Embedding sustainability into an organisation isn’t easy. It requires disrupting well-oiled processes, and calls for broadened decision-making and measurement systems informed by a rapidly evolving global context. As John F Kennedy said, “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” Read More

The world is on a collision course with environmental realities. Business leaders know what do but not always how to do it

Bruno Sarda in Guardian Professional (2 July 2013):

Our world is on a collision course with environmental realities and we’re quickly running out of roadway to take meaningful corrective action. There is widespread agreement from experts on what needs to be done and societal pressure to act, and yet the status quo prevails. What’s the missing ingredient to drive this needed change? Leadership.

Former US president Harry Truman was right when he said: “In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better.” If a sustainable future is a better future, how do we get there? What kind of leadership does sustainability require?

Many organisations have already recognised that sustainability is a business and societal imperative, and have initiated programmes and practices to get them started down that path. Yet even organisations with the best of intentions can get stuck in the process of scaling their sustainability efforts.

In a study conducted by the Global Institute of Sustainability at Arizona State University, practitioners across sectors indicated they know what to do but aren’t always sure how to get it done, and 80% of them agreed that better tools and training would help them scale and accelerate their sustainability efforts. So what do sustainability leaders actually do to achieve success?

For sustainability to truly scale, it needs to align with the strategic objectives of the organisation and be defined in terms of greater organisational and financial success. Traditional financial accounting can be overly short-term focused, so understand how to tie sustainability to long-term success indicators such as ability to retain and acquire talent, regulatory risk/cost in absence of voluntary efforts, reduced supply chain risk, market perception and company reputation.

Once the strategy is defined, goals are needed to set the level of ambition and prioritise efforts. These should be informed by external drivers but ultimately need to be agreed and owned by those who will be accountable for delivering on them. For example, don’t set a greenhouse gas or water reduction goal without involving your facilities and operations teams.

Clear plans are needed to outline how you’re going to hit your goals. Develop baselines and agree what KPIs will tell you if you’re on track. For example, if you set a five-year waste reduction goal, where should you be after the first year? Inertia is not your friend; deliberate action is what breeds engagement and credibility. Anticipate changing conditions and be ready to adapt.

Success comes through action and results. Know how to drive execution and build strong internal governance mechanisms for visibility and accountability. Achieve and celebrate early wins. Perhaps pick one facility or region where you want to drive early results – this will earn you the right to scale faster across the organisation. Lead from the context of sustainability and manage to your KPIs, but trust functional experts to own how they deliver against their goals. For example, your facilities team knows best how to reduce water or energy use in their buildings.

An effective sustainability leader needs to be able to engage the boardroom, the team room, the lunchroom, the news room, the chat room and the living room. Leading much more with influence than authority, it’s critical to inspire and earn the trust of the organisation and its key stakeholders. Do that through the power of story, not just facts and figures. If people responded to facts alone, nobody would smoke anymore and we’d all eat more vegetables. Embrace transparency and commit to reporting failures and challenges as well as successes. Listen more than you speak, and tap your stakeholder networks for wisdom and validation along the way.

Embedding sustainability into an organisation isn’t easy. It requires disrupting well-oiled processes, and calls for broadened decision-making and measurement systems informed by a rapidly evolving global context. Those who will successfully lead this level of change must challenge themselves to grow and adapt as much as their organisations. As John F Kennedy said, “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.”

Our world needs a “shock and awe” campaign executed by highly trained sustainability warriors who can effectively lead change, set strategy and execute on goals, be awesome communicators and keep up with a rapidly evolving global context. Let us find them and arm them with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed, and cheer them on at every step. Our future depends on it.

Bruno Sarda is the director of global sustainability operations at Dell and adjunct professor at the School of Sustainability at Arizona State University. He’s been working to develop a new Executive Master’s for Sustainability Leadership as part of the Rob and Melani Walton Sustainability Solutions Initiatives in the Global Institute of Sustainability.

Source: www.guardian.co.uk/