How can you lead in the green economy?

View of text underscores the characteristics of a "green leader" who holds a well-defined and inspiring vision. This vision goes beyond the conventional scope of environmental conservation and includes fostering innovation, creating value, and enhancing overall well-being. Effective communication of this vision to teams, stakeholders, and customers, while ensuring alignment with personal values and mission, is a hallmark of such leaders. Crafting this vision involves introspection into the issues being addressed, the innovative solutions proposed, and the potential benefits for both individuals and the planet. Ultimately, a green leader embodies a comprehensive and future-oriented mindset, driving positive transformations on various levels.

The allure of exemplary leadership inspires the majority of individuals. Once you manifest your commitment to a particular cause with a resounding purpose, a dedicated following naturally ensues. The omnipresent statistics and data continually underscore the adverse consequences of environmental neglect. Therefore, an immediate shift in perspective is imperative. Initiatives such as investing in clean energy, curtailing carbon emissions, and seamlessly integrating sustainability principles into the recycling process have gained popularity, yet their consistent implementation remains an elusive goal. We must go beyond rhetoric and turn green policy into concrete action, unquestionably.

Vision fuels meaning, and meaning fuels motivation. I encourage leaders to think about what is meaningful when defining a vision for their team. To inspire and motivate a team, parts of it need to resonate with each of them. It needs to be broad enough for people to see how it connects with their own values. Impactful leaders help people make those connects with the vision, making it more vivid with details and examples.

To define the vision, a green leader must think above all things, to improve people's quality of life and to improve the environment. It is a matter of global interest, it no longer depends on a country, but on organizations that collaborate with each other with the aim of innovating reliable, sustainable, healthy, non-polluting products at an efficient cost. The world is not in an environmental crisis, the world is at risk of survival like never before. We see them daily in floods, droughts, extreme heat and cold, etc. The leader must become aware of these aspects above any other interest. Civilization and the planet are at risk of survival and if we do not act accordingly, the consequences, unfortunately, will be more serious every day.

Learning and adaptation is no longer debatable. There is no time. This implies putting aside the fierce current market competition to act collaboratively between organizations to create: Clean energy: innovating with products that generate more power since the current systems of solar and wind farms are not enough in terms of the energy generation they produce. Clean transport: innovating in fuel products that do not pollute the environment. Waste management: innovating in the manufacture of products that do not generate waste and are recyclable. Water management: innovate in the optimal use of water resources for the benefit of all civilization and the conservation of this natural resource.

I agree that a spirit of learning is key. A spirit of humility and growth. One of the most powerful and redeeming qualities of humanity is the ability to learn, and in turn, progress and improve. By adopting this sort of attitude, I was able to understand how climate change was impacting a river adjacent (non-coastal) community in Fiji. I was taught by community members how they were impacted by the not-necessarily-obvious results of rising sea levels. By hearing their observations of the changes they saw, and respectfully and wholeheartedly listening to their explanations of why they thought it happened, my colleagues and I were able to learn what was happening, and also how they wanted to address the issues.

Companies that adopt circular business models and extend the lifespan of their products gain a competitive advantage by aligning themselves with environmentally conscious values and attracting environmentally aware consumers. As circular products and practices gain recognition, investors and stakeholders become increasingly inclined to invest in companies that align with future sustainability goals, fostering more engaged individuals who practice sustainable actions.

Going Green is Great! But what matters is how we plan to get there. Are we at least concerned about protecting the natural and beautiful environment we have been blessed with, in this country? My recent visit to Jaffna showed how little we care for the environment. The Point Pedro beach was inundated with scattered mega bottles. Local authorities or people did not seem to be interested in keeping the place clean. The bottomless well in Nilavarai was the same, dirt scattered everywhere. Abandoned land have become easy garbage disposal places. Let us educate the people to keep the environment clean first. Going green requires multi stakeholder commitment and consensus. Sri Lanka can do it.

By working collaboratively between organizations and obtaining satisfactory results in the joint innovation of products for the green economy, all those involved will benefit from the results obtained according to the cooperation agreements they have developed, but above all, civilization and the planet will benefit. benefited by achieving the objectives of achieving a green, clean, sustainable, reliable economy, and accessible to all, where the earth will stop creaking in the face of the damage we have caused, allowing a better quality of life.

The best way to achieve innovation is to think together about disruptive ideas outside of current products, services, processes and systems. We must not settle for the results achieved. There is always the possibility to improve and innovate on the new. That is, continuous improvement must be permanent. This requires that all members of the organizations involved meet their needs. Only if the needs of the members of the organizations are satisfied will they be in optimal conditions to continue creating and innovating. Non-satisfaction kills creativity and innovation.

Any key indicator used that demonstrates that it improves the current negative impact on the environment in the sectors that make up the green economy is valid as long as it has sufficient real practical evidence to support the improvements it produces.

The first thing is that all members of the organization become aware of the enormous contribution they are making to the organization, civilization and the planet. Just by being aware of it, it is an amazing step that motivates, inspires, guides and commits the actions to be developed.