus on the just transition aspects of city climate work. When it comes to city leadership. she’s among the many great folks you might want to follow and learn from.
Finally, let me know if you will be coming to Seattle for the Festival this summer! It’s a great opportunity to meet up in a fun setting, and to experience some of the wonders of this Pacific Northwest life during it’s most lovely season.
Until next post…
