Discuss on the longer term value creation for the organization, create shared goals and have discussions to prioritize initiatives. Educate them on the risks and opurtunities.

Conflicts in sustainability often arise from competing priorities among stakeholders, such as economic versus environmental interests. Effective conflict resolution is crucial, involving skills like active listening, empathy, and collaborative problem-solving. Strategies include facilitating communication across departments, involving all relevant stakeholders early, and aligning initiatives with shared goals to minimize discord. Additionally, understanding both intrapersonal and interpersonal conflicts can help navigate complex decision-making processes in sustainability efforts. Proactive identification of potential conflicts can prevent escalation and foster a cooperative environment.

In carbon removal and CCUS, uniting teams begins with finding shared ground. Start by breaking silos—hold cross-functional sessions where engineers, policymakers, and financiers collaborate to identify overlapping goals, like reducing operational costs while maximizing carbon storage permanence. Use pilot projects as proof points, showing how even small wins (e.g., reducing energy inputs in a capture process) benefit everyone. Finally, frame sustainability as a competitive advantage, connecting individual team priorities—be it innovation, compliance, or profitability—to the broader mission of scalable climate solutions.

Team clashes over sustainable practices are common, but a useful way to navigate them is by applying frameworks like the 'Interest-Based Relational Approach' from Getting to Yes by Roger Fisher and William Ury. This approach focuses on understanding the underlying interests behind each team's stance rather than their stated positions. For instance, if one team prioritizes cost efficiency and another values environmental impact, creating a Venn diagram of their priorities can reveal overlaps—like reducing energy waste or optimizing processes. These shared goals become the starting point for uniting efforts. By reframing the conversation around shared interests, you foster collaboration while aligning everyone towards a greener future.

One can begin by finding common ground & fostering open communication. Highlight shared values that resonate with everyone, such as improving operational efficiency, driving innovation, or enhancing employee well-being. Frame sustainability as an opportunity to build a stronger, future-proof organization, using neutral language to present it as a universal challenge requiring collective effort rather than a divisive issue. Encourage dialogue by creating safe spaces, such as forums or workshops, where teams can openly share their ideas, concerns, & expectations. Validate differing perspectives, show respect for each team’s priorities and build a foundation of trust and collaboration.

The buck starts with vision. It stops with execution. Everything in between is just noise. Sustainability isn't about committees or compromises. It's about clarity. 1. Make it non-negotiable – This isn’t a side project. It’s embedded in every decision. 2. Show, don’t tell – Create flagship examples. If it's about materials, build the first prototype yourself. If it's energy use, redesign your own workspace first. 3. Design matters – Make it a win-win. Smarter, more efficient, more elegant. 4. Put the right people in the room – Not everyone will get it. That’s fine—find your believers and give them the tools to lead. 5. Set impossible standards, then exceed them – Don’t ask for 10% greener. Ask for 10x. And then make it happen.

This requires fostering open communication, understanding differing perspectives, and finding common ground. Start by facilitating discussions where each team can voice their concerns, ideas, and objectives. Acknowledge the diverse viewpoints and emphasize the shared goal of a greener future. Encourage collaboration by setting clear, measurable sustainability goals that align with both environmental and business objectives. Use data and examples to demonstrate how sustainable practices can be economically viable and contribute to long-term growth. Provide training and resources to help teams understand the broader impact of their actions and how their efforts contribute to the larger mission.

In my opinion, it is time to stop scaring, threatening and calling for efforts without showing the carrot. The most serious consequences of climate change and injustice are in front of us, but what is the counter-proposal to business as usual? Let's invite our team to think and co-create this future with climate security and social justice so that they can visualize it and decide for themselves what they could do to make it possible.

As usual, conflits in the working environment can only be solved if having their individual root causes previousy duly understood. Thus, it is key to capture the origins of eventual resistences and negatives to sustainable practices implementation, arising in small groups or even on some specific persons. Then, after having a clear view about what causes the current blockages, the leader (or a change agent) shall develop and apply the recommended measures to face and solve such resistence(s). They may include since sharing positive learnings and outcomes from past internal and external experiences up to removing or transferring those individuals who stay opposing to the desired goals.