How can you use executive leadership to promote sustainability in your community?

An executive leadership should work towards bottom-up approach while keeping the top to bottom intent intact. Sustainability of change depends on the population on which it is imposed and taking them into confidence plays a pivotal role. Sustainability should be imbibed in the core values of the company and that should form the DNA of the system. What gets convinced is what gets conceived.

As an executive leader, sustainibility is a unique opportunity to stand out imprint your skills and style to your community. In fact,, sustainibility embraces so many dimensions that there is certainly few that matches your organisation needs and your personal stengths. But an organisation cannot follow too many targets at the same time. It is thus your responsibility to set your sustaniblity vision at your organisation and investigate why this is a priority for your organisation and build the story telling to carry this vision to the different stakeholders: from the top management teams to your partners and customers.

Not only define them but write them down, and the people you are sharing them with have them write their goals down as well. A goal is not a goal until put on paper. Show the stakeholders that knowledge is power only if put into action. True leaders will lead but always listen and learn as well.

Vision for sustainability should extend beyond mere compliance with regulations. It should encapsulate a bold commitment to mitigating environmental impact, fostering social responsibility, and driving economic resilience. A holistic vision integrates sustainable practices into every facet of your organization's operations, from supply chain to product lifecycle. This comprehensive approach not only demonstrates dedication but also inspires others to align their actions with the larger purpose. Your vision sets the tone for a transformative journey that elevates your community's well-being while reinforcing business's long-term viability.

An additional perspective to sustainability is empowering all levels of the organization to create a culture of a sustainable succession of future leaders. We start with our frontline staff, we support them, we develop, we help them transform and get them eager, energized and with the capacity and ability to lead.

Start with a detailed audit of your organisation on the selected sustainibility topics that have been identified. Search for benchmarks and best practices, in your industry and accross industry. use also international standards such as UN sustainibility. This will help you quantify the gap to fill and the main changes that could be implemented. come back to the different stakeholders with different alternatives, in order to build their commitment to the future project: there is no better advocate than a person that has contributed to the recommendations.

Imagine you lead a tech firm specializing in e-commerce solutions. You assess using SWOT, life cycle analysis, and triple bottom line. You discover carbon emissions from your supply chain and waste reduction opportunities. Aligning with UN SDGs, you target carbon reduction, efficient logistics, and eco-friendly design. Leveraging AI for demand forecasting, you foster cross-departmental collaboration, making your company a sustainability leader in e-commerce, positively impacting your community and industry.

Would like to offer a slightly different perspective and approach. One that ensures that every step becomes high-value to you and/or your customers while making the world a slightly better place. It's a short circuit of business and sustainability. First; spot all the opportunities you can. I recommend using the circular economy as a tool and its five disciplines to spot opportunities. But other good tools is available. Then write down the top-5 problems you face in the business and the top-5 your ideal client faces. The trick is to filter all spotted potential initiatives through these 10 high-value problems and chose ones that contribute to solve them. Then there will already by assigned resources to do it and imidiate value of each step.

Understanding the perception of your company by those who work for you, invest in you and buy from you can be done through media monitoring, primary research and by engaging companies that specialise in ESG tracking. My advice is always to choose a couple of key metrics that matter to your team and nail those first. Don't be distracted by the plethora of ways to assess, take action and always do what you say you will. This will build trust.

I recommend what I call a flexible strategic planning approach. You can make a roadmap that has all the major building blogs to get to your vision/mission/BHAG. Have the first 18 month as detailed and the rest as headline, as it do not make sense to plan in details much further than 18 month ahead. Then redo the previous step yearly and update the roadmap with details for the next 18 month and building blogs that together provides a trustworthy plan for reaching what you aim for. The 18 month detailed outlook and yearly redoing process ensure you never get a whole in the implementation if if sligh delays occor. And then measure actual progress, adjust when need and apply more resources when needed and utilze it all in your communication.

Once your ojective is defined and the main actions are defined, you can start build your plan. Use SMART criteria to split the detailed actions into abitious yet acheivable tasks. And once again, return to your stakeholders to propose different options to your plans and craft together the joint plan. Then execute the plan: track the changes. celebrate the steps acheived adjust the plan to keep the momentum. Keep in mind: most of your stakeholders have additionals job descriptions so you need to keep them motivated with the objective and the feeling that this is all going in the right diretion to create value for the organisation and the community.

Based on the five-level framework for strategic sustainable development (FSSD). Once you know where you want to go and the tools/metrics you'll use to evaluate success, you need to formulate an effective strategy to get there. Backcast from your vision of the desired future state. Identify your organization's current gaps and opportunities. Now take action and utilize the tools along the way to evaluate your progress. Iterate and continuously improve. Sustainability transformation is a journey, not a destination!

Implementing your sustainability strategy is a crucial step in turning your vision into tangible actions and results. It involves translating your commitment to sustainability into practical initiatives and continuously monitoring and adapting your efforts. Implementing your sustainability strategy using SMART objectives and the PDCA cycle is a pivotal step that turns your vision into actionable change. It demonstrates your commitment to sustainability, creates value, and allows your organization to adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing world. By following this approach, you not only benefit your organization but also contribute to a more sustainable and responsible global community.

