ABOUT ARVIND
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Good leaders are committed to: 1. formally and informally expressing sincere gratitude and appreciation to colleagues and subordinates for work well done 2. open and transparent communication 3. easy and accessible communication (for example, user-friendly technology and data systems) 4. encouraging input—including criticism and critical perspectives—through active listening, consultation, and being consistently inclusive 5. improving information-sharing and information systems with relevant stakeholders
The Sustainability Commitments of a Good Leader
Because leaders in unique positions to provide visionary leadership that is responsible, sustainable, and innovative.
A sustainable leader is someone who inspires and supports action towards a better world
Human Sustainability
To be successful, we need to look deeper at the people-oriented, human sustainability
commitments that are linked with good leadership. Obviously, it is diffi cult to sustain the
work of an organization if there is low morale, rapid turnover and transience, or if there are
entrenched negative attitudes or behaviours that aff ect productivity and success. Th is is why we
assert that good leaders’ sustainability commitments must be more than environmental. Th ey
must address the very essence and nature of the workplace itself. As we have noted before, good
leaders set a tone by their words and actions—they are role models and they chart the path for
others. However, it is not enough simply to model the behaviours one wants to see in others.
Good leaders take steps regularly to ensure high job satisfaction as well as high productivity and
engagement in the workforce.
Sustainability Commitment #1: Employee Job Satisfaction
Job satisfaction is positively associated with a high level of commitment on the part of the
employee toward the organization. Researchers have noted that highly committed workers have
a strong belief in, and acceptance of, the organization’s goals and values. Th ey personally identify
with the organization. Th ey have a willingness to exert a considerable eff ort on the part of the
organization, and they have a strong intent or desire to remain with the organization. Th ey
are loyal.195 When commitment fl ows from the worker to the organization, the organization
benefi ts. But what does the organization need to do to create a working experience that produces
this level of loyalty and commitment? Some things are obvious, like appropriate compensation,
benefits and advancement opportunities.
Responsible leadership includes proactive and inclusive engagement with stakeholders, and the promotion of dialogue that will help guide ethically sound decision-making.
In summary, good leaders are committed to human sustainability. Th ey work regularly to
ensure the workplace is grounded in dignity and respect, and they encourage employee wellness,
learning and growth. Th ey are concerned about employee job satisfaction, and foster employee
commitment through a variety of strategies, including the provision of training, professional
development, and opportunities for growth and advancement. Th ey think ahead and plan for
transition and change with eff ective succession planning. Taking the broader view, they ensure
that stakeholder relationships are positive, within and outside the organization, creating healthy
networks of relationships that can be used to achieve common goals and objectives. Th ey take
the long view, with a commitment to building a healthy future for current stakeholders and
future generations.
Operational Sustainability
Operational sustainability is also important for good leaders. Here you see the practices and
values that people most oft en associate with the idea of sustainability. Th is includes social and
environmental responsibility, and the commitment to make decisions in ways that support
the common good. It also requires commitments to key practices within the organization to
ensure these larger goals are met. Th ese include the commitment to considering and reviewing
suggestions for innovation and change. It involves a commitment to a system of continuous
improvement, because good leaders value excellence and quality in services and products.
Continuous improvement is supported by commitments to ongoing assessment and evaluation,
cross-comparison assessments, and a desire to determine and implement best practices. It also
includes a commitment to be future-focused, with strong fi scal responsibility.
Sustainability Commitments #6 & 7: Continuous Improvement
Through Monitoring, Assessment, and Evaluation
We have already discussed the importance of building in mechanisms for ongoing evaluation
and review, to ensure that programs are delivering what they are designed to accomplish.
Operational sustainability commitments include a commitment to monitoring programs and
activities. Is the program on track to meet its expected outcomes? Th is involves knowing
where the program started (identifying a baseline), having a sense of comparison with what
other similar programs achieve (positing benchmarks), and having a clear sense of what is to be
achieved (identifying targets).205
Cross-comparison analysis also enables the leader to compare similar programs from diff erent
jurisdictions, to help determine how well their own program is faring in comparison with
others. How are these cross-comparisons helpful? Even if a government program or initiative
appears to be effi cient or eff ective, sometimes examining an alternative way of accomplishing
the ultimate objective will reveal a better way. Good leaders are always open to new and better
ways to increase effi ciency, eff ectiveness, and overall program success.
