Introduction
Today, companies demonstrate different approaches to promote their success and organize their work in the ways most profitable for them. Companies hire experts who are able to introduce effective policies and strategies that can be employed to promote a more sustainable future. In other words, many modern organizations are interested in the idea of sustainable development—especially how sustainability is connected with leadership in order to create sustainable leaders who can promote a successful and safe future for their companies.
Sustainability is a complex concept that aims at defining the needs of the present and combining them with those of the future (Blackburn, 2012). In fact, sustainability has a number of meanings offered by different people (Crews, 2010). Regarding the attitudes of people to sustainability, the issues it entails, and the impact it has on the work of organizations and particular people, all these varied meanings are acceptable in their own ways.
Sustainability is the capacity to combine improvement with human goals and values. It helps people understand what can be better for a company without harming the environment in which the company operates. Sustainable development is a form of insurance for future generations, meaning that people who take the ideas of sustainable development into consideration understand their opportunities and try to predict what they can do to contribute to a safer future.
Therefore, the relationship between leadership and sustainable society is an integral topic for discussion because poor leadership or the absence of sustainability could result in the degradation of numerous cultural and social dimensions. It is not enough to study just the technical aspects of sustainable development; it is also important to clarify what leaders could do to promote sustainability.
Sustainable development and leadership are two integral issues in society because they help stakeholders understand the needs of people and organizations, identify available resources, and take steps to promote the development and improve the current situation in order to achieve a safer future. Regardless of the possible challenges and difficulties, sustainable leadership cannot be ignored and should be promoted at all organizational levels.
Definitions
Definitions play an important role in understanding any concept, especially one as complex as sustainable development. The process of analyzing sustainable development raises a number of questions and concerns because people must understand what the concept of sustainability could mean, what the content of this concept could be, and what aspects should be covered (Ciegis, Ramanauskiene, & Martinkus, 2015).
In many organizations, sustainability is closely connected to the idea of successful management and leadership. Therefore, it is first important to understand the meaning and worth of leadership and then to clarify the connection between leadership and sustainability.
Leadership is the process of organizing people into groups in order to achieve a common goal (Slimane, 2012). It is also a process that promotes changes and the creation of systems within the frames of which people accomplish certain needs (Rowe & Guerrero, 2011). People cannot live and work without making changes from time to time, and they need some change to stay motivated and to understand that their work has a number of positive outcomes.
Finally, changes demonstrate the results of the work that people do. When changes are evident, people recognize and feel that their actions and decisions are effective and worthwhile. In both definitions, people are connected to a number of goals and needs, which demonstrates that a clearly identified goal and change are two key issues in leadership. According to Thiele (2013), the creation of a sustainable society is in fact the creation and promotion of change. Faruk and Hoffmann (2012) also argue that the subject of leadership is closely connected with achieving sustainable business practices. In this way, sustainability can be viewed as the center of leadership.
Sustainability is the process of managing different activities in order to identify and mitigate financial, social, and environmental risks considering obligations and opportunities (Crews, 2010). In his perspective, Thiele (2013) combines the concepts of sustainability and time, regarding sustainability as the possibility to live and work in the present in order to conserve personal opinions and use past experiences in the future.
Sustainability exists in many different dimensions including human, economic, environmental, and technological. All of them have certain challenges and benefits for different organizations and people who take different positions. Leaders are a group of people who take responsibility for a number of changes, performances, and other details of the work of many people in the same organization. Therefore, leaders have to be sustainable.
Sustainable leaders are those who choose to live their professional lives in such a way that they promote the development of a safe environment, support the improvement of global economies, and influence the understanding of social worth (Ferdig, 2007). Sustainable leaders should identify social, human, and cultural dimensions that influence human and organizational lives in the most unpredictable ways.
Sustainability Management
Taking into consideration the definitions of leadership and sustainable development, the idea of sustainable management cannot be neglected. Sustainable management should be properly identified and organized to prove that sustainable practices minimize costs and risks. Its success depends on how successfully the concepts of sustainability and management are synthesized. Regarding a number of ideas that could be applied to promote development and success, the concept of sustainability is not new (McElroy & Engelen, 2012).
