Get real: Why being straight with your people on climate targets is the only way forward

5 mins read
Lucy Moyle

It’s early January, which means the smell of permanent markers on fresh journals fills the air. New Year’s resolution writing is in full swing. Drink less. Cut out meat. Go to reformer Pilates every Friday at 6am. Read 15 books about Mongolian history. Learn how to play the mandolin. Call your Auntie Barb more. 

But in a few months’ time, we might find that even with the best intentions, our big, bold plans might need a rethink. Have we signed up for too much? Are other priorities getting in the way? 

Well, organizations might be having a similar “a-ha overstretch” moment with their net zero targets, but with arguably higher stakes than an unused Pilates membership. 

 

Let’s talk about carbon reduction targets

These aren’t just numbers in a corporate sustainability report. They’re (often, but not always) science-backed pledges guiding your sustainability transformation, signaling your long-term commitment to investors and to the market, and demonstrating to your people how you intend to tackle one of the most defining challenges of our time. 

Nearly half of the world’s largest companies have now publicly committed to reaching net zero by 2050. These aren’t small promises – they require a fundamental shift in how businesses operate. 

But nearly a decade after the Paris Agreement, we’re facing a pretty sobering reality. Temperatures continue to rise, global emissions aren’t falling, and 93% of companies are projected to miss their 2030 carbon targets.  

The reasons behind missed targets are complex, and every organization is of course facing different challenges. 

External factors, like supply chain and technological limitations, and the pressure to deliver short-term financial results while at the same time investing in long-term decarbonization strategies are creating genuine tension in the boardroom, and with shareholders. In many organizations, this has led to difficult trade-offs between immediate business priorities and longer-term climate commitments. 

As companies find themselves needing to revisit or update their targets, many are focusing their communication efforts on external stakeholders like customers and investors. However, this external-first approach overlooks one critical group: their own employees. These are the very people who will ultimately drive the changes needed to achieve any climate goals, revised or otherwise. 

 

So, how do you navigate talking to your people about this?

They are a group who’ve likely bought into your current strategy, been actively supporting it, and care deeply about making a meaningful impact. The temptation might be to minimize the change or dress it up in “corporate speak” (Enter: “We’re dynamically adjusting our carbon trajectory!” or “We’re pivoting to a more agile sustainability framework!”), but you know as well as I do that employees can spot spin from a mile off. Equally, going full doomsday risks demoralizing teams who’ve put their hearts into making change. It feels like we’re treading a communications tightrope, but really, it’s a chance to create a new era of employee engagement with the strategy. 

Behavioral science offers us valuable insights about how we might sustain motivation and trust. We know that: 

  • We have more trust for leaders who are transparent and honest, than those who pretend everything’s fine and dandy.  
  • We are more fired up when we feel part of something, and are not just being told what’s happening.  
  • When news is bad, we prefer to be told sooner than be kept in the dark. 
  • When there’s still a long way to go, we’re motivated by goal progress (rather than by what’s left to do).  

Drawing on these behavioral insights and our work with clients navigating similar challenges, here are three recommendations for having this crucial conversation: 

Equip leaders with the tools to lead transparently: Encourage your leaders to not sugarcoat it. When leaders show genuine vulnerability about where things might have gone wrong, it creates psychological safety for everyone to engage honestly as you move forward.

Frame it as an evolution: This isn’t about lowering ambition – it’s about being realistic. Share specific learnings: maybe there’s nervousness about cutting supplier or client relations, or regulations feel like they’re getting in the way. Don’t think about these as excuses; they’re valuable insights that make your next targets more achievable. 

Shape it from the inside-out: The quickest way to lose employee trust is to present revised targets as a fait accompli. Instead, get them involved, crowdsource ideas. We’re talking employee listening, hackathons, you name it, to give your people a stake in the outcome, rather than it being a top-down directive. I’ve spoken more about this here.

Targets are important. But realistic targets are more important. Those organizations that will maintain credibility with their most important stakeholders in delivering net zero – their people – aren’t the ones that don’t make mistakes. Rather, they’re the ones that are open and transparent, learn from what’s happened, and continue to show genuine commitment.  

I want to end with an important reality check. In the face of yet more environmental disasters and extreme weather events around the world, employees are increasingly connecting the dots between corporate action – or inaction – and an intensifying global crisis. While honesty and realism about challenges are important, it’s dangerous if they excuse delay.