FOOD FOR THOUGHT
2nd Principle - “Collect and store energy"
OR HOW TO Mix and Match Activities to Generate Lasting Energy
This article is part of a series on the parallels between the 12 operational principles of permaculture and the conditions for sustainable transformations of organizational systems. Here is the first post. If you are a professional changemaker committed to promoting a better society, these principles and insights should help you maximize your impact and inner serenity.
💡 Explanation of the permaculture operating principle
Nature doesn't need a gardener.
It is designed from the ground up to meet its needs for water, sunlight, wind, and nutrients, regardless of the season or location. It adapts itself to the characteristics of a given environment—whether arid, icy, or humid—in order to develop, distribute, and store the resources necessary for its survival.
Nature's goal is to use energy respectfully and sparingly, with the least amount of effort.
🔍 Illustration of the principle applied to a transformation initiative
Just like nature, a change maker needs to practice what they preach when it comes to moderation.
A change agent needs time, creativity, knowledge, and support—but above all, a great deal of energy to sustain themselves and share with their ecosystem.
I remember a member of my team arriving at a meeting exhausted.
She felt that the creation of a cross-functional committee to promote eco-friendly initiatives in the office was weighing her down.
During our discussion, we sought to understand the sources of resistance, the issue of member commitment, and the key elements needed to make a real impact. We were able to identify ways to adapt our approach to align with the resources at our disposal, as well as the strengths and flexibility of each member. This plan was intended to strengthen the project’s shared governance and conserve everyone’s energy while maximizing opportunities for pride.
She seemed relieved. Still, one thing was missing: her ability to store and replenish her energy.
I asked her, “What projects are energizing you right now?” Once these elements were identified, I simply advised her to alternate between and mix energizing and draining tasks throughout her day. This would naturally recharge her energy without leaving her feeling drained. This dynamic creates a virtuous cycle because energy is contagious.
A few years later, after many subsequent successes, she told me that this change had been crucial to achieving her goals
🐝 Tips for Getting Active
Fill up on energy just as you would stock up on groceries.
Just because the market is full of good food doesn't mean you're going to take it all home. That would be too expensive, too much to unpack, and impossible to eat before the expiration date.
So, yes, there are billions of projects you'd like to start, many people to meet, decision-makers to convince, partnerships to form, emails to write, kick-off meetings to organize, dozens of conferences to attend, and stacks of books to devour. But you need to be selective.
We need to recognize our level of motivation, our intellectual dynamism, and our physical fitness so that we can manage our high-impact projects over the long term.
Do you feel guilty that you might not be doing enough to address the climate and social crises?I understand.
Now, let’s look at it from a different angle.
On July 28, our organization exhausted the annual budget of natural resources. Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when humanity has used up all the biological resources that the Earth regenerates over the course of an entire year. As a change maker, you can work to bring about changes in your ecosystems to stop overspending natural resources through overproduction and overconsumption.
Why are you doing to yourself the very thing you're fighting against? Why are you wasting your energy?
I am not here to judge, but rather to serve as a wake-up call. I often find myself overspending my energy while working on my projects. I try to get back on track as soon as possible. This is important so that I can lead by example and maximize both my impact and my well-being at the same time. It is challenging to do. Yet, it is crucial.
"Productivityis only valuable if it allows you to have a balanced life "
So, are you ready to generate the kind of energy that lasts? What is your first step in this direction?
If you found this post helpful, please like it and share it with your network members who might find it useful.
It's the best way to support me.
Hello everyone, I'm Nina Cambadélis, an independent coach and facilitator specializing in sustainability and organizational transformation. I'm also a changemaker working for the leader in environmental services.
Through my work, I aim to inspire professionals to rethink business and make them proud to contribute, in their own way, to a more sustainable, humane, and nature-friendly world.
If you would like assistance with:
Become the changemaker you want to be for the world you envision
Find and assert your leadership, or foster the emergence of new leadership styles
Make sustainability and purpose-driven initiatives central to your organization
Accelerate engagement within your ecosystem to drive systemic change
Make an impact while conserving energy and promoting well-being
Here is a link to an exploratory call and a form to provide more details about your goals and challenges: English
1st Principle - “Observe and interact”
This article is part of a series on the parallels between the 12 operational principles of permaculture and the conditions for sustainable transformations of organizational systems. If you are a professional changemaker committed to promoting a better society, these principles and insights should help you maximize your impact and inner serenity.
Principle 1 -
Understand the soil so you can plant the right seeds
💡 Explanation of the permaculture operating principle
"In vegetable permaculture, it is recommended that when you arrive on a plot of land, you should not do anything there for a whole year, but rather observe it throughout the four seasons. (...) Observe, observe, observe—and then build a relationship with what is already there."
-Marine Simon. Everything goes in circles on this earth; we're the only ones who don't realize it.
🔍 Illustration of the principle applied to a transformation initiative
When I began my transformation mission in Japan back in 2016, I spent my first days, weeks, and months observing the activities and interviewing members of this operational unit.
This may seem obvious, but such a preliminary analysis is often avoided or skipped because of:
the internal pressure we face to demonstrate our added value as soon as possible,
management's ambition to get things done quickly,
the employees' eagerness to understand what we are actually going to do.
What does “observing and interacting” mean in practical terms?
Two of us were in charge of what we called the “Evolution mission” for a business unit with over 5,000 employees.
It took us several months to assess the situation and expectations through more than a hundred qualitative individual interviews, dozens of field visits, and collaborative workshops with a representative sample of business team members.
At every moment, I forced myself to set my own ideas aside. I spent my time listening—fully and without judgment—to the members of the existing system. It was time to make room for what they wanted and needed to say, allowing time for detours.
Here are all the fruits of this seemingly "unproductive" time:
Clarity regarding the strengths, needs, and obstacles within the ecosystem.
Identification of potential allies and sources of resistance.
Interlocutors who feel reassured as a result of being shown respect, curiosity, humility, and openness.
The beginning of mutual trust arising from the creation of deep moments of connection between the interviewees and the interviewer.
There is no doubt that this time of interaction without interference prevented me from blindly labeling things and wasting time later. This is one of my fondest memories.
🐝 Tips for Getting Active
If you're starting a new assignment:
Try to identify different members of your ecosystem that you might encounter—just like a journalist would—without any preconceived notions.
If you can't set aside official time, suggest meeting for coffee or lunch.
It is best to focus on qualitative discussions first. Quantitative surveys can then be useful for confirming impressions, highlighting trends, and providing reassurance through data.
It is people who will tell you what seeds to plant and where.
As our team coaching instructor, Michele Darmouni reminded us, "Everything starts at the beginning."
"The beginning is half of everything"
If your mission is already underway, don't worry! You can offer to meet with ecosystem members to discuss and better understand their experiences. It's never too late to start!
If you found this post helpful, please like it and share it with your network members who might find it useful.
It's the best way to support me.
Hello everyone, I'm Nina Cambadélis, an independent coach and facilitator specializing in sustainability and organizational transformation. I'm also a changemaker working for the leader in environmental services.
Through my work, I aim to inspire professionals to rethink business and make them proud to contribute, in their own way, to a more sustainable, humane, and nature-friendly world.
If you would like assistance with:
Become the changemaker you want to be for the world you envision
Find and assert your leadership, or foster the emergence of new leadership styles
Make sustainability and purpose-driven initiatives central to your organization
Accelerate engagement within your ecosystem to drive systemic change
Make an impact while conserving energy and promoting well-being
Here is a link to an exploratory call and a form to provide more details about your goals and challenges: English