Ffiona Devasabai Rowland & Lourenço Bustani
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As business leaders navigate the numerous complexities of the corporate world, they’re increasingly confronted by unspoken truths looming large in the workplace — elephants in the room, if you will, that often prevent them from confronting and adequately addressing the reality before them. While these elephants may emerge as restless thoughts that keep them awake at night, they often remain unaddressed amid the hustle of daily work life. Each passing day sees these uncomfortable agendas growing in significance, adding weight to their shoulders and anxiety to their minds.
Our own experiences — further explained by neuroscience — reveal that ignoring unspoken challenges only amplifies negative emotions, keeping us trapped in subconscious stress responses. Conversely, naming our greatest worries provides relief, calming our minds and helping us make better decisions.
Acknowledging these silent worries, dilemmas, and choices that privately play out in our minds also fosters a sense of solidarity, as we realize these are shared concerns. By bringing them into the open, we can start meaningful conversations, forge collective power, and begin to address them together.
The Fallacy of Eternal Growth
Deep down, many of us know that the prevailing business ethos based on the pursuit of growth and the maximization of shareholder value (long considered the hallmarks of business success) is actually causing irreparable harm. We have already exceeded the Earth’s capacity to sustainably provide for our consumption demands, imperiling the livelihoods, health, and lives of people worldwide. The repercussions are no longer distant abstractions but pressing realities, palpable in our day to day lives.
The more we are blind to the collateral damage of growing incessantly, the more we put our well-being at risk.
And yet, in order for businesses to survive, the prevailing wisdom dictates that they must continue to grow, even as this path leads us ever closer to the brink. For leaders, this poses a formidable challenge: how to ensure prosperity for their businesses, without overshooting critical planetary thresholds and without furthering the gap between the haves and the have nots?
The Trap between Courage & Self-Preservation
Many leaders in businesses recognize the urgent need for radical changes in strategies and approaches. We see the writing on the wall: environmental crises, social inequalities, and ethical dilemmas looming ahead. But do we truly grasp what these changes mean for our work and daily lives?
Are we prepared to acknowledge that the necessary depth and breadth of change might push us far beyond our comfort zones?
When it comes to decisively altering business practices, often at personal risk, hesitation tends to creep in. Challenging the existing system too vigorously could mean losing our place at the table, or more serious backlash. And while we may feel compelled to follow our moral compass, many of us also have financial obligations like mortgages, rent, family responsibilities, and retirement plans to consider. The world’s uncertainty only intensifies these concerns, making us wary of anything that might jeopardize our positions, networks, or financial stability. So, instead of advocating for the transformative changes our businesses urgently require, we often find ourselves sticking to the status quo or doing what we know is too little, too late.
Sure, businesses are making strides in sustainability, diversity, equity, and social responsibility, but typically only when it aligns with strong business performance. When a downturn occurs, these areas are often the first to face cutbacks and de-prioritization. This pattern is rarely acknowledged openly by business leaders, and those who attempt to address it are often met with resistance. Thus, the cycle persists, and we remain complicit in our inaction, widening the gap between what needs to be done and what we’re willing to do.
We’re torn between our aspirations for change and our fear of the consequences.
Until we confront this reality head-on and take a stand, the weight of our indecision will only grow heavier with each passing day, and the consequences will become more severe.
Pushing Beyond Breaking Point
The reality we are living through is precarious. We can feel it, even when we don’t want to acknowledge it. Human activities are pushing the earth’s natural systems beyond their limits, surpassing critical thresholds known as planetary boundaries, as outlined by the Stockholm Resilience Centre. These boundaries include vital environmental processes like climate change, biodiversity loss, and ocean acidification, crucial for Earth’s stability. Regrettably, we’ve already exceeded safe limits for several of these boundaries, resulting in significant damage and escalating risks of irreversible environmental changes. We are therefore teetering on the brink of irreversible tipping points, with uncertain outcomes looming.
In the face of this stark reality, two opposing narratives compete for dominance: the belief in technological salvation and a sense of impending doom. Our minds often gravitate toward one of these narratives, or oscillate between them, driven by the human instinct to seek comfort in certainty. For some, technological innovation is a ray of hope, promising to rescue us from catastrophe. For other’s there’s a more fatalistic outlook, convinced that our fate is sealed and attempts to alter our course are futile. While certain technological advancements may offer promise, they are not a cure-all for the complex challenges we face, especially as they may exacerbate stress on the Earth’s biocapacity through increased extraction and emissions. Similarly, giving up only immobilizes us, depriving us of agency and perpetuating the status quo.
Living with the likelihood of social-ecological systems collapsing is now our reality, requiring us to embrace discomfort, take risks, and make bold adaptations without the guarantee of a positive outcome.
It’s a daunting prospect, challenging our sense of control and need for predictability. Yet, it is also the crucial first step towards taking effective action, adapting deeply and building resilience in anticipation of whatever lies ahead.
Talking about these elephants in the room is an invitation for collective action. It urges us to transcend our individual fears and collaborate towards a future that respects our shared humanity, children, and future generations. Speaking candidly and courageously about the challenges and dilemmas all businesses face helps us become more pragmatic and effective in guiding our businesses and industries toward the right side of history. Furthermore, by sharing these concerns with others, we realize that we’re not alone in our struggles. This sense of solidarity can be a powerful source of strength and creativity. Leadership through example and collective action can generate the necessary momentum for change, gradually reaching social tipping points where transformation becomes not only possible but inevitable. This is the mandate that every leader must strive to fulfill in our current predicament.
Ffiona Devasabai Rowland is a business leadership coach with a background in organisational psychology. She is the Founder of Galera.earth, which amplifies action on climate and environmental issues within business through coaching and psychology.
Lourenço Bustani is co-founder of global consultancy Mandalah, which has been infusing purpose into business since 2006, Board member at Sistema B Brasil, President of the Board of Instituto Phaneros and Global Ambassador of Island of Knowledge.
