Seven lessons for leading sustainable change with executive leaders

Leading sustainable change is a critical skill for today’s executive leaders. These skill will you towards sustainable change.

Leading sustainable change is a critical skill for today’s executive leaders. Climate Change is a business problem, and if the world is to overcome the crisis, business leaders need to need to fundamentally change the products, services, and operations of the organisations they lead.

As agents of sustainable change, it is critical that we are effective in our leadership of the leaders of the businesses we seeking to impact.

Expectations of business in leading sustainable change

Digital transformation and changing social expectations are placing increasing pressure on the leaders of our businesses and corporations. The needs of customers and employees are shifting at a rapid rate, especially since the pandemic. Climate change continues to drive the need for business transformation. This is only continuing to accelerate, with no slowing down on the horizon.

The truth is that in this new world, nobody knows anything for certain.  If the world is overcome the crisis we face, the leaders of our corporations and institutions need support and guidance. They need help to navigate the journey into our collectively unfamiliar and uncertain future. As consultants and contractors working to deliver digital and sustainability change, we have an important role in leading the leaders of our organisations and institutions both public and private.

To this end, I share seven lessons about working with the leaders of organisations which I’ve collected throughout my career.

Lesson 1: Executive Leaders struggle with strategy

It’s easy to forget that the leaders of business today, are people. Both amazing and flawed at the same time. Getting out and above of the operations of our job takes focus and discipline. The more responsibility you hold, the greater the pressure to resolve problems of right here, right now.  The constant pressures of change means that managers are constantly dragged into firefighting due to stressed people and processes.

Much of this is due to the current state and hierarchy of the organisation, where authority for change is maintained at the top.  Therefore, issues both big and small, are unable to be resolved at the grass roots of the organisations.  Processes breakdown, safeguards fail.  The result is that Executive leaders keep getting sucked down into operational, internal, and political issues.

Leading sustainable change requires executive leaders to make the time that is needed to step back and think about the big picture. Even if they recognise their own leadership weaknesses in emerging fields of digital transformation, online customer engagement and sustainability, they tend not to have the time nor interest to go through the effort of learning the lessons and practices required by this new world order.

For those of us, who believe we can help, we must master our own communication, so that we may develop the personal and trusted relationships needed in overcome these challenges.

Lesson 2: Do not criticise

Diplomacy is key for anybody who seeks to drive fundament change in the way that an organisation operates. Those leaders, executives and managers who are at the top of the tree of our organisations, are no different from any persons under pressure in change. They need to feel safe, confident, and prepared before they will take the leap of faith.

Change is hard. Especially when the history is of a hugely successful money-making machine. The success of any business exists because of the work done by those in the past. Those in charge today, seek to grow and build on that, in the best way they can.  No leader wants to oversee the downfall of their organisation. 

Nothing destroys leading sustainable change like a dysfunctional team.

In seeking to drive change in an organisation, you must be very wary of pulling about the work for those past and present. Nobody likes to be criticised and most don’t like being told their work isn’t working. Few people respond to criticism with curiosity and reflection.

However, the truth of your current situation can cut deep. Especially when delivered by those who are seen as new or outsiders. As such pulling apart the work of leaders and executives without first being invited to do so, will go down like a lead balloon. No matter how justified the reasoning or authentic the message.

By far and away the most common response is to ‘shoot the messenger’. Once that happens, you have lost all ability to influence change the seek.  You are back to square one.

How the message of transformation is delivered is even more important than the message being delivered.

Lesson 3: Stay in scope of the problem you are there to solve

Business is a machine, a system of systems. For any machine to work, it requires all its parts do their part within the system. Like it or not, those people who work in the business, but play their role as directed by those who control the business.  That means staying in scope of the problem you are there to solve.

As a consultant or contractor, you are invited into an organisation to help solve a problem. In doing so, the business leaders expect you to do so within the scope of your duty. Sometimes this is explicit, sometimes not. But in any case, it means understanding your place in the organisation. If you are unclear, it’s worth taking the time to ask questions. The time you find out you have made a misstep, is when you are shown the door and by then it is all too late.

