Active Hope elicits our best response to crisis

Posted on June 19, 2023 by maitland

19 June 2023  By Alison Maitland

I’ve been facilitating “Active Hope” workshops for a wide range of groups over the past few months: diversity & inclusion professionals; climate campaigners; executive coaches, and more. I’ve experienced first hand how these sessions open up profound conversations about our concerns for the planet and our dreams for a better future, helping people to shift from anxiety, or overwhelm, or powerlessness into positive action.

I first encountered the book Active Hope while training as a climate coach with Climate Change Coaches. Inspired by what I read, I took the Foundations course and then completed the Active Hope Facilitator Training earlier this year. Continue reading →

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Co-coaching for ocean conservation

Posted on February 28, 2023 by maitland

28 Feb 2023 By Alison Maitland

How can coaches best collaborate to bring diverse perspectives and extra value to organisations? Here are some thoughts based on an enjoyable assignment I carried out recently with fellow coach Max Comuzzi for Blue Ventures, a social enterprise whose mission is restoring ocean life in 13 tropical countries.

Blue Ventures does crucial work with vulnerable fisheries and small-scale coastal communities who are often at the sharp end of climate change. Sir David Attenborough has described its work as “a model for everyone working to conserve the natural life-support systems of our troubled planet”. Continue reading →

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Inclusion and sustainability are interlinked

Posted on December 20, 2022 by maitland

20 Dec 2022 How are inclusion and sustainability interconnected? In this video discussion about inclusive leadership hosted by fellow coach Priya Hunt, I explain why we need different thinking from business as usual, and as broad a mix of perspectives as possible, to make the shifts essential to deal with the mega-crises facing our world.
That means that leaders should consistently be asking: Whose voice is missing? What perspective have we not thought about? How can we bring different ideas into our decision-making? It’s what Rebekah Steele and I call harnessing “the collective superpower” of diversity in our book INdivisible.
Rebecca Jones and Garry Browne shared their experience on the business importance of inclusion and how to make it happen in practical ways, and the conversation flowed thanks to Priya’s skilful facilitation.

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10 inclusive actions you can take

Posted on January 20, 2022 by maitland

20 January 2022    By Alison Maitland

Illustration by J. Rodes Gardner for INdivisible

Inclusion is crucial. It harnesses the “collective superpower” of diversity, enabling organisations and societies to address the biggest challenges of our times.

Everyone has a role to play in building inclusion. When Rebekah Steele and I speak to audiences about our book INdivisible*, we notice how eager people are to discover what they can do personally to influence inclusion at work.

Responding to this, we ran a LinkedIn series last year on #inclusiveactions.

Each action was designed to further one of the 10 “Inclusion Enablers” we describe in the book. These are a core element of our whole-system approach to advancing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Here, I’ve brought all these actions together in one place to help you cultivate inclusion, taking account of the changing work environment that so many people are experiencing.

Continue reading →

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How to engage people in complex challenges

Posted on January 13, 2022 by maitland

My LinkedIn post of 11 January 2022

How can we engage more people in the complex challenges facing the world?

I recently finished watching the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, led by Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, on viruses and how science is fighting back. They were brilliant: interactive, entertaining, mind-expanding. There are surely lessons here for involving more people in tackling climate change and social injustice. Continue reading →

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How the online world is literally a leveller

Posted on December 8, 2021 by maitland

My LinkedIn post, 7 Dec 2021

Have online meetings affected your perspective of height and status?

I recently attended a physical gathering where most people hadn’t seen each other for nearly two years, except on screen. Real life was evidently a sudden reminder of our differences in stature, as several people commented on my height in relation to theirs. Continue reading →

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The power of visualisation in coaching

Posted on November 23, 2021 by maitland

My LinkedIn post, 23 Nov 2021

Are you a turtle or a dolphin today? It was the notices at our local pool directing children to their “Turtles” and “Dolphins” swim lessons that prompted me to ask myself this question.

Dolphins and turtles are two of my favourite sea creatures. I see turtles as wise, steady, focused, often swimming alone, while dolphins are curious, fast, agile and gregarious. Continue reading →

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Will fear or hope drive climate action?

Posted on November 10, 2021 by maitland

My LinkedIn post from 9 November 2021

“We should stop competing with each other on the future of humanity and start working together like adults.”

So said Paul Polman, campaigner and former Unilever CEO, on BBC Question Time, speaking from the climate change conference in Glasgow.

He was talking about governments and business, though the message applies to us all. Continue reading →

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Questions for DE&I leaders to put to Boards

Posted on October 13, 2021 by maitland

My LinkedIn post from 12 Oct 2021

“Inclusion and sustainability are interdependent. Both require global systemic change.”

How can DEI leaders help corporate boards address these burning issues together?

Investors are increasingly focused on companies’ climate goals. This is critical. But more attention must be paid to societal alongside environmental impacts. Progress on each depends on the other. Continue reading →

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The onward drive for gender equity

Posted on October 4, 2021 by maitland

Photo by Tobias Bjørkli from Pexels

By Alison Maitland

As this is the last column I’ll write for the IWE community, I want first to thank and pay a personal tribute to Peta Payne as she steps down.

Those who know the driving force behind IWE (International Women of Excellence) will know how modest she is, never seeking the limelight. They will also know her persuasive power, her ability to harness different people’s strengths for a common purpose, and her determination to support women’s career growth so that businesses and societies flourish by using the best of all the talent. Continue reading →

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