One Minute On: #6 – Inner Development Goals
In 2015, the UN launched the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to create a sustainable world by 2030. They assumed that once we understood the problems, we’d drive change. Sadly, here we are, still facing scepticism, cynicism and feeling overwhelmed by the challenge. Progress is too slow.
Even with countless sustainability courses from top universities, knowledge alone isn’t enough to make a difference. It’s time for a new approach, fostering our inner development to drive external change. Enter the Inner Development Goals (IDGs).
As Einstein said, “You cannot solve a problem with the same mind that created it.”
The worldviews and mindsets that created our problems can’t fix them. As business leaders and change-makers, we need to train our brains for new ways of thinking and acting.
The IDGs offer a non-profit, open-source set of 23 transformational skills arranged over five categories to lead to sustainable development.
- BEING – Relationship to Self.
- THINKING – Cognitive Skills.
- RELATING – Caring for Others and the World.
- COLLABORATING – Social Skills.
- ACTING – Enabling Change.
These skills can be cultivated individually, in teams, within organisations, and across systems. Companies like Ikea are already integrating them into their competency frameworks. The real magic happens when we collectively embrace this a new framework to tackle complex problems.
As Amy Edmondson said, “It is difficult to learn if you already know”.
As an aspiring leader, embrace the IDGs in your own personal development. How can you unlearn and relearn, act collectively and build a future where everyone thrives?
