Think about a leader as someone who exercises the role of inspiring other individuals by demonstrating alignment to a cause, idea or belief. Leadership has never been easy to define, although your own definition of leadership is easily recognizable when you see it. You recognize it because it touches you, inspires you and eventually moves you.
Leadership has many faces. Consider the Eastern and Western cultures and their differences in how leadership is viewed and exercised. Looking at the faces of leadership around the world it is clear that the external representation of this fundamental role depends on cultural and personal beliefs and that is why different people identify leadership in different situations and people.
So, if leadership can be perceived so differently why are some leaders recognized nationally or globally? I would suggest these leaders understand the collective needs of others and have a greater capacity for understanding themselves. It might be that those leaders are more than role models for action and that they are a role model for how to live.
The ability to inspire people is a virtue that can be used at different levels and for many different directions. While human beings can be persuaded, and also manipulated, by the ability of inspire, lasting inspiration differs from sparking passion: inspiration is stronger when you perceive in the leader the alignment he or she has with the beliefs he or she is holding. Therefore, I propose that a sustainability leader is someone who perceives and exercises the role of inspiring other individuals by living and actions according to their beliefs.
The concept of sustainability during the 21st century has gained not only nationally but globally. More and more pertinent information is being published and discussed. More conferences continue to evolve. We have also witnessed a significant increase in businesses adopting sustainable practices. We have seen a dramatic awareness around sustainable business practices. So, as we hear and learn more about sustainable practices for organizations there is a void and need to grow and develop future sustainability leaders. Sustainability has gained great momentum during the 21st century with global scale discourse and publications, as well as conferences geared towards sustainable business practices. This growth has accentuated the void, and need to develop future sustainability leaders.
Businesses have really streamlined operations during the current recession and leaders are reorganizing as a cost savings measure. Sustainability leadership is no longer flying under the banner of not-for-profits but is catching up with the business world. Proactive sustainability initiatives are truly a competitive advantage and a manner by which to continually improve the overall performance of an organization.
