Lead sustainably despite the rules, challenges Sara Parkin

Forum's Founder Director encourages leaders to inspire change against the odds

An overwhelming 96% of UN Global Compact company chief executives believe sustainability should be integrated into strategies and operations, according to the latest survey.

But nearly half of this ostensibly committed group says the complexity of putting it into practice is the biggest barrier to actually doing it. More immediate pressures from turbulent markets make it hard for them to behave, day to day, as if they were managing their businesses for the long term.

When one senior executive complained after a course that she "still didn't know what to do differently on Monday", I could only agree with growing criticism of leadership training in general, and MBAs in particular.

It doesn't help that there are precious few reinforcing mechanisms for anyone who does put sustainability first, with the rules of the game for business, governance and life in general perversely stacked against sustainability outcomes. My new book, The Positive Deviant: Sustainability leadership in a perverse world, addresses these widely echoed laments. It shows you how to recognise unsustainable development, and sets you off on a journey to become the sort of leader who can create the change we need.

The title reflects the sad fact that, for now, the only practical strategy is to do the right thing for sustainability despite the obstacles. This is what positive deviants do. They work around perverse policies and rules, bringing others along with them. And they are out there. Forum scholars have even identified a few at work in their placement organisations!

Sara Parkin is Founder Director, Forum for the Future.

Image credit: lisegagne / istock