Making Sustainability Relevant. Articulating the ways in which sustainability challenges are real and sustainability solutions are relevant to the immediate and long-term success of our communities, businesses and organizations; to understand and make visible the ways in which sustainable solutions are often the best solutions for core challenges.

Sustaining Personal Energy and Momentum. Finding ways to sustain one’s own and others’ energy, momentum and belief in what is possible in the face of daunting challenges; i.e., developing practitioner communities of reflection, learning and development.

Creating Spaces for, and Participating in, Constructive Conversations. Inviting inquiry that stimulates one’s own and others’ thinking as a matter of course; holding questions open long enough to explore and discover perspectives and connections that might otherwise be overlooked.

Building Authentic Relationships. Building and expanding relationships for developing and implementing integrated solutions; for example, long-term partnerships, inter-generational engagement, learning relationships and supporting relationships.

Engaging Experts as Collaborators. Engaging outside resource people willing to work as part of a team in ways that invite collaboration, collective discovery and the learning needed to broaden system capability.

Inviting Diverse Voices/Perspectives. Inviting and honoring conflicting points of view while simultaneously seeking common ground and figuring out solutions for the collective good; embracing tension as a source of energy for generating creative shifts in understanding and direction.

Working Effectively with Relational Power Dynamics. Understanding the complex nuances of dynamic power relationships when working with others whose active support is critical for success.

Thinking Holistically: Being Mindful of Interdependent Connections. Building capacity for thinking holistically and recognizing relationships among seemingly independent entities or actions; producing sustainable solutions that build on one another; relate challenges and progress to what is happening within the whole.

Marshalling and Amplifying Resources for Optimal Impact. Exploring opportunities to acquire and leverage the impact of resources developed through strategic partnerships.

Continually Assessing Opportunities and Risks. Considering advantages of sustainability strategies in light of possible adverse effects (which may not be immediately visible) as outcomes unfold over the course of time.

Understanding and Working with Paradox and Ambiguity. Letting go of control, certainty and the need to predict outcomes; instead, engaging with others to find solutions in the face of uncertainty and contradictions.

Making Things Happen. Achieving concrete results with and through others by co-creating and abiding by agreed-upon "rules of the game" within a flexible strategic framework. Structuring tangible processes and agreements for timely execution of actions and joint monitoring of accountability.

Noticing and Making Sense of Patterns. Understanding what people do and say, individually and collectively, from a behavior pattern perspective; experimenting with strategies to interrupt existing patterns that serve to galvanize the status quo.

Understanding Human Change Processes. Drawing from insightful models that help describe how diverse people experience the dynamic, natural rhythms of change in a chaotic environment as new and unconventional ideas are being introduced.

Adapting and Using Sustainability Frameworks that Make Sense in Your Context. Being aware of a variety of frameworks for engaging in meaningful sustainability conversations and practices. Examples include: The Natural Step System Conditions, Natural Capitalism, environmental and social management systems (e.g. ISO14001 environmental management systems), and SLI community planning and engagements frameworks.)

Learning through Experimenting. Stretching, being willing to learn in new ways; taking calculated risks to test emerging ideas; reflecting on and learning from experiences of all kinds; looking for unrealized potential through experimental thinking and doing with others.

Sharing Information/Knowledge as it Unfolds. Telling others your story while it is happening in an effort to help others learn with you, and to strengthen the collective practice of experimentation, adaptation and learning.

Grounding Conversations and Action in Personal Integrity. Being clear about one’s own identity, principles and intentions before engaging others in the work of change. Frequently reexamining personal integrity guides leadership action in complex and ever-changing circumstances.

Personal Reflecting, Learning and Adjusting. Continually noticing self in relationship with others and the work; consciously choosing authentic words and actions in the present moment; encouraging collective reflection about what has happened, why and what it means for future thinking and action; and getting smarter through engaging with collaborators.