Wayne Visser
on Thriving and Turning Breakdowns into Breakthroughs
“Nothing is inevitable. The future is not predetermined. Every breakdown can be turned into a breakthrough. And positive change can happen much quicker than you think!”
Dr Wayne Visser is the master of breakthrough and an evergreen source of inspiration!
He was the first international expert who believed in Community Index Magazine back when it was just an idea and who agreed to be interviewed in a yearbook that didn’t (yet) exist. Four years later, he still believes in this project, as he is one of the contributing editors!
I start the day reading his #Purpose Inspired Daily Reflections. I forward his sensitive poems to my friends. I listen to his #Thriving podcast regularly and recommend his books to my network (and, most importantly, I love the fact that he is a very fast e-mail “replier”!) Yet, I had no idea how many things we had in common. Thanks to his #inspirators answers, I discovered that Wayne also loves memes, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, African music, Hans Zimmer, Ella Fitzgerald, Carl Jung, and Jonathan Livingston the seagull. He even kept a journal for the past 35 years. Wow. Just wow!
Thriving is the path forward. As Wayne mentions in his book, Thriving: The Breakthrough Movement to Regenerate Nature, Society, and the Economy book, the 6 necessary traits of regenerative leaders are: systemic, inclusive, strategic, caring, innovative and courageous. Of these, the last one is the most needed: “Leaders must have to courage to stand up to short-termism of the markets, the perils of populism and nationalism, and the lobby power of incumbent corporations.”
Thanks, Wayne, for always being a Believer.
#INSPIRATORS QUESTIONNAIRE
Name: Wayne Visser
Company / Institution: Kaleidoscope Futures Lab, Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, Antwerp Management School
Website: www.waynevisser.com
LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/waynevisser/
Country of origin: Zimbabwe
Country you currently live in: United Kingdom
The WHO? I'm a writer who sometimes speaks. It's not about having written 41 books, from encyclopaedias and business books to fiction and poetry collections, but rather that writing is my most authentic and effective way of being and communicating in the world. This means that I think of myself primarily as an idea-monger, a storyteller and a wannabe meme-weaver. I am also a husband, step-father, son, brother, nephew and friend.
The WHAT? I have been a student, advisor and pracademic in the area of Sustainability in all its guises and disguises over the past 30+ years. The latest face I am presenting about going beyond surviving (i.e. sustainability) to thriving (i.e. being regenerative or net-positive), explored in my book, podcast, teaching and training. Behind the jargon, this is about finding pathways to hope through a landscape of despair.
The WHERE? I was born in Zimbabwe and spent 25 years in South Africa, before moving to the UK 20 years ago, where I am now, in the countryside of Norfolk. My work has taken me to 77 countries and I feel most at home travelling and engaging with diverse cultures, places and people (while planting a forest to address my carbon footprint; 4,172 trees and counting). So, wherever I lay my hat.
The HOW? My professional hats are with the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (fellow, head tutor, lecturer), Antwerp Management School (chair, professor, director) and Kaleidoscope Futures Lab (founder, director). But the how is less about these roles and more about who I am. I use my voice through writing, public speaking, lecturing, podcasting, and filmmaking to educate and (I hope) inspire.
The WHY? The hardest and easiest question last. Hard because I'm strongly driven by an existential drive, a need for purpose and meaning, for making a difference in the world. My work gives me a horse on which to attach that cart. Easy because in the end it's just about being a student of life and sharing how the world looks through my eyes, in case resonates with others. And along the way, shining some light in the gloom.
Your personal definition of Sustainability: Turning breakdowns in nature and society into breakthroughs for regeneration and thriving.
Main driver that keeps you going: The power of hope, innovation and tipping point change.
The trait you are most proud of in yourself: Creativity, especially through writing and poetry.
The trait you most value in others: Compassion, especially for animals.
Passions & little things that bring you joy: Forests, books, science fiction (especially Star Wars), wildlife, writing a journal (for the past 35 years).
The #inspirators who determined you to take the sustainability path:
E.F. Schumacher, Small is Beautiful
Willis Harman, Global Mind Shift
Fritjof Capra, The Turning Point
Paul Hawken, The Ecology of Commerce
Anita Roddick, Body and Soul
A hint or starting point for companies or professionals that are taking the first steps in the sustainability journey:
Start with your purpose. How will you make a positive difference to nature and society?
Be ambitious – set strategic / life goals that are rooted in thriving (a net positive / regeneration agenda) – and trust that innovation will get you there.
Most used and abused clichés in sustainability that bother you:
Sustainability pays: the adage that what’s good for society is good for business. The truth is: it depends. The so-called business case for sustainability requires an enabling context of good government policy, aligned societal values, technology innovation, and market opportunities. Sustainability is an investment, which means, if the conditions are right, it will deliver a return, but this is only a means to creating thriving nature and society, not an end in itself.