Th e commitment to continuous improvement will compel the good leader to ensure that
mechanisms are in place to conduct this sort of ongoing evaluation, with the willingness to
consider new or diff erent approaches if change is needed.
Good leaders know that sometimes it helps to depart from the tried-and-true paths. Part of
being a visionary leader is to imagine a desired future state and how to get there; however,
doing that without creativity and innovation can be extremely diffi cult. While we support the
commitment to evidence-based practice and data-driven decision making, we also recognize
that there are times when it helps to adopt a curiosity-driven, exploratory, and more imaginative
approach to problem-solving.
It means striving for a better way, and it involves the willingness to explore multiple possibilities.
Ambiguity then becomes an advantage, not a problem. It allows us to ask, “What if?”207
Operational sustainability then means committing oneself to using an evidence-based approach
to assess and evaluate processes and programs, while also embracing creativity and innovation
as a way of bringing about growth and improvement. Good leaders balance traditional business
thinking (with its emphasis on evidence, evaluation and assessment) with innovation thinking,
which encourages collaboration, team thinking, and exploration of “outside-the-box” ideas.
Sustainable organizations need an appropriate balance of both to ensure they can meet and
surmount challenges or unexpected threats. Furthermore, a culture of innovation allows ideas
to grow and fl ourish, adds value, and helps the organization meet its targets.208 Good leaders
foster creativity, but also have the skill to determine which ideas to support and to develop the
appropriate mechanisms to ensure the execution of a new idea will be successful. For many
leaders, this means developing their ability to release the intelligence, creativity and initiative
of people throughout the organization, and then to integrate new initiatives toward an agreed
vision of the future and solving whatever problems are encountered along the way.209
Sustainability Commitment #9: Consultation and the
Corporate “Brand”
Leadership requires an ongoing commitment to evaluation, to assess how well the organization
is doing to meet its goals and targets, and how well the organization is supporting internal,
healthy workplace practices while also thinking about its public face. Every organization or
business needs to think about its image or its “brand.” Th e same commitment to evaluation
that causes good leaders to use data and other evidence to assess eff ectiveness will inspire the
leader to think about the public’s perception and opinion of the organization, and what might
be needed to address any defi cits. Th e communication commitment to public engagement
and consultation can work well with this commitment to strengthening the corporate brand or
image. When government organizations engage in meaningful stakeholder engagement and
consultation, it not only strengthens the image or brand, but it can also stimulate an increased
sense of pride and respect for the organization in the eyes of the employees. It must be noted,
though, that consultation must be sincere and meaningful, motivated by a genuine desire to
increase understanding and be inclusive. It must not be ritualistic.
Seven Principles of Sustainable Leadership
1. Sustainable leadership creates and preserves learning that will be ongoing and sustaining.
2. Sustainable leadership secures success over time, achieved through succession planning
and succession management.
3. Sustainable leadership sustains the leadership of others, through distributing leadership
opportunities and grooming successors.
4. Sustainable leadership addresses issues of social justice; it recognizes that one’s own
actions have an eff ect on the wider environment.
5. Sustainable leadership develops rather than depletes human and material resources. It is
thrift y without being cheap; it carefully manages resources while taking care of people
and helping them to take care of themselves.
6. Sustainable leadership develops environmental diversity and capacity. Promoters
of sustainability cultivate a working environment that has the capacity to stimulate
continuous improvement on a broad front. Th ey enable people to adapt to and prosper in
their increasingly complex environment by learning from one another’s diverse practices.
7. Sustainable leadership undertakes activist engagement with the environment. Th is may
mean intensive engagement with stakeholders, creating strategic alliances and forging the
connections necessary to make the changes that are needed to protect our environmental
futures.