Our world is an increasingly uncertain place.
We face complex, global challenges such as:
the pressures on natural and food resources; our ecological footprint and climate change;
regional instability and security concerns; access to healthcare and education,
and social disruption and technological change.
It has become clear that political institutions alone are not capable to address these complex
trans-national issues, as they are fragile,
captive to special interests or too local.
In this interconnected world, political institutions need to work together
with businesses.
Businesses are increasingly expected to meet the ‘triple bottom line’ of social,
environmental and financial performance and to respond to the concerns of stakeholders:
people who gain from, or are damaged by,
organizational actions.
This organizational consideration for people, planet,
and profit is called corporate social responsibility.
Organizations are in desperate need of leaders who can carry this responsibility for people,
planet, and profit and can foster long-term relationships
with multiple stakeholders.
Leaders who make long-term sustainability of our world a top priority and who are able
to address all challenges.
Stated differently, organizations need sustainable leaders.
Fortunately, modern world knows many leaders who are not
solely inspired by a constant push for the creation of shareholder value.
Who sincerely want to contribute to a larger purpose,
while still making a handsome living.
Who are very capable of balancing short-term and long-term priorities and have the competencies
to be – or become - sustainable leaders of the future.
And engineers might be a large part of this population… We are now ready to introduce
the concept of sustainable leadership.
Sustainable leadership can be described by three groups of competencies.
Competencies consists of knowledge, skills,
and attitudes.
We will now take a deep dive into the three competencies of sustainable leadership:
These are: Relationship-building,
Systems thinking, Sustainability mindset