Introducing The Inner Development Goals
3 May 2022
The Inner Development Goals (IDGs) officially launched on 22nd March 2022. The IDGs are a global initiative aiming to further action towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Why
The SDGs are a major focus for the ethical investment community.
Many ethical funds measure the companies they invest in’s ability (and therefore the fund’s ability) to positively impact achievement of the SDGs. Created in 2015, the SDGs provided a comprehensive plan for a sustainable world by 2030.
My blog “Investors Increasing Positive Impact via UN SDGs” explains how ethical investors are increasingly embracing the SDG’s vision of shared prosperity in a sustainable world—a world where all people can live productive, vibrant and peaceful lives on a healthy planet.
The IDGs were created to support the world’s ability to achieve the SDGs.
Whilst the SDGs provide a vision of what needs to happen, the IDG initiative maintains “that progress along this vision has so far been disappointing.” The initiative believes that “we lack the inner capacity to deal with our increasingly complex environment and challenges.” However, backed by modern research, the initiative also believes that these abilities can be developed. This was the starting point for the IDGs, which provide a blueprint of the capabilities, qualities and skills we need in order to achieve the SDGs.
What
The IDGs aim to provide an essential framework of transformative skills for sustainable development. The initiative is currently co-creating an open-source and free-for-all field-kit on how to develop these necessary skills. The current IDGs framework is organised across five categories:
1. Being – Relationship to Self
2. Thinking – Cognitive Skills
3. Relating – Caring for Others and the World
4. Collaborating – Social Skills
5. Acting – Driving Change.
It includes 23 “skills and qualities which are especially crucial for leaders who address SDGs, but fundamentally for all of us! It is the greatest possible accelerator to reach the Sustainable Development Goals and create a prosperous future for all humanity”.
How
Co-creation is at the centre of the IDGs, with ongoing development and input from more and more experts, scientists, practitioners and organisations around the world. In 2021 the first IDGs report was published, explaining the background, method and framework – including 5 categories and 23 transformational skills.
The report represents the results of two online surveys based on input from 1000+ participants. The process is based on community co-creation, with 23 supporting organisations currently involved.
The IDG’s Film
The IDGs 5 minute film introduces the founders and includes interviews with the advisory board and co-creating researchers. It describes how the IDGs framework can “help accelerate the work towards the UN’s Global Goals or SDGs”. Quoting leading USA Law Professor, author and environmental advocate Gus Speth, the film calls for “a spiritual and cultural transformation”.
The film also highlights the need for “a deliberately developmental society”. In the film, Harvard’s Bob Kegan says, “we are built to grow. It is our destiny to grow. A caterpillar is not supposed to die as a caterpillar. Its destiny is to grow wings and fly. And as Einstein said, we are never going to be able to solve our problems with the same order of consciousness that created these problems. So as a species, we need more and more of us to grow and develop so that we have a bigger purchase on, a bigger perspective, a bigger ability to solve the biggest, most dangerous kinds of challenges we face.” My blog “Making Business Personal” provides more insight to Bob’s research – and my certification in his coaching methodology “Overturning Immunity To Change”.
The Ethical Investment Perspective
To offer our clients more information, we have created a new guide, ‘The Money Matters Guide to Exploring the Inner Development Goals through Ethical Investment’. It’s designed for clients who would like to consider the IDGs in detail and how they might apply them personally.
The processes described in this guide can be very beneficial not only for developing ethical leaders within the businesses you invest in, but also for applying yourself to further enrich your life and your capacity as an ethical investment leader.
The IDGs approach and framework of skills and qualities is now being used by businesses as part of their human resource development. This is major progress. It reflects a deeper approach that Money Matters has long encouraged as a key to achieving ethical investors’ aspirations. Ethical investment researchers often consider the practice of “developing human capital”. Money Matters is now encouraging these researchers to ask: to what extent this is being done with reference to the IDGs?
Chellie and myself have extensive expertise in the practice of developing human capital. This year, Chellie is undertaking an international leadership development role consulting to the Atlantic Institute, which is providing more insight into this topic. She has recently returned from Oxford University, where she attended a conference and undertook research interviews.
This guide’s main focus is the IDG’s first category “Being – Relationship to Self”. This category consists of:
· IDG 1: Inner Compass
· IDG 2: Integrity and Authenticity
· IDG 3: Openness and a Learning Mindset
· IDG 4: Self-awareness
· IDG 5: Presence
If you are curious to learn more, please let me know. I have a wealth of resources and insights on this subject of “inner development” including looking at this through one’s relationship with money. Whilst recognising and respecting that exploring this territory isn’t everybody’s cup of tea, I’m always happy to include this dimension in conversations with clients.
