The essential sustainability leadership skills we never talk about
It’s well accepted that a sustainability leader needs to be resilient to withstand the challenges of their role. But the concept of resilience has been twisted beyond it’s original meaning. It’s become a shorthand for coping with stressful events without drama. And we’re not talking about the deeper skills of self-awareness and self-regulation that lead to true resilience and give us the ability to make the potential impact we’re capable of.
If you open up any sustainability leadership book, or search for a list of essential skills for sustainability leaders, you’ll always see resilience included. And with good reason. This work is tough. You’re constantly treading the line between commercial and environmental priorities. You’re navigating uncertainty, ambiguity, complexity, and an ever shifting external context. The technical skills and knowledge you need to keep up with can feel never ending. And, the values which brought you to this work are likely to be trampled on every day.
So, we can all agree, being resilient is important. But out there in the real world, I see the concept of resilience getting twisted, far beyond it’s originally intended meaning. In modern corporate environments, being resilient has become a shorthand for being stoic, for ‘grinning and bearing’, and for coping with stressful events without drama. And what this often translates to, is a surface level resilience. A state in which we ignore, numb, or downplay our physical response to stressful situations. A state in which we stay quiet, tell ourselves (and others) that everything’s fine, and drown ourselves in more work, more alcohol, or other unhealthy behaviours.
High performers spend lifetimes climbing the corporate ladder becoming more and more skilled at this. It’s become a normal and accepted way of ‘getting on’ in the workplace. But what’s actually happening is that you’re overriding your body’s natural stress signals. And this actually causes far more harm than good over the long term, both for yourself, your team, and for the impact you’re trying to make in this world.
If you’re a regular reader of my content, you’ll know that this happened to me too. I burned out in my corporate sustainability job. I was great at pushing through stress, coping and “being resilient”, until one day I wasn’t.
I also don’t believe we talk about this often enough in our sustainability ‘bubble’. With the exception of the fantastic work being done at the Inner Development Goals very few people are really addressing how sustainability leaders can become truly resilient for the long term. And to do this, we need to talk about the inner work of self-awareness and self-regulation that underpin all the other skills required of a sustainability leader.
We are all unique. We all bring our unique backstory, experiences and values to our work. Our past shapes us, and it shapes how we show up in the workplace, and under pressure. Your task as a leader is to cultivate deep-self awareness, and get to know the unique patterns and behaviours that come into play when times get tough. Maybe you start to micromanage, maybe you blame others, or yourself, or maybe you switch into people pleasing mode, trying to control every last detail. Once you’ve understood this, you can start to notice when it’s happening in the moment, and begin to intervene with more helpful responses.
Whilst of course professional support can help with this journey of self-understanding, there are simpler ways you can gain insight. Journaling can help. Consider a daily practice of reflection at the end of each day to notice what you found tough, how you responded and to be curious about where that came from. Over time you can look for patterns, and spot moments where you interrupted and stopped letting your nervous system run the show.
Self-regulation is also a vital part of any successful leaders’ toolkit. And remember, by this I don’t mean bottling up your responses, holding back, or distracting yourself. We’re talking about nervous system responses, creating physical sensations, which need to be regulated physically too. Giving your emotion an outlet through physical movement can help. Think exercise, dancing, or any sort of physical activity - even just ‘shaking it off’ can help.
There are other practical ways to self regulate. I’ve been using an approach called Havening Techniques, developed by Dr Ronald Ruden & Dr Steven Ruden. It’s a simple practice involving gently stroking your shoulders and arms for at least a couple of minutes. This movement creates brainwaves which can help to move your brain out of survival mode and into a calmer and more peaceful state.
However you choose to self-regulate, it’s important to combine this with deep self-awareness and a knowledge of the moments you are finding most tricky. These skills are rarely talked about in the sustainability profession, but this inner work is absolutely vital for sustainability leaders to reach their potential and make the impact they’re capable of.
From Liv 💛
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