Head Full of Doubt, Still Waiting for the Promise
I believe that we have not yet had a meaningful conversation about community and collective action and how this colors our approach to climate change. As a result, we continue to joust for metaphorical turf in a tiresome and ultimately unwinnable tragedy of the commons. As a species we are a community that transcends boundaries or borders. We share (or should share) something in common – an abiding desire to achieve sustainable management of the Earth’s atmosphere. All of us live in communities of place, past, purpose, perspective, and practice and the quantity, quality, and reach of connection in any of these communities depends on how connected people are in each community and how much connecting each person does with other people in each community. This is not an abstract concept; I passionately believe that to address global climate change people must be invited into a conversation that firstly optimizes the possibilities of belonging, engagement, and making a difference. Only then can the more tactical and tangible actions be identified. Can we dare to imagine world leaders engaging in this kind of deep conversation, a conversation that is about nothing less than raising consciousness? I choose to believe that we can, that we must. The alternative is to live in a state where, as the title of this essay suggests, the head is full of doubt and we perpetually wait for the promise of something different, something better.
Posted in The Strategist on December 21st, 2011
The Historical Roots of the Occupy Movement
George Santayana famously observed: “Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it”. I’ve thought about those good words during much of the Occupy movement because it seems to me that too many people cannot remember the events that brought us to this moment. And so it is that the protestors have been criticized for lacking a coherent narrative, and moved out of the spaces that were their metaphorical beachhead. The forces of the ruling empire want us to believe that the protest movement is in fact not that at all; it is nothing more than a disorganized group of disaffected youth and any pretentions to a movement are misguided. I think not. The Occupy movement may well be characterized as an international protest directed at economic and social inequality, but I see it as something more – as a profound meditation on how human society lives, works and plays and how we came to this hinge point of history. Let me explain.
Posted in The Strategist on November 25th, 2011
The Conversation We Aren’t Having
For all of the talk about the Keystone XL pipeline, what interests me is the conversation we aren’t having – but should. While considerable media attention is being given to the jobs versus environment debate, the real conversation is about perspective. This is the too often overlooked need to stand outside a particular frame of reference and look at conditions from a wider and/or longer context. The power of perspective is that it can reveal truths that are otherwise hard to see. This is especially apt in considering the way in which we consistently situate economic development opportunities in the zeitgeist and play these off against other “competing” interests such as environmental, social, cultural or heritage values. This is the truest frame within which to consider Keystone because in Canada our economic history has been defined by the “staple theory” advanced in the 1930s by Harold Innis, a political economist at the University of Toronto.
Posted in The Strategist on October 13th, 2011
ABBOTT STRATEGIES is a boutique strategy and sustainability firm that crafts tailored business solutions for clients across the globe. In particular, we are experts at bridging the gap that has too long separated strategy and sustainability. We help you understand how environmental, social and economic forces are rapidly influencing the strategic positions available for your company or organization. But we don’t just work at strategy creation – we actively support you through implementation, measurement and refinement of the strategy. This approach drives real performance improvement, builds trust capital among your key stakeholders, and enhances your reputation. We are a bespoke house – you get truly unique, tailored solutions that “fit” your organizational culture. Go elsewhere for off-the-rack ideas. Our core services include:
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We believe that the world – and the world of business – is at a hinge point of history and that profound change in the way strategy is created, implemented, measured and reported will become commonplace as human society confronts manifold changes in the environment-energy-economy nexus. Our interest, emphasis and expertise are in creating the conditions for transformational rather than transactional change.