The world of business exists in three different dimensions (i.e., financial, social, and environmental) that have to be managed in order to clarify the risks, obligations, and opportunities and create a safe future. Sustainability also touches upon three main elements: people, profits, and the planet (Gupta & Kumar, 2013). It is important to improve the performance of every activity to make sure that all elements are successfully integrated using available resources and opportunities without any harm to nature. Managers should understand how to reflect on their impact and perform the functions that create profit.
Sustainable management promotes sustainable development (Ciegis, Ramanauskiene, & Martinkus, 2015). The effectiveness of this process depends on whether a company can capture all available opportunities and create the required differentiation that could be applied to future success (Gupta & Kumar, 2013). Each sphere of business requires that managers and leaders identify needs and opportunities, though there are some requirements that are similar across the majority of spheres.
For example, the needs of consumers and other stakeholders have to be understood and fulfilled. The majority of customers realize how crucial their roles are for many organizations and try to encourage sustainable development. Managers must consider the most effective ways of organizing this kind of cooperation in order to minimize the risk to the environment and create appropriate working conditions for employees.
In addition to customer needs, sustainability focuses on such factors as marketing techniques and the exchange of information. Sustainability does not exist in a vacuum, and communication and experience make significant contributions to the world of business. Today, many companies develop their businesses in different countries and share their experiences using existing Internet technologies. Finally, sustainability as the result of changes made by an organization is closely connected to the idea of motivation (Faruk & Hoffmann, 2012).
Sustainability makes people think about the goodness of their actions, and they are motivated by the idea that their present activities will lead to future improvements. As soon as people comprehend the essence of sustainability and its outcomes, they have to conclude that its success depends on a properly chosen leader who can identify and explain the techniques that are most appropriate for a particular organization.
Leadership
Good leaders have to understand their duties, responsibilities, and effects on different people and organizations in order to make sure that sustainability works effectively in their own organizations (Rowe & Guerrero, 2011). A sustainable business model can be achieved when leaders identify the possibilities of their companies and explain the activities that should be taken by their employees.
At the same time, sustainable leaders should understand that beyond organizing, controlling, and explaining, they must also set clear objectives and choose strategies to help guide people. Moreover, sustainable leaders have to help their employees work in accordance with a plan that presupposes the possibilities of challenges, risks, and threats and explains the methods that could be used to overcome those problems (Rowe & Guerrero, 2011).
Therefore, it is wrong for leaders to spend time identifying specific spheres to be involved in. Instead, they should prioritize such activities as the identification, analysis, and engagement of the needs of customers and employees, the comparison of interests, and the evaluation of opportunities (Gupta & Kumar, 2013).
In addition to such crucial factors as the identification of needs and interests, leadership deals with consciousness among people and their personal evaluations of the environment and people who are involved in the activities of the company. Leaders should realize that they can do something in order to improve their lives and their business (Ferdig, 2007). In other words, leadership is not about giving orders and observing the results, but rather about people and analyzing what can and should be done.
In case some prejudices or misunderstandings take place, the quality of leadership could be doubtful because the methods and suggestions could question the personality of a leader. Therefore, leaders have to understand how huge their responsibility actually is: they have to think about companies, employees, and customers and also take into consideration personal attitudes and norms.
Sustainability and Leadership
The implementation of sustainability challenges leaders in a variety of ways and makes them consider cultural changes, holistic thinking, and organizational learning. Each challenge proves that sustainable leadership is not an easy task to complete. Organizational changes and improvements have to be constant and comprehensive. Companies should implement sustainability as a chance to influence employees’ morale and productivity (Crews, 2010).
To promote such influence, leaders should have enough information about the company’s and the employees’ values, vision, mission, codes, and commitments and create enough information on these issues. Indeed, successful sustainable leadership presupposes the creation of an organizational culture that can be used to develop a sustainable future. Still, it is not the only requirement that should be met.
Crews (2010) argues that holistic thinking is a chance to gather data and conduct analyses in order to comprehend a situation, develop a strategy, and lead (meaning to direct and inspire) team members toward a shared vision of the future. These requirements require leaders to be involved in a variety of essential activities across a great number of working aspects. In other words, the holistic thinking of leaders is another key to sustainability in business.
