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~ THE 7 HABITS OF EFFECTIVE SUSTAINABILITY LEADERS ~
Wayne Visser, CSR International Inspiration Series, No. 12, 2013
THE 7 HABITS OF EFFECTIVE SUSTAINABILITY LEADERS
By Wayne Visser
Without bold and effective leadership – at a political, institutional and individual level – we will fail to
resolve our most serious social and environmental crises. This short article summarises some of the
findings from my work with the University of Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership
1
.
To begin with, we distilled the following simple definition:
“A sustainability leader is someone who inspires and supports action towards
a better world.”
There are many characteristics (traits, styles, skills and knowledge) that are associated with
sustainability leaders.
2
Our research suggests that the following seven key characteristics are among
the most important in distinguishing the leadership approach taken by individuals tackling
sustainability issues. Although it is unlikely that any individual will embody all seven characteristics
of sustainability leadership, to give a flavour for each characteristic, they are illustrated below by
observations from a selection of leaders, many of whom we have worked with and who demonstrate
some of these qualities themselves.
1. Systemic, interdisciplinary understanding
José Lopez, Executive Vice President Operations and GLOBE of Nestle, insists that “one of the
elements that will really get us going in this sustainability fight is the elimination of the root cause
for unsustainable behaviour, unsustainable business morals, unsustainable practices and so on. The
ability to see the root cause of those things will set companies apart. They have to do with the
profound thinking that you have and the processes of how you invest money and how you train your
people and how you develop resources.”
2. Emotional intelligence and a caring attitude
Jan Muehlfeit, Chairman of Microsoft Europe, observes that “over the next ten years, the only way
individuals, organisations and countries will succeed and compete will be through the ability to
unlock human potential.” He believes that “as a leader for the future, you would need to distinguish
between motivations; you can motivate people’s hands or their brains but you can’t motivate their
hearts – it takes real inspiration.”
3. Values orientation that shapes culture
Truett Tate, Group Executive Director (Wholesale) for Lloyds Banking Group, believes there is a
“personal, almost spiritual commitment that needs to be epitomised in someone who is going to be
successful in this sustainability space. So, a morality, a spirituality [which has] a great coupling with
[having a] longer term vision.” He adds that their credibility must come from “the way that they
behave and interact with the world. They epitomise interconnectedness. They understand
community [in the sense of] communion with facets of the world around us.” Hence, although not
everyone would characterise their actions in terms of spirituality, a values-based approach is critical.
1 See for example, the Cambridge State of Sustainability Leadership publication series since 2011.
2 See my paper with Polly Courtice for a more comprehensive review of these:
http://www.waynevisser.com/papers/sustainability-leadership