In general, most team leaders will not respond positively if you work outside of your scope, without first being invited. As an invaluable team member, you play your role. Your ability to raise and resolve these issues depends on the expectation and mindset of those who own the problem at the highest level.

If you point out issues that are outside the scope of the problem you are there to resolve, the response is very likely to be one of concern and mistrust. People get nervous, they lose confidence.  They see you as a problem creator, not a problem solver. Again, the outcome is you are shown the door, often without explanation or reasons.  Just a polite, ‘thanks, but no thanks.’ The result is you lose and nothing changes.

In digital transformation and sustainability, those who can deliver effective solutions and stay in scope are rare. If you can do this, it’s almost assured, you will be invited to solve other problems, including those that may have deeper root causes in the business.

Over time, and with mastery over both the technical and people aspects, you can develop the trusted relationships and domain understanding that is needed to resolve the deepest root causes of the problems of transformation and sustainability. Problems that almost always come down to people, perspective, and purpose.

Lesson 4: Leading sustainable change is a journey

In life, we can choose our friends, but we don’t get to choose our family members, and we don’t get to choose the people we work with. This is particularly the case in large organisations and institutions. As consultants and contractors, we are brought into organisations to work with a team and develop a solution for a particular problem. 

The problem you are there to solve exists for a reason. An outcome of the current state. Inevitably the root causes of the issues that exist are people issues and often, leadership issues.  People are who they are.  They have their own history, background, training, perspective, and purpose. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses both as individuals and teams.

The shift from where we are now, to where we want to be is a journey. Often, the journey that is needed is confronting for people. Concern, resistance and for many, fear is inevitable. This is the journey of transformation, and it’s the foundation of all work of people who solves problems in organisations.

Quite often the successful navigation of the journey of the transformation requires a significant shift in mindset. Many business leaders need to unlearn what they know, because the context of the world the operate has changed. This can be done, but the process can be frustratingly slow. Patience is critical as is being supportive, empathetic, sympathetic, helpful, and non-judgemental.

Self-mastery of your emotions is critical if you are going to be the guide who makes people feel safe and comfortable. Acting with impatience, demands, and criticism will not go done well. Very few people can see through such behaviour not matter how authentic and honest the intention.

Lesson 5: Build a coalition of support

Any organisation, be it a small business, multinational corporation or government institution works because everyone within works together. Every person has a role and plays their role.

People react to change in different ways to sustainable change. Disagreement and tension is inevitable and essential in digital transformation and sustainability initiatives. However, without clear leadership and a focus on collaboration, organisational culture can become toxic. Decision don’t get made which leads to project failure, leading to people playing the blame game. Mistrust grows which in turn increases the likelihood of project failure the next time around. In this way, the journey of transformation can very quickly become a fall into chaos.

Leading sustainable change requires everyone in the organisation to move together. The organisation needs to walk the journey of transformation together. For those of us with an interest or responsibility for driving change within an organisation, it is critically important that we bring together and align with likeminded collaborators. This means building a coalition of the willing around the change they seek to make in the world.

Take the time to identify and build relationship with those people who people who share your vision and hold authority over decisions about where the organisation is heading. The more people who you can bring into this space, the more likely you are to be able to enact and drive the change that is necessary. 

Building momentum for change in organisations requires building a coalition of people who can lead along the journey. This begins with defining the flag on hill for change, setting the direction who plan to head, and then build a team of supporters willing to walk the journey with you. Gaining consensus at the senior leadership level can often be a challenge, particularly when there are when people are driving at conflicting mindsets strategic outcomes. A clear and aligned vision is critical.

Lesson 6: Create a sense of urgency.

