How do you balance stakeholder needs for sustainability?

There should be considerable consideration of a multidisciplinary approach. For instance, in Public Health there has been a recent push for a "One Health" approach that highlights the need to include multiple perspectives, including those that would traditionally fall out of the specific silos that we are oft conditioned to working with. For instance veterinary, and agriculture for Emergency Management perspectives. Also, the integration that is necessary for controlling outbreak response may include civilian and military partnerships.

Prioritize. There is nothing magical about this and no special tools or frameworks are required. Sit down (in-person, on the phone, virtually etc) and communicate. Doing this will allow you to understand what the stakeholders want and where those wants rank hierarchically. If there is not alignment amongst the stakeholders it is your task as a leader to find a path to alignment or determine the risk of proceeding without it.

I think that before considering who your stakeholders are, it is important to recognize the breadth of the sustainability agenda and then consider what this means to stakeholders. Different stakeholders may have different priorities such that gaps open up and this can be a problem. Environment is not all climate change; resources and bio-diversity are equally important and must be part of the organizations strategy even if stakeholders don't seem them as a high priority. The same is true for the social and governance aspects of sustainability.

The communication of the vision also needs to be tailored to the stakeholder segment you are speaking to. Since each stakeholder segment has different interests and motivation (e.g. employees vs clients), it is important to articulate why your vision matters to them and how it will make their lives easier or better. The medium of communication also needs to be considered carefully to ensure the message is delivered at the right level of personalization. Generally the more important the stakeholder is, the more personalized the messaging

We’re big believers in TEAMING UP. Using multiple resources & marketing & leadership to really move forward. Go change the world. Thanks! Sheila

Let's not over complicate this. Developing new skills is time consuming and expensive but harnessing the different skills of different organizations and people can be a slick and efficient way to get results. It's also an effective way to innovate. Some of the greatest innovations of the 20th century were created by people outside the industry, coming up with ideas to solve their own problems.

One method you may want to consider is a well facilitated design thinking workshop. This is a fabulous tool to get all ideas identified, prioritized and prototyped.

Don't overcomplicate what is essentially management of risk and expectations. Communicate clearly and preferably concisely what the organizations goals are and what will be required to achieve them. Ensure that this communication moves up and down through the organization and amongst stakeholders. Ask questions, provide feedback, be open to change.

We are at a pivotal point in transforming our world particularly when it comes to creating sustainable inclusive economies. In another fifty years, we want to know that we acted responsibly and made the change necessary to leave a sustainable an equitable world. We want to make sure that all voices are represented, and that we are creating opportunities for all. As organisations, we must shift to approaches that revolve around human-centric values as a way of bringing the needs of the stakeholders and communities into a healthy balance.