Comments on: Sustainability Leadership: SHIFT or SHOW? http://learnedon.com/2010/03/sustainability-leadership-shift/ Learned On | gender, consumer behavior and sustainability Mon, 16 Apr 2012 05:00:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Tami Anderson http://learnedon.com/2010/03/sustainability-leadership-shift/comment-page-1/#comment-2329 Tami Anderson Thu, 25 Mar 2010 05:52:28 +0000 http://learnedon.com/?p=3939#comment-2329 Andrea,<br>Really thought provoking post. I think some of it has to do with the fact that the voices we hear most through traditional media and marketing channels are from business leaders (who are still mostly male), even when it comes to sustainability, because a) they have the means to promote their vision via PR or conference attendance, books, etc. and b) the thing of most mass market interest is how we are going to do all these "good" things and still be an economic powerhouse. For better or worse, we are a SHOW-driven society (just look at the healthcare debate...). I think the SHIFTers will get their day, but it will likely be after we all believe on a wider scale. Then people will want to dig into how it all actually came together. Andrea,
Really thought provoking post. I think some of it has to do with the fact that the voices we hear most through traditional media and marketing channels are from business leaders (who are still mostly male), even when it comes to sustainability, because a) they have the means to promote their vision via PR or conference attendance, books, etc. and b) the thing of most mass market interest is how we are going to do all these “good” things and still be an economic powerhouse. For better or worse, we are a SHOW-driven society (just look at the healthcare debate…). I think the SHIFTers will get their day, but it will likely be after we all believe on a wider scale. Then people will want to dig into how it all actually came together.

]]> By: GiselaG http://learnedon.com/2010/03/sustainability-leadership-shift/comment-page-1/#comment-2311 GiselaG Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:01:48 +0000 http://learnedon.com/?p=3939#comment-2311 Hi Andrea,<br><br>This is interesting and you are right about the critical mass build. Women are communicators and natural networkers, they lack the degree of nepotistic tendency that men clearly display and view collaboration as a 'powertool', so are just perfectly naturally embedded in creating shifts be it in consciousness or through idea creation/generation and action. Potentially men create a peers congratulating peers scenario, whirling into a pool of so called 'expert' status amongst and against one another seems to set the benchmark and create the precedent - rightly or wrongly. It feels to me women want to remain close to source and be more akin to the 'real deal'. Walking the talk rather than only talking the talk is, at the end of the day, more meaningful. John Elkington was not the sole founder of SustAbility, but did so with Julia Hailes (<a href="http://www.juliahailes.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.juliahailes.com/</a>) who is not (as far as I can see) among the most mentioned individuals.<br><br>Thank you for the interesting reading as what you mention applies across so many spaces. <br><br>best,<br>Gisela Hi Andrea,

This is interesting and you are right about the critical mass build. Women are communicators and natural networkers, they lack the degree of nepotistic tendency that men clearly display and view collaboration as a 'powertool', so are just perfectly naturally embedded in creating shifts be it in consciousness or through idea creation/generation and action. Potentially men create a peers congratulating peers scenario, whirling into a pool of so called 'expert' status amongst and against one another seems to set the benchmark and create the precedent – rightly or wrongly. It feels to me women want to remain close to source and be more akin to the 'real deal'. Walking the talk rather than only talking the talk is, at the end of the day, more meaningful. John Elkington was not the sole founder of SustAbility, but did so with Julia Hailes (http://www.juliahailes.com/) who is not (as far as I can see) among the most mentioned individuals.

Thank you for the interesting reading as what you mention applies across so many spaces.

best,
Gisela

]]> By: AndreaLearned http://learnedon.com/2010/03/sustainability-leadership-shift/comment-page-1/#comment-2307 AndreaLearned Sat, 13 Mar 2010 01:44:31 +0000 http://learnedon.com/?p=3939#comment-2307 I agree with you Peter. As far as the gender imbalance, men just have a head start (in most industries) in terms of acknowledgement/success/being seen as "leaders." It is what it is. I think a lot of the SHOWs - many of whom are women - will get up to speed very quickly. It will be fun to watch. I agree with you Peter. As far as the gender imbalance, men just have a head start (in most industries) in terms of acknowledgement/success/being seen as “leaders.” It is what it is. I think a lot of the SHOWs – many of whom are women – will get up to speed very quickly. It will be fun to watch.

]]> By: Peter Korchnak http://learnedon.com/2010/03/sustainability-leadership-shift/comment-page-1/#comment-2306 Peter Korchnak Fri, 12 Mar 2010 23:39:53 +0000 http://learnedon.com/?p=3939#comment-2306 It would seem that rather than any inherent gender imbalance, the rich-get-richer effect is at work here. Those we go to for guidance and inspiration, the shows, simply have a head start over the shifts that just gets reinforced as time goes by. <br><br>The shifts out there just don't have the same motivation as the shows. Plus -- and this may be a bit more gender-based -- men have a greater tendency to show off and self-promote, hence dominating among the shows. It would seem that rather than any inherent gender imbalance, the rich-get-richer effect is at work here. Those we go to for guidance and inspiration, the shows, simply have a head start over the shifts that just gets reinforced as time goes by.

The shifts out there just don't have the same motivation as the shows. Plus — and this may be a bit more gender-based — men have a greater tendency to show off and self-promote, hence dominating among the shows.

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