“Everything I had thought was wrong. Everything I had expected to see was wrong.”
- William Shatner (2021)
When Shatner entered orbit, he expected to be awestruck. Instead, he encountered an overwhelming level of grief as he gazed back upon the Earth. A radiant blue marble that all of us call home.
Perhaps distance does make the heart grow fonder. But along with the appreciation for Mother Earth, what Shatner experienced was a deep, yet sorrowful, connection as he contemplated the continued destruction of our planet. The feeling he was experiencing, that many astronauts have experienced before him, is something called the “Overview Effect”:
“There are no borders or boundaries on our planet except those that we create in our minds or through human behaviors. All the ideas and concepts that divide us when we are on the surface begin to fade from orbit and the moon. The result is a shift in worldview, and in identity.” – Frank White (1987)
As leaders we must embrace this perspective. Animal and plant species across the globe continue to succumb to extinction, we human beings are also being forced to grapple with these unprecedented, and sometimes catastrophic changes to the climate.
It’s undeniable and we’re dealing with it in real time as the recent U.N report warns us. The only way we’re going to successfully tackle climate change is if we rethink our organizational borders and boundaries. This means pulling together leaders from other organizations, especially those you once considered rivals and competitors, to determine how you can work together towards shared climate goals. Internally, it means making room on your next strategy off-site or team meeting agenda to discuss what you, your team, and your organization is going to tangibly do to help heal our planet. Only by making the combatting of climate change an integral part of our organizational missions, can we actively transform our small steps into giant leaps for all kind.
The first crucial step is to talk about it. Really talk about it. Especially, if it’s not currently being talked about in your company. Now might be the time to boldly go where no leader in your organization has gone before.