Episode 40 - Teams Are the “Sweet Spot” for Sustainable Environmental Leadership and Change | Joan Gregerson

Do you have a passion for the environment? Do you have some mission that you want to pursue but it feels overwhelming to achieve yourself? Do you want to empower your impact by building great teams? Our special guest Joan Gregerson has been an eco-activist for her entire career, a community organizer and a leader in the environmental transformation movement. Joan is the author of the recently published book Climate Action Challenge and the Founder of the Green Team Academy, which has a mission to partner with 1,000 eco-initiatives over 90 days. Most important, Joan is a proven expert in building partnerships and teams after learning for herself that doing it herself didn’t serve her or her mission. Today, Joan helps people who want to get together, make a difference and feel better.

Joan is a self-proclaimed Eco-Nut with a heart for the environment and a calling to make a difference. Joan will be sharing practical ideas on the importance of building your team, as well as her eco-wisdom on the importance of taking action now to preserve our environment. The Impact Leadership Podcast is brought to you by Cardivera, the leadership development eco-system that helps your grow your people, grow your business and grow your life.

Show Notes

In this episode you’ll learn…

How fulfilling, nurturing and effective small teams can be
The urgency to take collaborative action to address the environmental issues in the world
The importance of making it clear what you want (and asking for what you want) when you’re pursuing a mission
The power of leading where you are no matter what your age
The “sweet spot” for being effective for the planet
Beware of limiting your activism to “clicktivism” (i.e. click here to support a cause)
The key to change is to form a team
The high impact strategy of assembling your list of 100 “partners”
Working on a project with a team provides critical support through the challenges
That small action alone is not always the best approach to change
The connection between addictive behaviors and personal / business habits that are harming the environment (and the similar challenges when you seek to change those habits and behaviors)
The ways that a negative message often promotes inaction – if you want people to act, you have to make it a positive message (“You can’t scare people into taking care of the planet”)
The impact concept of “2% for life” (3 hours a week) … give 3 hours a week to environmental initiatives
“There’s no waste … only a lack of creativity”
All the benefits of forming and working as a team, including emotional support, which helps create sustainable change
Leadership and growth lessons from nature (nature’s return on investment is much greater than are typical sought after business returns)
Teams create ripples of impact
The important role of enlisting mentors and other support for your initiatives
The critical role of community organizing to effect change (not projects)
The importance of listening to the biological mentors (e.g., trees, earth, etc.) and indigenous people when it comes to environmental change
Embrace a stewardship mindset regarding the environment