In this episode of the RE:Generation Collective, Silke von Brockhausen sits down with Eric Martin—leadership expert, author of Your Leadership Moment, and founder of Adaptive Change Advisors—to ask a simple, radical question: What would it take for the UN to lead regeneration from the inside out?
Eric’s answer begins where many technical reforms don’t: with relationships. Regeneration, he suggests, is not just restoring soils and ecosystems; it’s redefining wealth, power, and value as shared relational goods. Drawing on Indigenous insights (think Robin Wall Kimmerer’s ethos of reciprocity) and the language of systems, he reframes leadership as the capacity to mobilize people through uncertainty and loss toward what matters.
Why this lands for the UN
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Technical vs. adaptive work.
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People don’t resist change—they resist loss.
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Humility as practice.
What UN managers can do this quarter
1. Name your adaptive work. In every workplan, mark items “T” (technical) or “A” (adaptive). For “A,” schedule learning cycles: “good enough for now, safe enough to try,” with explicit reviews and course corrections.
2. Map the politics (kindly). For any adaptive goal, do a quick faction map: Who gains/loses? What loyalties bind them? What losses must be acknowledged or cushioned? Plan engagement accordingly.
3. Reward truth and prudent risk. In meetings, praise candor that expands the picture and capture learnings from near-misses. Make it visible that speaking reality and trying small bets are career-safe.
4. Harvest what’s working (Appreciative Inquiry). Find pockets where UN colleagues already practice regenerative, participatory ways. Showcase and scaffold them—let living examples pull culture forward.
5. Protect five “leadership moments” a day. Eric’s prompt: notice micro-chances to ask the harder question, name the real trade-off, or widen the circle. Tiny acts produce system-level ripples.
6. Anchor the inner work. Encourage a daily contemplative practice (breath, prayer, yoga, journaling) and Eric’s empathy question: “What is it like to be you?” These stabilize nervous systems and de-weaponize conflict.
If he were UN Secretary-General in 2027
Eric would reward truth, normalize smart risk, and trust voices closest to the problem—reversing the UN’s drift toward “institutionalized distrust.” He’d spotlight internal exemplars (not just policies) so staff can see and join the culture the UN needs.
The takeaway for UN staff
Regeneration isn’t a new checklist. It’s how we relate—to each other, to communities, to land. Adaptive leadership gives UN teams a language and a set of moves to navigate loss, learn fast, and turn purpose into practice. Start where you are. Mark what’s adaptive. Make room for learning. Protect the human. The rest will grow.
Listen to the Full Episode
Youtube:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/21OcYBlonBy3T4gleJKxTF
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/from-authority-to-agency-adaptive-leadership-for-a/id1841851629?i=1000731213666
Learn more & Connect
Eric Martin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericrogermartin/
Adaptive Change Advisors: https://adaptivechangeadvisors.com/