Sustainable Leadership

Increasing complexities of a new economy influenced by factors such as climate change, globalization, increasing expectations regarding responsible business practices and the global financial crisis, automatically give rise to the need for sustainable leadership. The classical skill set for leadership of course remains very important, but within that skill set we need to look for the specific skills which need to be focused on to promote sustainability efforts. This would provide us with a relevant set of leadership skills which must be applied when dealing with situations, which require immense immediate attention, perhaps unlike the ones which we have been answering to before. Sustainable leadership therefore is to be specifically designed to target much complex issues, with innumerous variables, and which have to be taken care of in a very limited timeframe.

Introduction

To start off, a fair introduction of the terms ‘sustainability’ and ‘sustainable development’ is crucial, as however popular buzzwords they may be today the essence of these terms is sometimes forgotten. The word ‘sustain’ means to hold up, to give support to, and to bear the weight of. The derivation of ‘sustainability’, from the above, proclaims how the concept of sustainability would essentially be based on holding up and supporting ourselves. This, which may have been the case so far, is not enough to continue the way we have, for numerous economic, environmental and social reasons. With increasing globalization trends over the decades and increased inter-dependence of nations, sustainable development is no longer a question at an individual or even national level, but a need to be managed globally. The Brundtland Commission Report, “Our Common Future”, takes a step further from realizing the need of sustainable development as common globally, to recognizing this need through time. To do this it provides the most famous definition of sustainability as follows:

“Sustainable Development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

These definitions provide us with the premise of social responsibility, and of bearing the burden not only for ourselves but for others around us and even for those after our lifetimes; the future generations. Sustainability therefore, as a philosophy, preaches morality. These origins of the idea of sustainability really matter as they give it moral substance, conceptual precision and strategic power. Sustainable leadership, therefore, begins with a strong and unswerving sense of moral purpose. Inner conviction, unshakable faith, and a driving hopeful sense of purpose that stretches far beyond the self are the inalienable elements of moral character that truly sustain people during times of overwhelming challenges. 1 (Andy Hargreaves, ‘Sustainable Leadership’). Sustainability no doubt is an overwhelming challenge for the human race.