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GET YOUR TEAM ON BOARD:
Sustainability Alignment Method (SAM)
‘Getting people on board’ has been identified by Centre Managers and Educators to be a major challenge they face with sustainability.
They point out:
🚩 Educators being on different pages with sustainable practices
🚩 Implementation is often successful, but then there is no consistency
🚩 Educators’ knowledge and understanding of practices
🚩 Coming up with ideas on how to implement strategies
🚩 Establishing systems, routines, and building knowledge
🚩 Lack of confidence, which impacts family/community engagement
Here are 4 reasons why it is a challenge - do you agree?
4 Reasons Why Sustainability Is a Challenge
1) Sustainability is not binary (yes/no), unlike compliance:
2) There is only one element - out of 40 - in the NQS that refers to it (3.2.3 – Environmentally responsible). Let’s say you are preparing for A&R, updating your QIP, and you are not into sustainability. You might say, “look, this isn’t actually a thing, otherwise it would be required more by ACECQA, wouldn’t it? And we have recycling bins, turn the lights off, and water the garden so what’s the big deal"? And you would be right, because turning off lights, recycling and watering the garden is environmentally responsible.
But is it enough and what about the exceeding themes?
3) There is no agreement and consensus on what ‘sustainable’ means - it often becomes what an individual Educator / CM values (gardening, recycling, reducing energy…). It’s individual – not universal (unlike compliance). No wonder, once she/he leaves or goes on holidays, the practices collapse like a house of cards. Gardens don’t get watered, clothes lines get lonely, recycling bins contaminated, rainwater tanks not used etc.
4) Cultural/language barriers, high turnover, staffing issues, lack of time (especially non-contact), budget constrains, unsuitable resources etc.
Why Is Getting People On Board So Important?
Because if people are NOT on board, this often happens (extends beyond sustainability):
• Higher risk of incidents
• Conflict, people not satisfied, politicking, no sense of ownership, avoiding responsibility, low confidence, afraid to talk
• No clear vision and purpose
• Direct supervision instead of trust
• Higher staff turnover – even more people leave
• Higher absenteeism
• Internal dynamics get noticed by families, and children
• Impacts enrollments & business performance
• Hard to focus long term e.g. on embedded practices and other exceeding themes – lower chance to get / maintain Exceeding rating
• Dissonance in the house - weak core contracts, hard to focus externally e.g. on a wider community engagement.
On the other hand, the benefits of team alignment are:
• Lower risk of incidents and compliance breaches
• Satisfied and confident people have a sense of ownership, take responsibility and are not afraid to talk
• Clear vision, unified purpose
• Trust instead of direct supervision, able to delegate
• Satisfied people staying – attracting more people to join
• Lower absenteeism
• Gets noticed by families and children, translates into enrollments and business performance
• Harmony in the house - strong core expands, allowing the centre to focus externally e.g. on a wider community engagement
• Ability to focus long term (e.g. gardens healthy all year round without supervision)
• Embedded practice and other exceeding themes possible – higher likelihood to maintain / get Exceeding rating
• Culture emergence, new Educators blend into the existing culture, instead of having to be ‘converted’
• Time saved, peace of mind
"Jan joined our sustainability journey at our “what next” stage of self-assessment at St Mark’s Preschool Kindergarten. His expertise in all things sustainability and horticulture has reignited our passion for sustainable practices and enabled us to see our strengths and areas we can continue to improve. I would highly recommend Sustainable Butterflies to any early childhood education and care service at any stage of their sustainability journey."
Alex Tsanidis
Director
St Marks Preschool Kindergarten - South Hurstville, NSW
What would it be like to have people on board with sustainability at your Centre?
It starts with clarification (included in the method below).
Individuals who drive it in the Centres are already on board and clear on what it means to them.
But what about others?
Sustainability is the responsibility of individuals, it's not universal (unlike compliance).
We have to make it universal, and clarification is the 1st step.
But unfortunately, that doesn't cut it.
What else is required?
How do you make it happen?
Having helped more than 1,500 services (incl schools and OOSH) with sustainability leadership and governance, I use a 2-part method for getting people on board.
The Sustainability Alignment Method (SAM) is now available to you and your team.
By applying SAM, you will be able to:
✅Map the level of sustainability commitment individually & across your team
✅Get clarity on where your people stand
✅Get guidance based on your / their level of commitment
✅Get my 1-1 tailored support (via zoom, phone or email)
✅Get strategies for success based on the GREEN X FILES (insights from 170+ services)
✅Get focus templates
✅Get tips on how to weave it through your QIP / Sustainability Plan (PD)
FREE BONUS:
Order SAM today, and receive a special FREE
BONUS:10 Credibility Secrets For a Sustainability Leader
This is an action-based 60 days guarantee. If you’re not thrilled with your results, just fill out a simple form (sent to you via email upon request) showing me you implemented the method and I’ll happily issue a full refund. You get to keep the method and the above bonus.
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