We use the Sustainable Development Goals as our targets for change. But we may need Inner Development Goals to hit them
Photo by Brandon Green on Unsplash
Increasingly, governments, cities, communities and individuals steer by the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Or at least they do so publicly and ostentatiously. As many have observed, the results on the ground are very variable - indeed the UN themselves describe progress as “way off track”.
Our great friend the philanthropist and applied philosopher Tomas Bjorkman wants to explore the gap between rhetoric and achievement in the SDG’s - so along with colleagues he has proposed to establish a set of Inner Development Goals. These IDGs might help produce better collaboration and commitment to achieving the UN’s targets.
From the front page of the Inner Development Goals website:
When the UN presented the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015, it was the result of 193 member states agreeing on a comprehensive plan for people, planet, and prosperity. The 17 goals draw an engaging picture of hope that shows the way toward a more prosperous world for everybody.
Still, a plan only has value if we follow it. Five of the fifteen years of this moonshot for humanity have already passed, and the results are far from impressive. We must ask ourselves why change is so hard when the future of all that we cherish and the well-being of everybody we love is at stake.
We have always moved forward by being curious and embracing change. We see this throughout history in every part of society and business. This is why today, in a time full of exciting advances in research, science, and knowledge, the lack of action on the Sustainable Development Goals is baffling. We need transformation more than ever, but we are struggling with the complexity of our challenges.
There is a mounting realization that complex problems cannot be solved by individuals – we must solve them together. Up to now, we have focused on competition. Now, suddenly, we have to learn to collaborate. Regardless of our personal values and preferences, we must master the tools for cooperation and co-creation.
The skills needed today are not given to us at birth; they arise from life-long learning. We often think of it as wisdom, but our individual experiences are not sufficient to solve the complex problems that we face today.
Taking a cue from how the Sustainable Development Goals, we are combining scientific findings with crowdsourcing to better understand and map the skills that we need to promote. Skills that encourage new perspectives and facilitate fruitful collaborations.
The Sustainable Development Goals were created as a roadmap to a sustainable future. We are now creating the Inner Development Goals - a framework of the capabilities, qualities, and skills that are needed to achieve the 17 goals.
Our aim is to educate, inspire and empower people to be a positive force for change in society, in their own lives and those around them, and at the same time find purpose and meaning in their lives.
The IDGs will provide a collective framework that helps us to solve complex problems. It will be a useful compass that encourages personal growth for everyone. This is especially useful for people in leading positions.
Based on the conviction that inner development is necessary for societal change, we have set out to present a framework describing crucial abilities, qualities, and skills that are needed for the transformation ahead.
Combining thorough research of accumulated wisdom in the field with a wide-spread survey, we are creating an essential toolbox for the Mindshift that we need to fulfill the Sustainable Development Goals and create a prosperous future for all of humanity.
More here. Below are Bjorkman’s five suggested goals. Here’s the major paper that puts research flesh on these bones, but the site helpfully provides a summary, to get you started:
1. Being — Relationship to Self
Inner compass
Having a deeply felt sense of responsibility and commitment to values and purposes relating to the good of the whole.
Integrity and Authenticity
A commitment and ability to act with sincerity, honesty and integrity.
Openness and Learning mindset
Having a basic mindset of curiosity and a willingness to be vulnerable and embrace change and grow.
Self-awareness
Ability to be in reflective contact with own thoughts, feelings and desires; having a realistic self-image and ability to regulate oneself.
Presence
Ability to be in the here and now, without judgement and in a state of open-ended presence.
2. Thinking — Cognitive Skills
Critical thinking
Skills in critically reviewing the validity of views, evidence and plans.
Complexity awareness
Understanding of and skills in working with complex and systemic conditions and causalities.
Perspective skills
Skills in seeking, understanding and actively making use of insights from contrasting perspectives.
Sense-making
Skills in seeing patterns, structuring the unknown and being able to consciously create stories.
Long-term orientation and Visioning
Long-term orientation and ability to formulate and sustain commitment to visions relating to the larger context.
3. Relating — Caring for Others and the World
Appreciation
Relating to others and to the world with a basic sense of appreciation, gratitude and joy.
Connectedness
Having a keen sense of being connected with and/or being a part of a larger whole, such as a community, humanity or global ecosystem.
Humility
Being able to act in accordance with the needs of the situation without concern for one's own importance.
Empathy and Compassion
Ability to relate to others, oneself and nature with kindness, empathy and compassion and address related suffering
4. Collaborating — Social Skills
Communication skills
Ability to really listen to others, to foster genuine dialogue, to advocate own views skillfully, to manage conflicts constructively and to adapt communication to diverse groups.
Co-creation skills
Skills and motivation to build, develop and facilitate collaborative relationships with diverse stake-holders, characterized by psychological safety and genuine co-creation.
Inclusive mindset and intercultural competence
Willingness and competence to embrace diversity and include people and collectives with different views and backgrounds.
Trust
Ability to show trust and to create and maintain trusting relationships.
Mobilization skills
Skills in inspiring and mobilizing others to engage in shared purposes.
5. Acting — Driving change
Courage
Ability to stand up for values, make decisions, take decisive action and, if need be, challenge and disrupt existing structures and views.
Creativity
Ability to generate and develop original ideas, innovate and being willing to disrupt conventional patterns.
Optimism
Ability to sustain and communicate a sense of hope, positive attitude and confidence in the possibility of meaningful change.
Perseverance
Ability to sustain engagement and remain determined and patient even when efforts take a long time to bear fruit.
More from the Inner Development Goals research paper here. To get involved, go to the website.