Transforming Old Thinking To Build A More Sustainable Future
Mining is such a firmly rooted practice that goes back thousands of years in our society. It feels like one of those things that is simply accepted for the way that it is. But as we all expand our conscious awareness to the impact we have on the world around us, it is only fitting that even the practice of mining – ages old – can be viewed with a more critical eye.
As we’ve seen with many of the immersion experiences we have been fortunate to work on, there is always a way to embrace behavioral transformation and change. We can navigate new paths of inspiration that feed into the way we do things; giving us the opportunity to reflect and embody new ideas that translate into positive change. The first step towards that is the inquiry. How can we do this better?
The Client – A Stalwart In The Mining Industry
One of our trusted partners brought us in to support the program they were working on with a well-known, global mining conglomerate. The client, conscious of the stigma attached to mining, has been embarking on an enterprise-wide transformation to find new ways to reduce its global footprint and create a sustainable future for all stakeholders.
Thinking big, this global giant has been seeking innovative ways to embrace new technologies and practices that would help them reimagine mining. They wanted to simultaneously apply these impactful ideas to waste management, the improvement of people’s lives in the communities they work in, and in support of achieving their sustainability goals by 2030.
When this desire for positive change is met with the right foundation, enthusiasm, and action, the impact is nothing short of transformational. But, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Their Situation – Finding Balance In Sustainability And Profitability
As we know, large scale transformations need to be driven by leadership down through the organisation by establishing new best practices and goals for all stakeholders. We were tasked with the responsibility of helping inspire the client’s global mid-level managers – their future leaders – to begin thinking about how they might supercharge their leadership impact. What influence could they have on their organisation’s transformation and the future of sustainability in their industry, while still remaining profitable?
Our goal was to design an immersion program that would support the objectives of these goals so that the participants could:
- Anticipate tomorrow and what the future holds
- Innovate within their industry by applying novel methods of influence
- Leverage tech in service of sustainability and better practices
- Elevate personal leadership in order to inspire collaboration, effect positive change and create high-performing, agile teams
What We Did
The Immersion Lab planned a total of 48 x 90-minute interactive immersions with external transformational organisations that had experienced their own successes in parallel situations. This was broken down between four cohorts with approximately 40 participants in each.
The energy and enthusiasm brought forward by selected leaders from these external organisations filtered down to inspire our client’s participants to recognise their own inherent capabilities and to use them effectively. Engaging and rewarding conversations took place around a number of topics. Each level of learning found common ground in alignment with the core themes.
The first module saw the cohorts meet with hosts from four other organisations within the conglomerate. They engaged in rich discussions about FutureSmart Mining, which by its very essence is working towards a safer, smarter, more sustainable future. Discussions were around:
- Emerging tech that would help them achieve various positive outcomes for the business while creating confidence in their value chains
- Data analysis to improve efficiencies in the real world
- Mining automation that reduces environmental impact and requires only service people to manage
- Working beyond disaster to ensure sustainability and safety for all involved
The second module focused on future proofing for long term, sustainable value creation. Thought-provoking conversions with senior leaders in purposeful, value-driven global organizations centered around topics such as:
- How being innovative is a gutsy endeavor. It’s no small feat to make progressive and lasting change based on truly unique ideas
- Waste innovation and how waste can be transformed into wealth
- Making a positive impact on surrounding communities
- The workplace of the future and how a next-gen workplace can be created
The final module gave other great leaders the chance to show how they supercharge their leadership with clear vision, aspirational purpose and a compelling narrative that inspires their teams to innovate and create value. Discussions focused on:
- How to coalesce teams around a common purpose and deliver extraordinary results in high-stakes situations
- Becoming changemakers and persuading others to follow them towards effecting sustainable change
- Learning how to succeed in extraordinary situations through discipline and relentless practice of the mindsets and habits that unlock grit
- Understanding how to manage a crisis and still continue to build innovation capital
The Impact
In closing, it’s always beneficial for us to reflect on each immersion learning experience in a bid to understand the impact. Were the objectives met and did the participants leave feeling fulfilled and inspired? When asked about their experiences, 4.4 out of 5 participants stated that they would be able to use these insights to further their own ideas for innovation within their respective leadership journeys.
Their inquiry and desire to do things better had already set them on a path towards transformational change. With loads of positive feedback from the participants to add to the momentum, we have no doubt that we will be seeing some impressive sustainable goals being realized by this client in the years to come, as well as a substantial shift in the traditional mining practices being used around the world.