Published - January 15, 2026



January has a way of pushing us toward big targets and bold declarations. However, in the Northern Hemisphere, winter is a time of minimal sunlight and the natural world is in a phase of hibernation and dormancy. So this year, instead of forcing a "new year, new you" mindset, I've decided to take my cue from nature and slow down.

This slower pace created space for me to take the Inner Development Goals (IDG) training, where I learned something important: many sustainability efforts fail because they assume the core problem is a lack of information. This is known as the information-deficit model: the belief that if we just share enough facts, behaviour will change.

The research is now clear, recognized by the IPCC, UNDP, and other global institutions. Our sustainability crises don't stem from ignorance. They stem from disconnection from ourselves, from one another, and from nature. I believe the same pattern shows up in all meaningful work, from social impact to social purpose.

The IDG framework identifies five dimensions of inner development that enable us to navigate complexity and drive change: being (our relationship to ourselves), thinking (our cognitive skills), relating (caring for others and the world), collaborating (our social skills), and acting (enabling change). These aren't abstract concepts—they're capacities like self-awareness, perspective-taking, courage, and perseverance. The things that determine whether we can actually follow through when the work gets hard.

What struck me most is how this reframes the work we do. It's not that strategy doesn't matter. It's that strategy without these inner capacities is like having a map but no compass. We might know where we want to go, but we lack the internal resources to navigate the inevitable challenges, setbacks, and complexity along the way.

Before systems can truly change, something has to shift in us first. Our beliefs, values, and inner capacities are more powerful leverage points than any new framework or strategy. So when we do emerge from this winter slowdown ready to act, maybe the question isn't just what we'll do—but how we'll do it.

Warmly,

Claire