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可持续的MBA

The Qualities of a Sustainable Leader

A pioneer in the leadership studies field once said, "Leaders are people who are able to express themselves fully."

Fully expressing oneself requires having something to express. Perhaps the most pressing idea facing business leaders today is making the case for sustainability and successfully running a sustainable company. Businesses face a future of fewer and more expensive resources. Pressure from stakeholders on Main Street, Wall Street and K Street will shape how a company conducts its affairs and is publicly perceived.

当然,当人们肝p the magnitude and speed of change needed to address the environmental, social and economic issues that we face, there is a growing need for leaders who take us "far, fast" -- as Al Gore recently said in a speech.

Taking organizations "far, fast" requires a new breed of individuals who have the know-how, the capacity and the courage to drive broad-based sustainability initiatives that enhance performance and adds value to the bottom line. This type of leadership will be critical for companies that want to adopt effective and competitive sustainability strategies.

What it Takes to Be a Sustainability Leader

Management teams tasked with steering organizations in this new direction need to be able to navigate unpredictable challenges and understand how to turn them into opportunities. Leaders with sustainability know-how learn and adapt quickly, commit people and resources confidently and inspire others. In return, they find themselves heading companies that are innovative, able to attract and retain talented employees and rewarded with increased shareholder value and other financial benefits.

Ray Anderson, founder and chairman of Interface Inc., exemplifies this type of leader. Anderson had a "spear in the chest" epiphany 14 years ago. Since then, he has turned his carpet manufacturing business into one of the country's leading sustainable businesses. He helped Interface significantly increase profits (stock prices have increased 550 percent in the last five years) and his efforts led the carpet industry to change its practices. Today, Interface holds significant market share and is halfway to realizing its goals of using zero non-renewable resources and producing zero waste and carbon emissions by 2020.

如何成为成功的可持续发展领导者?竞彩足球app怎么下载首先,通过获得实用技能和专业知识。最好的和最聪明的熟练:
  • Using the principles and frameworks of sustainable management to help orient, make sense of and guide business strategy;
  • 能够为可持续发展做出业务案例,并建立重新设计商业模式,产品和服务的标准;竞彩足球app怎么下载
  • 学习如何应用新兴管理工具,如“集成底线”,利益相关方分析和参与,生命周期分析,全面成本核算和可持续发展报告。竞彩足球app怎么下载
Business leaders can learn these skills by working in the trenches year after year. Another increasingly popular option is to accelerate learning by attending one of the country's sustainability-focused executive or MBA programs. The best of these programs are taught by recognized experts who not only share their knowledge, but also their experience in helping professionals develop these competencies to navigate the social, environmental and economic complexities of our time.

More than Skills, it Takes Courage
While skills and sustainability know-how are prerequisites, the ability to create a business case for sustainability requires the ability to tie those skills to less tangible ones, including being able to inspire and develop others and ensure a company's culture, systems and strategy are aligned.

The capacity to pay attention to intangibles and act in uncertain times requires courage. Courage is a virtue that few companies or business schools discuss. Yet, courage should be a central thread in sustainable business education. It can be taught by developing the attributes of a pragmatic learner, a good communicator and an effective collaborator.

采用学习者的立场有助于领导人询问并采取按照持续的方式迫使可持续性等挑战。竞彩足球app怎么下载询问纪律的经验思考 - 帮助领导者从错误中迅速了解,并重新绘制了一个以本组织的目标和价值观为基础的新课程。

A competent collaborator facilitates change, aligns expectations and drives solutions that satisfy all stakeholders. Involving stakeholders in the process of listening, learning and building shared commitments is at the heart of effective leadership.

通过“完全表达自己”,通过能力,能力和勇气,商业领袖可以说服他们的股东,监管机构,客户,员工和供应商,可持续性对商业和社会有益。竞彩足球app怎么下载这些领导人可以帮助我们“远远快”。

Nicola Acutt, Ph.D., is Director of Curriculum and faculty member atPresidio School of Management. Nicola has worked as a consultant to the South African government on natural resource policy and coastal management as well as the London-based Business Partners for Development.

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