What Do Sustainability Leaders Do?

Wayne Mayer

30 years: Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility Executive

In this video, Wayne discusses how Sustainability Leaders drive change by integrating environmental and social considerations into business practices. He covers key traits of effective leaders, such as adaptability, systems thinking, and the ability to lead without formal authority. Wayne also highlights the importance of entrepreneurial thinking in pushing boundaries, fostering innovation, and addressing complex sustainability challenges.

Sustainable Leadership

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What Do Sustainability Leaders Do?

9 mins 8 secs

Key learning objectives:

Understand how sustainability leaders drive change and engage people within an organization
Learn what behaviors and skills define effective sustainability leadership
Explore the role of entrepreneurial thinking and adaptability in sustainability leadership

Overview:

Sustainability Leadership involves guiding organizations to integrate environmental and social considerations into core business practices. Effective leaders in this space inspire change through purpose-driven actions, strong stakeholder engagement, and systems thinking. They focus on long-term solutions, challenging traditional practices to drive innovation and profitability. Key traits include adaptability, the ability to foster collaboration across departments, and an entrepreneurial spirit that encourages creative approaches to complex challenges.

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Summary

How do sustainability leaders drive organizational change?

Sustainability leaders engage colleagues across departments, fostering collaboration to address social and environmental challenges. They build trust and rapport, using influence rather than authority to guide the organization toward long-term sustainability goals. Leaders in this field take a systems-wide view, identifying opportunities to align the business with sustainable development, both within the organization and across its value chain.

What key behaviors define sustainability leadership?

Effective Sustainability leaders demonstrate adaptability, systems thinking, and curiosity. They don’t need formal authority to lead; instead, they build networks and cultivate a shared vision that moves people toward common sustainability goals. These leaders understand how to spot patterns and trends in external environments, using this knowledge to guide their organizations through transformation.

Why is entrepreneurial thinking vital in sustainability leadership?

Entrepreneurial thinking is essential for pushing boundaries and finding innovative solutions to sustainability problems. Leaders with this mindset inspire teams to challenge the status quo, seek out new opportunities, and explore unorthodox approaches to long-standing challenges. They engage stakeholders from various sectors and leverage strengths within the organization to address complex issues while maintaining a focus on long-term business growth.

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Wayne Mayer

Wayne Mayer, a Strategic Sustainability consultant and CEO of When Everything Matters, advises multinational companies and non-governmental organizations on various Sustainability and ESG issues. He helps companies transform business models into sustainable development partnerships, using Sustainability principles and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices to drive innovation, growth, and profits. With over 20 years of experience, Wayne has worked as a change agent focused on Environmental, Social, and Governance performance. He helps companies set science-based goals and leverage data and technology to measure, monitor, and communicate ESG risks, impacts, and opportunities.

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