An honest piece of advice for young people who lose hope:
Nothing is inevitable. The future is not predetermined. Every breakdown can be turned into a breakthrough. And positive change can happen much quicker than you think (I know from having lived through the transition from apartheid to democracy in South Africa).
According to scientific studies it only takes the alignment of 5% to 25% to change the direction of a group. Take heart from innovation and the solidarity of other young people. You are changing the world.
Books that had a major impact on you:
Jonathan Livingston Seagull (Richard Bach)
The Ecology of Commerce (Paul Hawken)
Tao Te Ching (Lao Tzu)
Paradigms in Progress (Hazel Henderson)
Memories, Dreams and Reflections (Carl Jung)
Wealth Beyond Measure (Paul Ekins)
Holism and Evolution (Jan Smuts)
The Long Walk to Freedom (Nelson Mandela)
The Hungry Spirit (Charles Handy)
Cradle to Cradle (William McDonough and Michael Braungart)
A Way of Being Free (Ben Okri)
A Systems View of Life (Fritjof Capra & Pier Luigi Luisi)
Must-reads for any sustainability professional:
Thriving (my book)
Regeneration (Paul Hawken)
Net Positive (Paul Polman and Andrew Winston)
Regenesis (George Monbiot)
Green Swans (John Elkington)
Breaking Boundaries (Johan Rockström and Owen Gaffney)
Doughnut Economics (Kate Raworth)
A Life on Our Planet (David Attenborough)
Movies / Documentaries you would watch all over again: Avatar, A Life on Our Planet, Star Wars franchise films and series, Breaking Boundaries, Black Panther, Brave Blue World, Lord of the Rings franchise films and series, Closing the Loop (my film on the circular economy).
Blogs / Websites / Podcasts you visit frequently:
Thriving: The Breakthrough Movement (my own podcast)
Fast Company (media)
Outrage + Optimism (podcast)
Bloomberg Green (media)
Revisionist History (podcast)
GreenBiz (media)
Music that makes you (and your heart) sing: South African (Freshly Ground, Johnny Clegg), Movie soundtracks (Hans Zimmer, Alexandre Desplat), Folk singer songwriters (Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan) 80s pop (Nik Kershaw, Thompson Twins), Jazz vocal (Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone), Classical (Ludovico Einaudi, Andrea Bocelli), Contemporary vocal (Adele, Lana Del Rey), 70s pop (Elvis, ABBA).
Places you travelled to that left a mark on you: All 77 countries have left their mark. Highlights include: South Africa (Cape Town), Japan (the temples in Nagoya), Ecuador (the Amazon forest), Zimbabwe (Victoria Falls), Thailand (Erawan National Park), Uganda (gorilla and chimpanzee jungle trekking), Madagascar (lemurs and baobabs), Egypt (Luxor and Abu Simbel).
Global Sustainability Voices you recommend us to follow:
Greta Thunberg
Johan Rockstrom
Elizabeth Wathuti
David Attenborough
Janine Benyus
George Monbiot
Leen Gorissen
Paul Hawken
Vanessa Nakate
Paul Polman
Christiana Figueres
Yvonne Chouinard
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
John Elkington
Kate Raworth
Stuart Hart
Vandana Shiva
Edward Freeman
Trends in Sustainability we should keep an eye on:
The Nature Positive agenda (especially biodiversity and business).
Regenerative and cellular agriculture.
The Carbon Bubble (the collapse of oil and gas in the next 10-15 years).
Research on sentience and stronger animal rights.
Associations, business clubs, tribes you belong to – and why:
Globally Responsible Leadership Initiative - because it brings a whole-person (I, we, all of us) approach to the question of responsible leadership.
Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership alumni network, where I am a fellow, lecturer and head tutor, because they have been at the leading edge of learning and advocacy for more than 30 years.
Sustainable Development courses, trainings, certifications that really teach us how to have an impact: All of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership courses, including the online courses (I am head tutor on Business Sustainability Management), Masterclasses on sustainable transformation by Antwerp Management School. I am also thinking of offering a train-the-trainer course on Thriving, so get in touch if you are interested.
Reasons to feel optimistic about our future in 2030: Positive tipping points in the energy transition, including renewables and autonomous electric vehicles will be well advanced, while the social pressure for change will be at fever pitch.
Reasons to feel pessimistic about our future in 2030: Biodiversity loss is already at catastrophic levels and negative tipping points will likely make collapse and catastrophe widely in evidence, pushing millions back into poverty.
Regenerative Leadership qualities much needed today: As per my Thriving book, the six necessary characteristics include leaders that are: systemic, inclusive, strategic, caring, innovative and courageous. Of these, the last one is the most needed. Leaders must have to courage to stand up to short-termism of the markets, the perils of populism and nationalism, and the lobby power of incumbent corporations.
Quote that inspires you:
“In this world, a species can only thrive if everything else around it thrives too. We can solve the problems we now face by embracing this reality. If we take care of nature, nature will take care of us.”
(Sir David Attenborough)
Your own quote that will inspire us:
