Change in organizations requires a new human-centered approach, while people are only talking about, I’m doing it. Empathic and sustainable leadership is not a theory, but a standard of excellence. The Ecological Leadership Method is not a panacea and is not suitable for all organizations. Sustainable management is a request for evolutionary development of a company when the previous organizational model no longer meets the social needs of the team.
“Competition is the law of the jungle, but cooperation is the law of civilization.”
Pyotr Kropotkin
Social Needs
We live in an amazing time when material motivation easily loses out to remote working. Overconsumption is evolving into mindfulness. The cult of mindfulness is no longer just a trend, but a necessity. People have developed a taste for life, so they want to live pleasantly and for a long time. Focusing on physical and mental health, employment for pleasure and enjoyable experiences – these are all things that people in their majority strive for. The constant competition, struggle, intrigue and toxicity are not just exhausting emotionally but also hinder the prosperity of your business. This doesn’t mean that with all these qualities your business won’t function, but if you want to achieve more and make your mark in history, then your leadership must also meet the social demands of the present day. We spend most of our lives at work and of course we want this time to be accompanied by comfortable conditions for us. The development of civilization expands and deepens social needs. The broadness of choice creates in the population an orientation to the best quality in everything, in addition, the more tangible the development of technology, the more demand for “humanity” is growing.
The Method of Eco-Leadership is Necessary in the Following Conditions:
- The organization is engaged in innovative products, tasks involving high intellectual effort or making decisions on which people’s fates depend.
- Uncontrolled outflow of talented employees.
- When material motivation does not work.
- Problems with prioritization of the DEI strategy.
It has been proven more than once that theories, missions and values that have nothing to do with real people and what happens to them on a daily basis in the work environment do not work in business. Businesses are built by people who have both strengths and weaknesses. An integrated view of people is when you realize that the human factor is both the greatest resource and the greatest risk, which is usually embodied when people do what they shouldn’t do or don’t do what they should do. The human algorithm for behavior is irrational. If the definition of irrationality scares you, try replacing it with, for example, that human behavior is unique.
Uniqueness is an Asset
To me, every person is unique and every person is a leader, at least in their own life. The work environment is where you can show your uniqueness through your talents and skills in understandable social interaction. Making your interactions productive is my job. The method of Ecological Leadership is about clear social interaction in a corporate environment.
Why Ecological?
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, the definition of Ecology is the following: the relationship of living things to their environment and to each other. Healthy ecological corporate relationships are about creating and maintaining communication centered on empathy, respect for the needs and requirements of the other, understanding and accepting one’s own and others’ feelings. Such interaction unlocks potential and helps develop each other’s best sides. Support works better than punishment, proven. The less you focus on motivating your employees, the less your company has a chance of success.
Pathological Factors
There are many pathological factors that have a detrimental effect on the work environment and turn it from a fruitful space into a toxic one. The only thing these factors have in common is their human nature. Method is called Ecological for a reason, based on my experience with organizations I believe that the environment is a fundamental factor in influencing people’s behavior. I work with people through the transformation of their work environment. This is why the Eco-Leadership Method is so effective, because it explores the individual nature of the organizational environment, which ultimately drives employees to behave in the way they do.
Business Case
Imagine a situation where you have been looking for a new employee for six months, but the team boycotts him/her, and as a result an important task for the business cannot be completed on time. The more the conflict tension in the team increases, the worse the consequences will become. The root of the problem is not even in the new employee. The boycott situation is a consequence of a tangle of conflicts, which it is important to deal with in time. Just one unresolved conflict turns into a “comfort zone”. Conflict “comfort zone” provokes additional conflicts and creates irresistible inertia for the team. Team inertia leads to degradation of the group’s culture. The best and most talented employees leave first, this affects the quality of the final product, which ultimately makes it less competitive on the market. Inertia and disorganization leads to decreasing profits. Such stressful situations create chaos and the well-coordinated mechanism of the team turns into malfunctioning parts. When processes are optimized according to team needs and business goals, team cohesion increases profits. Paying attention to the team and its problems builds trust and progressively builds teamwork sustainability.
The Method Action
Starts with a deep diagnostics of the team. Each team has its own personal history of how people interact with each other, how power, trust, efficiency is shared, blind spots, pain points and cognitive errors of communication. The task of the method is to identify process pathologies. With the help of group psychological training, give employees the opportunity to speak up, share their emotions, hear the opinion of colleagues and only on the basis of this data transform business processes. This is intensive, emotional turnkey work for those who are ready for change. The main objective of the method is to unravel the tangle of silenced conflicts and create a safe space where people can talk openly about what is bothering them. Every person in the team is important, every team member is a leader in what he/she does for the team.
DEI Effect
In my work I use tools that are clear and proven to be effective for many people, such as individual sessions for decision makers and group psychological training for the team. The main therapeutic effect is to bring together the unique resources of the team, an immersive Diversity, Equity and Inclusion experience.
Bridging Emotions and Profit
My research interest is related to the correlation between corporate communication openness and profitability. I help companies to understand in practice how professional interaction with employees’ emotions can turn stress and conflicts into money.
Environmental Effect
Mental sustainability in an organizational context is a new sphere of environmental influence that can move the mentality of civilization to a radically new level of conscious wellbeing and global wealth.
December 17, 2023
