How To Be A Going Green Change Agent At Work
You’ve been contemplating, reading about, studying going green. But are you personally taking action at work? If you are, congratulations! If not, here are 12 steps you can take to personally go green at work.
If you’re already going green in your personal workspace, and are ready to help your organization go green, congratulations! You are on your way to becoming a change agent for going green at work.
You might be wondering what the term ‘change agent’ really means. According to the Cambridge dictionary, it is:
‘a person or thing that encourages people to change their behavior or opinions.’
Don’t get intimidated by the term. Instead, understand that in order to grow and implement new ideas, such as going green, your organization needs to change. You will want to get comfortable with the idea of being a change agent – and get excited about growing your leadership skills to make going green a success at your organization.
That being said, the term – and task - may still seem daunting, but it’s really not when you consider the following:
You don’t have to be in charge in order to create change in your organization. Check out these past blogs on this topic, starting with the first in the series.
You can start going green with some small steps and gain momentum. Use our free Beginner’s Guide to Going Green with 50+ low-cost projects to get started.
The only constant in life is change – so you might as well lead it versus have it happen to you – especially if going green is something you are excited or passionate about.
The last point is the one that I wanted to focus on today, specifically around going green at work. If you are ready to begin implementing a green project at work, you will want to be clear on your project and cultivate the characteristics of a change agent. Depending on whom you ask, a change agent has some or all of the following characteristics:
1. Accountability: Change agents take responsibility for introducing something new within their organization. In the case of going green, you can start, as mentioned above, with a small project and begin building momentum. Accountability and ownership of even a small project will enable you to grow your reputation as a change agent as well as your leadership skills.
2. Results Focus: Change agents have a clear end goal in mind. In many instances, it involves a change in organizational culture or operations, and can start with a small or large project. In the case of going green at work, when identifying an environmental sustainability project, you will want to start small, clearly define the parameters of the project at the onset, set actionable goals and agree on the timeline up front. In addition, the project is more likely to gain support if it is aligned with your organization’s longer-term goals and strategy.
3. Communication: Effectively sharing your going green vision and project requires clear, concise and consistent communication. You can build consensus and support for your project by sharing your vision and thoughts about your going green project with key stakeholders. Doing this up front will help to shape the project and vision and increase the likelihood of getting supporters for your project.
4. Listening Skills: Listening is an acquired skill, and one that is critical in general. Listening is just as important in shaping your going green project as it is in other parts of your work and personal life. It is important to listen not only to individuals who support your going green vision and project but also to those who resist or oppose it. When listening, be sure to not only to listen to what is being said but also to what isn’t being said.
5. Flexibility: Being flexible means being open to changing direction or to looking at a situation or a project differently. You may have a clear vision for your going green project, and as you start implementing it, obtain additional information that may cause you to shift direction or alter the project. If this is the case, being flexible will increase the likelihood of your successfully implementing your going green project – even if the end project does not look exactly like what you started out with.
You can leverage the above characteristics in order to successfully implement one – or multiple – going green (also known as environmental sustainability) projects at your organization.
If you still aren’t sure what project to start with, be sure to download our free Beginner’s Guide to Going Green, with a list of 50+ projects to get started.