Leadership crisis or opportunity?

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What does it mean for an organisation to be a sustainability leader? Good leaders know it means involving the whole workforce and, with time being crucial, to understand the importance of progress, not perfection.

Figure 1: Sustainability leaders use all levers. (Source: Edge Environment)
Figure 2: 10 principles for being sustainability leaders. (Source: Edge Environment)

SINCE THE PANDEMIC began, there has been significant spending on sustainability solutions with the sustainable finance bond issuance totalling US$859 billion in 2021 – the highest amount ever. Over 1,000 companies have also set science-based targets as part of a global campaign.

There has been a significant increase in sustainability jobs, with 79% of executives seeing the world at a tipping point for responding to the climate crisis and Google searches for sustainable products doubling since 2019.

Leaders for change

It is no longer a question of ‘why sustainability’ or even what we need to do. The question is how do we go faster together?

In the book Net positive: How courageous companies thrive by giving more than they take, Paul Polman writes, ‘The best leaders, the ones people will follow into this new territory, are first and foremost good human beings.

‘They are at ease with themselves, have integrity, and what they say and what they do are in sync. Net positive leadership is also about putting others’ interests ahead of your own … The sweet spot is leading in the overlap of what you’re good at, what you like, and what the world needs. Getting there might require developing new skills and leaving your comfort zone.’

Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity

When it comes to acting on sustainability, we haven’t made it easy. The field of sustainability has its own narrative, norms and networks that put up barriers and slow progress.

Leading organisations have recognised this and are using it to their advantage. They recognise it’s not one or the other – it’s about the ‘and’. It’s about talking to specialist audiences and generalist audiences, it’s about risk and opportunity, data and stories and enabling a whole organisation to act on sustainability, not just the sustainability team (see Figure 1).

Figure 1: Sustainability leaders use all levers. (Source: Edge Environment)

The need for radical simplicity

At the heart of the many challenges lies the complexity of sustainability. It must be simple, relatable and practical for people to make it happen. At Edge Environment, where we see and hear this challenge daily, we developed simple principles for making sustainability collaborative, authentic and bold.

10 principles for being sustainability leaders

In consultation with over 100 professionals, we tested 10 principles for organisations to be sustainability leaders (see Figure 2).

Figure 2: 10 principles for being sustainability leaders. (Source: Edge Environment)

Progress over perfection is key

Of the principles that have been tried and tested with heads of sustainability, procurement, finance, marketing, HR and strategy, there’s one that stands out – progress over perfection.

Harriet Glen from Auckland Transport agrees, ‘As we’re in the midst of a climate crisis, we know that we have a huge part to play in Auckland Transport to drive positive change and make our city more sustainable.

‘We want to be ambitious and take bold steps to get there, and we are realistic about the importance of making progress – no matter how small – rather than letting perfection get in the way of action.’

Where to start?

In our experience, it is essential to start by defining your leadership position. Understand what sustainability means to you as people, as an organisation and in the context of your industry and business strategy. This is the opportunity to bring in your people and partners and engage them in co-creating your sustainability vision.

The next step is to establish a framework to deliver on your vision. A plan should sit under this with the detailed breakdown of what you want to achieve, by when and by whom.

Alongside this, set the right foundations for the sustainability culture you want. Allow your people to innovate at all levels, accept that failures are an opportunity to learn, that everyone can be a sustainability leader in their role. These are examples of values you can embed in your teams to drive sustainable behaviours.

Remember, your sustainability leadership journey will only be successful in the long term if it comes with authenticity. Bringing the personal and authentic dimension in why and how you engage in sustainability is what will make others want to join you and not put you in the greenwashing box.

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Figure 1: Sustainability leaders use all levers. (Source: Edge Environment)
Figure 2: 10 principles for being sustainability leaders. (Source: Edge Environment)

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