We have much to learn from leaders focused on social justice and climate justice. Mike Radke, Executive Director of The Ubuntu Lab, shares the emotional source of his passion for the work he does and how that informs his leadership. The Ubuntu Lab team explores the human experience, connects people, and builds a more understanding, sustainable, and just future for all people. Mike brings his passion to his work at The Ubuntu Lab where he creates experiential tools that help people from all walks of life connect around their common humanity.
Find Mike here: https://www.theubuntulab.org/
and here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeradke/
#Leadership #Commitment #EmotionalIntelligence #EQ #climatechange #socialjustice
[Video Transcript]
Matt Schlegel:
Thanks for joining me in conversations with leaders who are engaging with their feelings as a leadership tool for both inspiration and motivation. Today, I’m speaking with Mike Radke, an extraordinary social justice leader who heads The Ubuntu Lab. Mike has long recognized and used his feelings as a motivator for his work. And now for the conversation.
Matt Schlegel:
I’m delighted to be speaking with Mike Radke, executive director of The Ubuntu Lab. Mike’s passion is exploring the human experience, connecting with people and sharing what he finds with others in the hope of building a more understanding, sustainable and just future for all people. He brings his passion to his work at The Ubuntu Lab, where he creates experiential tools that help people from all walks of life connect around their common humanity. Thank you so much for joining me today, Mike, and welcome.
Mike Radke:
It’s a pleasure. Thank you for having me.
Matt Schlegel:
Great. Well today, I really wanted to focus on how climate change is influencing your leadership. And so I wanted to just start by asking, how are you feeling about climate change right now?
Mike Radke:
I think for me, it’s really always that two sided coin of feeling the reality of a very critical situation that has huge ramifications for people across the globe and can be very scary at times. And on the other side, seeing the work of so many brilliant people around the world who are dedicating their lives and their best minds to tackling this really critical issue. And that gives me hope. It’s kind of that reality of the issue being very serious and also the hope of knowing that humanity finds a way and that we do have access to that humanity.
Matt Schlegel:
Yes. Yeah. Couldn’t agree with you more on that. It is wonderful to see how humanity is rising up to address this challenge and ultimately solve it. How were those feelings that you’re having about climate influencing your behaviors as a leader and your direction in your leadership?
Mike Radke:
Well, I think confronting the reality is kind of for me as a leader and for the work that we do, it’s kind of again, two parts. One, the initial part is making sure that the decisions we make are good and sustainable and healthy for the environment. Wherever is logistically and practically feasible, we make our choices towards a pro environmental stance. And at the same time, making sure that the issues we’re tackling are connected to the environment. We are guided a lot by the sustainable development goals and those being a heavy part of those goals means that a lot of times no matter what we’re talking about, whether it’s identity or happiness or directly about climate change, we infuse that in the programming we do.
Matt Schlegel:
Oh, that’s interesting. Now, where are those goals coming from that you are relying on in that work?
Mike Radke:
The UN, the United nations SDGs. Those are the ones that drive a lot of the narrative and drive a lot of the funding landscape. And so it’s easiest to align around those and then blur the edges of them where it makes sense to tackle any particular issue. It’s we find a way to integrate that into our work, whether it is organizational, logistical or the bulk of what we do, which is programming and creating experiences.
Matt Schlegel:
Right. And the other aspect of this that I think that you are particularly suited to address is the intersectionality of climate with other justice movements. Including all of humanity. How does that play into your thinking and what you’re doing with The Ubuntu Labs?
Mike Radke:
Well, climate change it is a justice issue. It is disproportionately affecting those in vulnerable positions. It’s disproportionately affecting those who have been systemically marginalized for throughout human history. And so for us, it’s always been or it continues to be a discussion of how do we do both? How do we make sure that we’re addressing the people who are most in positions to make the biggest changes? Which tends to be Western, wealthy, the people in leadership positions currently, while also making sure that the people that are being affected by them, by the climate and by environmental issues around the specific contextual issues around the world, also get a new voice. Are heard more and are in a position to assume places of power so that they can step into those places, go into those positions, both in a just being seen sense but also in a having a powerful voice that’s listened to and being able to lead once they’re there.
Mike Radke:
Our programs kind of addressed both sides. And connect the two. To be quite honest, a lot of our work is in connecting, not saying, “This is for you and this is for you,” but saying, “What we’re doing is for everyone and how can we connect those conversations and bring people together?”
Matt Schlegel:
Right. Which is why I think the work that you’re doing is so important, just providing a platform for all of these voices to connect and understand each other. I’m grateful for the work that you’re doing. And so, just to wrap up, what I’d like to ask you is other leaders and aspiring leaders are now becoming increasingly aware of the climate crisis and are starting to have feelings about that. And what advice would you give to those leaders who are now having these feelings about climate?
Mike Radke:
I think it’s for me it’s about that idea of using that upset feeling, whether it’s fear or anger or outrage or sadness, as a motivator is something to drive me to action. And I think that’s the critical piece is it’s great to know things. It’s great to feel things but unless you’re doing things you’re really just standing still with the rest of kind of where we’ve been for the last 30, 40 years. And knowing that this is a problem and seeing that it’s not going to end well but standing still while we did it. I think it’s time for action. And whether that’s making our voices heard or doing things directly to influence a better future for all of us. I think that’s the advice I’ve got. Let it motivate you and then get to work.
Matt Schlegel:
Right, right. Yeah. Yeah. And appreciate your response, your emotional response, whatever that is but then use that as energy to get to action. And while we’re on it, is there a for you, a particular feeling that’s motivating? Do you find yourself in any one particular emotional space over another?
Mike Radke:
I think I probably bounce back and forth between being upset about the injustice around the world, that’s kind of been my motivator from very young is seeing injustice and not feeling okay with it, being angry about it. And then being hopeful, knowing that we can change, seeing that we can change. In my lifetime, we’ve seen huge change, from even just addressing the hole in the ozone layer, whatever that was, 20 years ago to the end of apartheid and the end of the troubles in Ireland and the fall of the Berlin Wall. We’ve seen huge social change in short periods of time. And I’m very hopeful that we can do it again and that we are doing it.
Matt Schlegel:
That is a great place to leave it, Mike. Thank you so much for joining me today. I really appreciate it.
Mike Radke:
You’re very welcome. I was glad to be here.
Matt Schlegel:
Thanks for watching. Mike’s work at The Ubuntu Lab is focused on social justice and climate justice is increasingly becoming central to social justice. These injustices cause Mike to feel upset and these feelings have long been a motivator for him and his work. Mike illustrates the importance of recognizing your feelings and using those feelings to inform your leadership. And while he says that he often cycles through many feelings about climate, fear, outrage, sadness, he uses all of that emotional energy to passionately pursue his goals for creating a just and equitable world for all people. He says, “Now is the time for action.”
Matt Schlegel:
If you found this conversation helpful, please click on the thumbs up button and subscribe to the channel for notifications of future episodes. And if you have any questions, please leave them in the comments section and I’ll get to them as soon as I can. Thanks again.
Leave a Reply