How is Sustainability Enabling Business Leaders?

Executive leadership has long been viewed as the primary cause and solution to business failings. So, as the business world continues to navigate these uncertain economic times in what seems like a path towards major business environmental policy change, it comes as no surprise that corporate stakeholders around the world are examining the quality of their leadership and its impact on their investment’s future.

For many, this peaking discussion may be the first time environment stewardship and social responsibility have truly been placed in the same conversation with economic growth. As a result, many organizations may be concerned about the quality of their executives.

This leads us to the question we discuss with clients and peers: What roll does leadership play in sustainable business success?

The Wall Street Journal recently published an article, ‘Why Changing the CEO May Not Change the Company’, primarily focusing on the falling profits of several major corporations. The article discussed the impacts leadership change had on shifting the direction of a company. While the gist of the article indicates that executive management plays a less than primary role in traditional-driven business profitability, our sustainability consulting finds ‘enabled-leadership’ at all levels to be a critical component on business sustainability.

While economic growth is the ultimate goal of most businesses, business sustainability may not be straight forward path. There is value in the knowledge gained from each success and even failure. When executive management creates flexibility and promotes innovation across the value chain, the company creates alignment and engagement across the organization. This enables employees and other business stakeholders to take on leadership roles in the definition and implementation of the organization’s business sustainability programs.

Within our business sustainability programs, we view executive commitment to sustainability to be an essential aspect of future business. Businesses which embrace an open culture as part of its core values enable sustainable leadership across the company. Our professional consulting encourages clients to include active engagement and participation as part of an overall business sustainability plan.