OVERVIEW – LEADERSHIP
How can we convince more companies to signup for the sustainability journey? What if you are an internal sustainability champion without the position power to just make it happen? How can you lead change from the middle in a way that engages the C-suite of executives and board members? Help is at hand.
Leader vs Manager
We often use the terms “Leader” and “Manager” quite interchangeably. They have different characteristics. We do not need leading or managing – we need both. As explained in this paper, we need both in the same Manager-Leader.
The Sustainability Champion’s Guidebook
This book is about how to lead change when you don’t have much position power. In response to numerous requests from internal change agents in companies, Bob used his leadership, culture change, and organizational development expertise from his IBM career to distill lessons-learned about leading a cultural change from the middle. This book curates advice from hundreds of leadership gurus into the steps, practices and paradoxes used by successful change agents. It applies them to the sustainability journey and outlines derailers to avoid that can prevent the organizational change. See the book’s webpage for more information about the book and its companion free, open-source resources.
The Next Sustainability Wave
This book provides guidance on how to sell sustainability. The question that screamed in Bob’s head as he finished his first book was: “If the business case for sustainability strategies is this good, why isn’t every company using them?” To rigorously research the answer, he undertook a doctorate at the University of Toronto. His PhD thesis was this book. His research found that the biggest obstacle to executives embracing sustainability strategies is mindset. The book explains how to sell sustainability initiatives to skeptical business leaders: understand their needs and priorities, talk their language, gracefully handle their objections, and help them see how sustainability strategies can be good for business. See the book’s webpage for more information about the book.
Slides on leadership
Master – Leading Change: This is one of six Master Slide Decks available to subscribers. It contains on overview of the content of the above two books on leadership plus other supplementary slides about how to lead any kind of organizational or culture change, especially one that moves a company along its sustainability journey. The deck is updated quarterly.
