Leadership
Exemplary cases of sustainability leadership and intrapreneurship, and the qualities, ethical principles and/or dilemmas inherent within them.
Unilever’s New Sustainability Director Wants Competitors to Close the Gap on ESG Performance
“We need to keep that competitive advantage and continue to innovate so that we can really make sustainable living commonplace. It’s constant innovation; and we want others to come along on the journey with us.” — Niki King
How a Corporate ‘Lifer’ Helped Transform a Century-Old Business into a Sustainability Front Runner
Cross-Posted from From Purpose to Action: Building a Sustainable Future Together. When it comes to making sustainable business a reality, the journey is just as important as the destination. Few companies prove this more than Dow — provider of many of the chemical, plastic and consumer solutions that the world needs to successfully transition to a low-carbon economy.
More Companies Are Stating a Social Purpose; But Are They Implementing It?
Cross-Posted from Walking the Talk. Corporate Knights has developed the world’s first rating system to assess companies’ implementation of their social purpose commitments. Its research finds that the gap between ‘say’ and ‘do’ varies from one company to the next.
Shaking Up Boardrooms and Society: The World’s First Purpose Governance Playbook
Cross-Posted from Organizational Change. ‘The New Purpose Governance Framework’ is the first comprehensive set of purpose-governance guidelines in the world, which charts the path for boards to up their game in approving and governing their organization’s purpose.
Q&A: How to Foster Enterprise-Wide Engagement in Holistic Sustainability Strategies
Cross-Posted from Our Healthy Lives Mission. In a keynote conversation at SB’21 San Diego, two leading execs in their respective industries — Katie Decker and Nancy Mahon — discussed how their sustainability strategies have been embedded within their businesses, as well as differences and similarities between the companies’ approaches.
Business ‘First Responders:’ How Can Companies Thrive While Solving for Relentless, Real-Time Crises?
In his new book, “Lead With We,” Simon Mainwaring urges business leaders to adopt a ‘first-responder’ mindset — and provides a blueprint for a proactive, ‘prepare for anything’ approach that enables them to lead with purpose in an increasingly challenged world.
'A Compass for Just and Regenerative Business': 5 Principles of the Leadership We Need
As a fellow leader in this sustainability movement, how might you shift to a more regenerative approach? Here, Forum for the Future’s Samantha Veide explores what the concept means for business and shares five principles for regenerative leadership.
The Most Successful, Sustainable Organizations Will Be Driven by Feminine Leadership
An insightful panel discussion on women in leadership unearthed several critical traits for the type of leadership we need in a healthy, sustainable, equitable future — and signs that they’re beginning to transcend gender.
3 Key Drivers for the Regenerative Leadership We Need
At SB’21 San Diego, leaders from a variety of industries and disciplines seemed to agree on three key drivers necessary for the regenerative leadership our world needs.
‘Lead With We’: How to Drive Business Growth Through Collectivized Purpose
Business leaders are best positioned to facilitate meaningful change — not only for our bottom lines, but for the collective good. Together, we will create a transcendent practice of business that restores and protects the natural and social systems on which all our futures depend.
Your Gender Story: Why Embracing Our Human Complexity Is Key for Regenerative Leadership
Cross-Posted from Organizational Change. Creating truly gender-inclusive workplaces requires more than just including pronouns in email signatures. Reimagine Gender CEO Lisa Kenney explains why a broader understanding of gender is critical for leaders going forward and why getting to know our own Gender Stories is the first step.
'Bringing Humanity Back to Business': 10 Insights from Paul Polman
Carol Cone — internationally recognized Purpose pioneer and host of the Purpose 360 podcast — spoke with the former Unilever CEO and fellow Purpose pioneer on the eve of the release of his new book, "Net Positive."
Survey: COVID-19 Is Intensifying Sustainability Challenges, But Not Derailing Corporate Action
2021 Sustainability Leaders Survey examines attitudes of nearly 700 experts from over 70 countries, reflecting on the pandemic’s implications for sustainable social and environmental development agendas — and who is perceived to be leading the charge.
When Purpose Becomes Personal: The Role of the Individual in Organisational Purpose
Cross-Posted from Organizational Change. There are many challenges to implementing corporate purpose effectively. One of the biggest is to sufficiently embed it, so it is owned by everyone. This is more challenging than embedding other corporate ideas, because purpose is personal.
Transform to Net Zero: What Collective Climate Action Looks Like, One Year On
Cross-Posted from Collaboration. In July 2020, Transform to Net Zero launched as a cross-sector initiative to accelerate the transition to a net-zero global economy, and inspire other global leaders to do the same. What does progress looks like one year on, and what happens next in the lead-up to COP 26?
Leading Brands Share Mix of Success Stories, Cautionary Tales at SB’21 Madrid
Cross-Posted from Walking the Talk. While showcasing brands leading the charge toward sustainability — including Interface and Tony’s Chocolonely — SB’21 Madrid gave equal weight to just how much work we have left to do: Only 13% of companies can accurately deem themselves “sustainable.”
US Demand for CSOs Grew 228% in 10 Years, But Diversity Remains a Challenge
The good news: According to a new report from the Weinreb Group, hiring of Chief Sustainability Officers surged in 2020 in the US, and women now account for 54% of CSO positions. The not-so-good news: The field remains overwhelmingly white.
Bridging the Missing Link in Purposeful Business: How Women Are Addressing Sustainability, Equality
Cross-Posted from From Purpose to Action: Building a Sustainable Future Together. Dow is committed to supporting women at every level of its business — so that, as doors open to the next generation of female leaders, so do new ideas for delivering sustainable solutions.
Sustainable Brands Pursues Broad-Based Business Transformation
Cross-Posted from Organizational Change. SB announces PMI as the first graduate of its Voyager program — established to support the transformation of brands that face significant challenges related to ESG performance and reputation.
8 Mental Models for Wise Leadership in a VUCA World
Wise leaders build agile, inclusive and sustainable businesses. But how can you do that in times of crisis? Here are 8 mental models for building inner resilience to take responsible and sustainable actions in VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) situations.
