Overview
The "Shaping Tomorrow: A Playbook for Coaching Leaders in Sustainable Decision-Making and Policy" is an essential resource born from the recognition of the urgent need for effective climate action and sustainable policymaking. This Playbook is the result of a partnership between the Climate Coaching Alliance (CCA) and the University of Southampton, supported by funding from the New Things Fund. It is a collaborative effort bringing together experts in coaching, policy, sustainability, and psychology. It is designed to equip coaches and change agents with strategies and tools to guide political and civic leaders in navigating the complexities of climate.
The Playbook serves as a response to the increasingly evident challenges of climate change, extreme inequalities, and ecological crises. It highlights that while past hopes may have shifted, focusing on what is possible now is crucial to inspire impactful action. This resource takes inspiration from natural systems where collaboration and adaptation drive thriving ecosystems. By adopting a systemic approach and fostering a deep understanding of human and ecological connections, the Playbook offers coaches and other change agents, including climate change researchers a path to support leaders in aligning policy and practice for a sustainable future. The Playbook is FREE to download and read worldwide.
The Six Steps Framework
The Playbook introduces six structured steps to guide coaches and other change agents, including climate change researchers in their mission to foster climate-conscious leadership. These steps provide a framework that enables coaches and other change agents to approach climate policy coaching comprehensively and effectively.
1. Coaches as Catalysts
This step establishes the role of coaches and change agents as initiators of change. It emphasizes building self-awareness, managing personal biases, and creating a judgment-free environment where leaders can openly explore the challenges and opportunities of climate action. Coaches and change agents learn to facilitate trust and dialogue that encourages resilient and proactive engagement.
2. Grasping Climate Politics
Understanding the intricacies of political systems and cycles is crucial for coaches. This step provides insights into different governance structures, power dynamics, and vested interests that shape climate policy. By mastering these aspects, coaches can better support leaders in navigating the political landscape and advocating for sustainable solutions.
3. Climate Science in Action
For impactful coaching, an understanding of basic climate science is essential. This step equips coaches and change agents with the knowledge to foster informed discussions, bridging the gap between scientific evidence and policy decision-making. It also emphasizes the importance of combating misinformation and fostering trust in evidence-based approaches.
4. Holistic Transformation
Transformation begins from within. This step highlights the importance of developing emotional intelligence, adaptability, and resilience. Coaches and change agents are guided to cultivate these traits in themselves and their clients to manage the emotional and psychological complexities associated with climate leadership. This holistic development fosters sustainable, long-term thinking.
5. Amplifying Action
This step focuses on scaling the influence of coaching to achieve broader systemic change. Coaches and change agents are encouraged to develop replicable and impactful interventions that can be adapted and scaled to different contexts, ensuring that sustainable practices are integrated and expanded within leadership and policy frameworks.
6. Power of Storytelling
Storytelling is identified as a powerful tool for inspiring action. This step shows coaches and change agents how to use relatable, compelling narratives to connect with leaders and stakeholders. Effective storytelling can humanize climate issues, making them more tangible and fostering deeper engagement and motivation for policy change.
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Foreword by Dr Michael Cavanagh, University of Sydney
I believe that the highly complex nature of the existential and universal crisis of climate change calls for this type of unique multidisciplinary collaboration between experts and practitioners from various backgrounds. Through my participation in multiple COPs, both as an observer and more recently as a member of the Lebanese delegation, as well as my involvement in various academic knowledge exchange initiatives on climate change at both national and regional levels in the UK, I have gained first-hand experience and insights upon which my belief is founded. This project helped me appreciate the potential we can achieve together. It is incredibly refreshing and encouraging that we are taking this significant step in combining our efforts to help develop the sustainable mindsets underpinning the political response to climate change.
Through the “New Things Fund”, Public Policy|Southampton offers valuable funding opportunities to researchers and PhD students particularly from underrepresented groups to help them lift their ideas off of the ground. As reflected in every aspect of this wonderful project, the NTF is intended to be used to build relationships and connections, creating pathways to impact and laying the foundations for future policy engagement. It brings me tremendous fulfilment to have won my first ever grant through the Fund, and I would like to mention here my appreciation and gratitude to Professor Denise Baden from the Southampton Business School who introduced me the CCA’s Political Pod at the early stages of this project.
“Shaping Tomorrow” and the collaboration with CCA aligns with PPS’s broad aim of facilitating the transfer of knowledge to policymakers, as well as raising the capacity of our university’s research community by developing new key skills to make their research impactful on policy. Particularly, as suggested by our colleague Wassim Dbouk “The novelty of this playbook for academics is that it brings to their awareness that there are other intermediaries or “change agents” they can work with to move in that direction, including the coaching community. When it comes to the climate change crisis we are facing now, many academics generate impeccable knowledge in various disciplines, and climate coaches in particular could be key allies who can help them navigate complex political landscapes and generate impact.
The Playbook Team
- Ruby Campbell - Chief Editor and Project Lead. Executive Leadership, Sustainability & Systemic Team Coach. Author of Scientists in Every Boardroom. Founder & CEO of ProVeritas Leadership Pty Ltd, Australia.
- Diana Collet - Senior Writer. Psychotherapist, Coach, Coach Trainer and Mentor. Consultant in Inclusive Use of Power, Director at Diana Collett Consulting. CCA Political Pod Co-Founder and Lead.
- Denise Baden , Professor of Sustainable Practice, University of Southampton, UK. Writer and Founder of Green Stories Project. Forbes Climate Leaders Changing the Film and TV Industry.
- David Bennett , Leadership Coach, Director at David Bennett Executive Coaching Ltd, Member of Green Party of Aotearoa (New Zealand).
- Jackie Arnold , ICF Coach and Supervisor, CoFounder of Climate Biodiversity Coaching, UK. Author and CCA Political Pod Lead.
- Jenny Wardle , Psychotherapist, Coach, Mentor and Change Consultant. Founder and CEO of Changeforum Ltd, Co-Founder and Director at Grays & Feather Ltd., UK.
- Katarzyna Schubert-Panecka , ICF & EMCC Executive Coach. Business Mediation, Climate Communication and Consulting, Germany. CCA Political Pod Lead.
- Lina Lo , Executive & Leadership Coach, Founder and Principal Coach at LINA LO LTD, UK. Program Manager at World Bank, Past NASA Scientist & Researcher.
- Michael Cavanagh , Coaching Psychologist, Co-Founder and Deputy Director of Coaching Psychology Unit, Lecturer and Researcher at The University of Sydney, Australia.
- Natalie Nickells , PhD Researcher in Marine Ecology at British Antarctic Survey, Policy Associate and PhD Researcher at University of Southampton, UK.
- Wassim Dbouk , UNFCCC Climate Negotiator for Ministry of Environment, Lebanon. Marine and Maritime Policy Research Fellow, Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute, UK.
- Volker Molthan Climate Coach, Economist, NGO Consultant in Environment & Conservation at BUND e.V., Germany.
- Valley Graphics, University of Southampton -Graphics & Digital Design.
- Intonation Ltd - External Copy Editors.