The world of digital transformation and sustainability requires us to change, and quickly. Yet, those at the top of the tree of our organisations, have a strong motivation to maintain the status quo. If for nothing else, the status quo is the source of high status and high pay for those who hold these privileged positions. For those of us leading sustainable change, our ability to create a sense of urgency for change, in a way that is not threatening or arouse fear, is critical for our success.

Senior leaders in organisations are constantly dealing with fires created from the changing needs of customers, employees, regulations and more. Changing customer expectations, different new digital competitors coming up, the changing expectations of employees where they want more flexibility in their lives. These are the things that are necessary to drive change. It is only with a sense of urgency that your work will gain the attention needed by decision makers.

Without urgency, change is always a problem for tomorrow, which is a day that never comes. As time passes, the pressure for change builds until a point of total collapse, and then urgency is created by chaos. When this happens, everything is urgent, everything a priority. Leaders are drawn into these operations issues. It takes a huge amount of discipline to remain strategic when chaos is unleashed. Very few leaders in business, have such capability.

Push too hard, and you will make people with authority feel too uncomfortable, and you will be pushed out the door. Sit back and wait and the changes necessary will never rise to the top of the strategy. Creating urgency means striking a balance of being uncomfortable about where we are now, while also feeling confident about stepping out on the journey of transformation. Maintain a healthy tension between the current state and future state, which creates an urgency to make change is – at least for me – by far the most difficult part of driving change in an organisation.

Lesson 7: Choose your battles wisely

There are reasons why the world is the way it is. Depending on your mindset and perspective these reasons may be good or bad, justified or not. The hard truth is that we rarely, if ever have the authority or ability to make the big changes we might desire.

It takes a highly self-aware, disciplined, and conscious leader to successful drive digital transformation and sustainability in organisations. Executives are people, are like you and me, they have limits to their knowledge, experience, or mindset. They will see problems in their own way and priority, which may or may not agree with your view of the world.

In digital transformation and sustainability, the problems are everywhere. The bigger the problem, the more likely the root causes pertain to the senior leadership itself. Leading sustainable change in a way that also meets the requirement of the other lessons means we must choose our battles. We can’t all change the world in every way we may wish. The workplace is not ours to command. Not every battle can be won, and not every fight is worth fighting.

Very few of us have both the resources and authority to enact the big changes we would like to see in the world. Instead, we must choose our battles wisely. We must have the patience and ethical awareness to know when to turn away, and when to stand.

Success has many fathers, failure is an orphan. Winning small battles and staying in the game, is using better than loosing big ones. With each change successfully delivered, you gain a little more trust and authority within the organisation. Over time, your reputation will grow and opportunities to take up bigger battles will tend to come your way.

A roadmap for leading sustainable change

The Climate Change Crisis demands that organisations both private and public, must change the way they work. For those of us with a desire to be the change they want to see, we need to get more involved, and be part of the game of organisational change.

We need to step up and help those who are leading sustainable change in our companies, organisations and institutions. For this end, a clear and meaning sustainability strategy and roadmap is critical to success. It is through the roadmap, that leaders can provide the touch point in how everyone in the business is contributing towards reducing the social and environmental impact of the business you work. It’s the pathway that ensures that as we navigate through uncertainty and change, we end up building businesses that help us overcome the social and environmental crisis we face.

Picture of Carl from AGContext

Carl from AGContext

Carl is a seasoned leader in business analysis and digital transformation. With over two decades of expertise and advanced certifications, he drives value creation that balances profit, people, and the planet. Anchored by a lifelong commitment to addressing the climate crisis, Carl empowers leaders to champion purpose-driven digital transformation, fostering stronger communities, nurturing sustainability, and building a thriving future for all generations.

Carl from AGContext

Carl is a seasoned leader in business analysis and digital transformation. With over two decades of expertise and advanced certifications, he drives value creation that balances profit, people, and the planet. Anchored by a lifelong commitment to addressing the climate crisis, Carl empowers leaders to champion purpose-driven digital transformation, fostering stronger communities, nurturing sustainability, and building a thriving future for all generations.
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