Once a holistic thinking approach is implicated, people should learn how to accept the proposed organizational change. Organizational learning can help support a sustainability initiative as well as establish an appropriate learning culture. The implementation of learning processes should involve leaders and employees at the same time. On the one hand, leaders have to improve their knowledge about how to identify and meet the needs of their employees and customers and how to organize sustainable development. On the other hand, employees have to understand what to expect from their leaders, how to follow their orders, and what kind of work they have to complete.
Therefore, sustainable leadership can be achieved by properly implementing organizational learning activities and establishing a conceptual understanding of the initiatives that occur at different levels of an organization (Crews, 2010).
Finally, when leaders and employees understand the value of organizational learning and its role as an important part of sustainable development, people should think about their own personal commitment to what is being done. Personal sustainability is an important issue that can help organizations choose the strategies that are most appropriate for people and do the least harm to the environment. Sustainability provides a chance for people to compare their actual abilities with their desired ones and to analyze their actual knowledge in regards to a certain environment (Thiele, 2013). Sustainable development is not an easy task even for leaders with good skills and powerful approaches.
Impact of Sustainability
Sustainability influences the consciousness of people who decide to get involved in leading organizations, promoting success, and creating environmental and social safety. People have to understand that sustainability is not a challenge but an opportunity to improve their lives. Nowadays, many people are interested in developing business and making a profit while also protecting the environment from the damage and change that results from human activity (Thiele, 2013).
At the same time, many organizations focus their attention and all activities on achieving financial progress and neglect their effect on the environment. Sustainable development is currently highly appreciated in developed countries; however, many developing countries continue to use approaches that are only partially sustainable—or not sustainable at all—in social, financial, and environmental terms. As a rule, many companies and organizations want to gain financial benefits and profits in a short period of time, even if their activities are harmful to the environment.
The impact of sustainability can also be observed in the activities that are chosen by people. For example, if people agree with the idea of sustainable development, they accept the necessity to promote creative innovation and cost-effective ways to develop new products and services (Slimane, 2012). Sustainability requires a combination of collectivism and individualism. On the one hand, leaders have to underline the goals and methods that should be used in a company by relying on personal skills and evaluations. On the other hand, leaders also have to understand how to involve as many employees as possible to make these sustainable development methods work.
An effective leader should deliver the vision of the company to every employee and rely on emotional persuasion (Faruk & Hoffmann, 2012). Motivation and explanation should also be considered by leaders because the importance of sustainability may not be clear to all members of a team (Slimane, 2012). In order to achieve sustainability, people must first understand what it is, what methods are expected, and what actions could be taken.
At the same time, people cannot become sustainable leaders just because they know what sustainability is and how it can be achieved. Sustainable leaders are the people who can effectively develop a sustainable plan and use a combination of actions and thoughts offered by different employees and customers. Ultimately, sustainability bridges what should be done and what can be done by means of changes made by employees who are inspired and motivated by their leaders.
Conclusion
One of the main opportunities for sustainability is the possibility to provide people with meaning at work. Many people work just because they need to earn money and feed their families. However, if leaders support the idea of sustainable development, they can help their employees comprehend that their actions and achievements have a number of crucial outcomes. Leaders have to be sustainable to achieve success and prosperity as well. As soon as a leader has defined themselves as sustainable, a number of actions are expected to be taken to meet financial, environmental, and social needs. Though sustainable leadership takes many forms, it has the ultimate goal of promoting success and quality both now and in the future.
The evaluation of past research and the exploration of the thoughts of different people demonstrate that sustainability is present in all spheres of life. Its effectiveness depends on the qualities of leaders who are chosen by people. If leaders are ready to work hard, cooperate with employees, and take the opinions of consumers and other stakeholders into consideration, the key outcomes of sustainable development can be achieved.
As a rule, people with different needs, interests, and abilities have to work at the same organizations. Sustainable leaders should gather all their differences, analyze their skills and potential, and develop a strategy that helps achieve success by avoiding risks and challenges. Sustainability and leadership are two closely connected concepts, and their combination is the key to success for many companies that strive to improve the world and meet the needs of people. People have many chances to cope with the difficulties they could face when they strive for development, and sustainability is the chance that cannot be ignored.
References
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