"The Weirdest Silent Disco You've Ever Been To" #ResetConnect2023

I emerged from Reset Connect on Tuesday 27th June, blinking into the sunlight, inhaling AIR deep into my lungs with my entire self feeling a bit like the exploding head emoji.

Reset Connect was as if B&Q had been tasked with creating a living metaphor of 'The Paradigm Shifts Of The Great Transition' in a giant tin hangar for hundreds of people to experience for themselves - the experience made all the more authentic with harsh, unrelenting lighting and a lack of water stations for our refillables.

As you might have gleaned from Monday's post, I bounced in full of hope and optimism.?

I left with my hope and optimism LARGELY in tact but it was stark reminder of how fragile this moment is. How there is no certainty in this messy, transitional phase where systems, frameworks, propositions, ideas and solutions rub alongside, jostling for primacy often clashing and competing. This is where we are. Let's run with it.

Let me try and paint the picture;

?? Kate Raworth's opening was a powerful, inspiring and uplifting start to open hearts and minds to BIG systems thinking that is Doughnut Economics, and the how on on building a regenerative and distributive economy - with examples. Erinch Sahan from Doughnut Economics Action Lab (DEAL) who acted as 'compère’ throughout the day, between sessions and across stages, was tireless in bringing things back to big ideas and system level change.

?? By contrast, panel discussions featuring big brands were emblematic of the next day's news on UK failure to meet Net Zero targets; reminiscent of 'tinkering not transformation' and at the "how might we more responsibility sustain our business" end of the ambition spectrum rather?than at the "how can we rethink this and what meaningful role can my business play to avert catastrophe?" end of the spectrum. This is where the bulk of corporates remain. Kate's words, "companies seeking transformation within the same boundaries of 20thCentury models won’t get there" rang in my ears.

??On the 'Addressing Over Production / Driving Behaviour Change’ panel moderated by Illana Adamson ?it was great to see hear panelists reflect with brutal honesty on what the future holds for businesses in-the-business-of-selling- stuff; that there will come a time soon where, if it can't be repaired, it can't be sold. That people are going to reach boiling-point on single-use PDQ so it needs to be eradicated, and that GenZ are tuned into the current chaos and WILL act - businesses need to catch up pronto.?The regulatory and customer pressures to change are here, and palpable.

? There was a distinct absence of inspiration on the HOW from leadership brands (certainly on the Tuesday). Vivobarefoot , the closest thing we have to a UK 'Patagonia' and arguably one of the most progressive businesses at the regenerative end of business model design, should have been centre stage. Instead, I found myself shoe-horned into a corner for a 30 minute slot, trying to devour my ultra-processed panini and grappling the difference between truly sustainable and genuinely regenerative. Regeneration of our ecosystems and societies for wellbeing is surely the hottest topic this side of armageddon and deserves more space?

?? There were so many incredible #solutionists there, but they somehow felt regelated to sales and networking exhibits. The talks on circularity, to my view, should have been centre stage - not because they have something to sell but because 'THIS IS HOW YOU DO IT' is so needed.

? The ' Purposeful Profits’ session hosted by Ben Keene and Caner Veli was GREAT for Inspo as ‘Five Of The Hottest Startups’ pitched to a panel of investors, live. Here was hope in a jam-packed lively session of big ideas. The format was great and we encountered bold business ideas born to actually SOLVE some of the greatest challenges of our time; keep your eyes peeled for Morrow - The Coffee of Tomorrow people because gone are the days where you can take that morning cup of coffee for granted. This is an idea that was born to help mitigate AND adapt, AND meet the needs of humans wrapped up in one, nifty, regenerative idea for that morning 'coffee' hit, without the impact. To all ideas presented, investors dove in with questions like, "what's your exit strategy" and "what's the payback" "show me the growth trajectory" a reminder that even problem-solving purposeful start-ups are being judged by the boundaries of the current short-termist growth-obsessed system. I'd like to qualify this with a point made by Ben in the LinkedIn thread -?beyond the rightful ROI an investor should expect, the priority for impact investors at Raaise is understanding the potential for start ups to scale the impact model. Climate impact first.

??The echo-chamber effect was palpable. I didn't have time to visit exhibitors as I was 'all about the listening' on Tuesday, but it just didn't seem busy enough. Not enough brands and business owners perusing exhibits. Anecdotally, I was told, that there was a dearth of actual business leads but lots of consultants and lots of people in the green space, networking. This is probably to be expected. And it’s ok. I was thrilled to meet so many people IRL that I had connected with on LinkedIn. We shared our hopes and frustrations. And there’s a lot to be said for that.?

?? The Biodiversity and Regeneration panel moderated by Peter Brotherton of Natural England provided lots of strong provocation; "we only develop by harming nature, until we get rich enough to start restoring it. How do we break out of that catch 22?" asked Brotherton. Ooph. Danielle Mulder , Sustainability Director at the BBC Studios said something I haven't heard voiced out loud in a business context yet; "I want to build caution around profit" she said, "isn't it time to put back?". Brotherton reminded us that, with all the talk of measurement and solutions, unlike with carbon, “there is no technological solution to ecosystem breakdown” and I'm not sure who said this, but it's in my notes; "this is the tragedy of the commons - everyone is responsible, but no one is taking responsibility. There’s no accountability." Marion Atieno Osieyo of WWF reminded us that, as we go #naturepositive, we need to adopt a human rights lens or we risk a 21st Century colonisation of land in order to correct the set of harms we did first time around. Again, this is a blindingly intelligent cautionary observation that I am not hearing loud enough elsewhere, left to land on already sympathetic ears.

And there's the rub. Following the session, as I left my chair in front of the 'Cities And Environment Stage' and headed for the 'Net Zero Business Stage' I couldn't help but notice the irony of biodiversity discussion being placed at the opposite end of the hangar to the net zero discussions. Regenerative business models over there in the corner. Quod erat demonstrandum.

? ??Back to the B&Q analogy up top, to make the 'Paradigm Shift Experience' really authentic there was even a bit of activism - shortly after a panel discussion featuring 汇丰 , an activist took to the stage and highlighted the hypocrisy of having HSBC centre stage when they are in cahoots with fossil fuels. Reflecting back on one of the panels I didn't get to see, it now strikes me as a bit greenwashy for WPP , also in bed with fossil fuel clients, to be represented on the #NetZero stage talking about 'customer propositions that deliver on sustainability goals, avoid greenwash and destroying the planet'. Eek emoji.?

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What went on inside #ResetConnect on the Tuesday felt like a microcosm of what's happening out here in the real world - an almighty ideological, solutionist mash-up of possibilities and paths forward all jostling for attention and primacy of place as we come to grips with ‘how to solve everything, everywhere all at once'.?

I met some really awesome people, heard some great things, discovered new people and ideas, met old and new friends IRL. The fact that Reset Connect is even happening is much needed progress in itself and I look forward to seeing where it goes. However, in writing this to make sense of “the weirdest silent disco you’ve ever been to”, a quote from a panelist on the Net Zero Business Stage on the Tuesday and a nod to the bluetooth headphones we donned, I came to the conclusion that we really need a lot more specific inspo on the HOW to get there at events like this. We've got a less than seven years til 2030 by which time, we should have halved emissions, restored biodiversity AND be back on track for 1.5C. And yet, in that huge somehow-airless hangar it was if we had all the time in the world.

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More to come with where I'm headed with Make It Good over on Substack soon I'm creating a CUNNING PLAN for 'how to change everything, everywhere all at once" (again, eek emoji). Drop me a line on [email protected] if you'd like to be notified when it lands. ?????