The best companies in the world have well rounded plans that serve the communities they operate in, the teams that work for them and the customers that buy from them. Each of these stakeholders have different needs and tailored communication plans and metrics reporting will be needed. Keep it simple and over-communicate internally and externally! Leaders in the 4th industrial revolution need to be uber-communicative .

To get impactful communication and minimize the risk of being accused of greenwashing I have created a model for communication. 1) Always talk about the specific results as the core part of the communication. This builds trust and keeps you on the right side compared to greenwashing. 2) Ensure that you always bring the bigger mission into play as well. It serves as the context. 3) And also your roadmap so everyone can see it is not stand-alone effort to talk about. Second point is to shine a light on the focus area instead of on yourself. You can create so much more, and more interesting content about e.g. the climate crisis and integrate your efforts, rather than on shouting about yourself and your product. Nobody cares about you....

Stakeholder engagement is crucial for buy-in! By involving key stakeholders in the process, you'll create a sense of ownership in the program. It is equally important to meet your stakeholders where they are. Find out where they are on their sustainability journey. Not everyone is ready or able to comprehend sustainability transformations. If approached in this manner too early, you'll undoubtedly face significant resistance. You'd be better suited by taking the incremental approach here. Build up your small wins to create momentum for the larger transformations to come. Lastly, obtain repeated public support from the top (i.e. CEO/Board)! Without it, your sustainability initiative/program is likely dead on arrival.

Authentic voices are needed when communicating. We live in an era of activism and letting your marketing team develop your plan without deep consideration of how it might backfire is a bad plan. The leadership team should live and breathe the values of the company and if sustainable growth is not part of your values then beware of over-committing.

The key to promoting sustainability is meaningful engagement with stakeholders. I believe that by actively listening through surveys, interviews, and other channels, and involving them in decision-making, we not only build trust but also foster a sense of community ownership. From my perspective, recognizing their contributions enhances our reputation and solidifies lasting partnerships.

Inspiring others is a vital step in promoting sustainability, as it extends the reach and influence of your efforts beyond your organization and into the wider community. Inspiring others through storytelling and sharing best practices is an essential component of sustainability promotion. It engages hearts and minds, creates awareness, and encourages collective action. By doing so, you can leverage the power of a broader community to drive positive change and contribute to a more sustainable future.

Motivation and drive needs to be fueled by feedback. your strategy progresses and successe need to be communicated broadly to inspire other and reward the team that has achieved those results. Sustainibility topics are less exposted to competition mindset. So sharing your actions are more acceptable by top management. In addition, communciating broadly on those inspiring topics will turn into an advantage to attract best talents. As the flag-bearer, you will be recoginsed outside your company.

From my perspective, executive leadership is pivotal in inspiring others. I believe that through compelling storytelling and sharing our successes and challenges, we can not only highlight the benefits of sustainability but also create a positive ripple effect in our community. From my experience, showcasing best practices and inviting collaboration magnifies our impact.

Promoting sustainability in your community through executive leadership involves setting a visionary example and driving change. As a leader, you can champion sustainable practices within your organization, inspiring employees to adopt eco-friendly initiatives. Engage in community partnerships to support local sustainability projects, such as renewable energy initiatives or waste reduction programs. Advocate for policies and regulations that encourage sustainability, influencing decision-makers to prioritize environmental concerns. By combining these approaches, you can leverage executive leadership to foster a culture of sustainability within your community.

There is a crucial step that comes before the five steps: rewiring your mindset. In brief: 1) This is a business agenda - not a sustainability. Make it a point to solve valuable business problems while solving meaningful ones for the world. 2) This is a create-discipline - not a minimization and being less bad. Reframe reductionist efforts to develop new and better solutions with the desired impact. Much more energy and power in that. 3) "Green" products should cost less. If you expect it to be 10% more costly I bet you will be right. But no reason that should be so. Innovate! Demand more and get more. 4) It's a new way of doing business, not a project. 5) Be open, transparent and collaborative instead of ringfencing your effort.

Leaders and executives have to "walk the talk"...In the sustainability world, there are so many views...which are opposing in nature. Leaders need to set the example. For example, if they implement waste savings initiatives/policies, they should be accountable for following them as well. Imposing a "no single use water bottle" policy in all offices while you as the leader continue to use single use water bottles, is noticed by everyone...no matter how hard you try and hide it....credibility in this environmental space is key. Perfections isn't expected...but walk the talk. Leaders have to do better if you expect your teams to do better.

Before diving into the five steps outlined here, first embrace a mindset shift. Someone else noted, this is less about minimizing harm, and more about creating solutions with a MEANINGFUL impact. Good solutions by their very nature, minimize harm. So they should be innovative and accessible, not merely "green" products. Incorporate sustainability into the very fabric of your business. It's not a one-time project; it's a continual commitment. Embrace transparency, openness, and collaboration as the guiding principles of your journey toward sustainability. Aspiring entrepreneurs & leaders: Sustainability isn't just a buzzword; it's a principle to guide you on the path to a more prosperous and ethical future for your business & community.