Overview

How organizations and society respond to declines in environmental and social capital is the defining issue of our times. “Sustainability Leadership” explores and analyzes the concepts and application of leadership to empower you to be a positive change agent during this critical time. This course prepares current and future sustainability professionals to tackle “wicked problems” — challenges that are difficult to solve due to incomplete, contradictory, or changing information and that stem from simultaneously addressing environmental and interrelated social and economic issues. This requires a rethinking of how people and organizations exert leadership. Each module will explore how power structures, social justice, and equity impact organizations and how leaders can utilize ethics and values to set and achieve goals. You'll learn to apply sustainability leadership to real-world situations through lectures, conversations with key leaders, case studies, self-assessments, readings, videos, and podcasts. By the end of the course, you’ll draft a personalized action plan that can help begin or advance your career in sustainability and provide a sound basis to start transforming your organization for good. This is the third course in “Green Skills for a Sustainable and Just Future," a course series dedicated to shaping the next generation of sustainable practices and leadership.

Syllabus

Sustainability Leadership as 21st Century Leadership

How does leadership for sustainability differ from traditional leadership? What do the unique attributes of solving environmental problems require in terms of professional skills? In Module 1, you build the foundations for the course by exploring sustainability as a leadership framework. You will hear from two inspiring leaders about the intersection of justice, outdoor education, and environmental leadership. You will begin to build your own personal sustainability leadership plan after listening to an engaging podcast from an Indigenous water advocate and assessing a complex case where conservation values run up against local preferences and needs.

Values & Vision

Leaders must know themselves, have clearly articulated values and be able to build a common vision in order to be effective. Module 2 focuses internally, building the base for the next 3 modules by exploring ethics, long-term thinking and finding our way literally and figuratively. This module includes 3 compelling videos and an interview with a lifelong sustainability leader guided by a strong moral compass. The lessons you will learn focus on how vision and values form a basis for leadership decision-making.

Equity, Relationships & Power

This module focuses on your person-to-person relationships and how they impact your sustainability leadership outcomes. Specifically, you will explore power and the impact of situational leadership (e.g., leading from where you are). With an emphasis on how race, ethnicity, religion, and other factors influence power, you will hear from a community leader working in under-resourced areas of a U.S. city. The module includes lessons on active listening and the dangers of making assumptions. Through a TedX talk, case study, and several lectures/conversations, you will analyze and practice how relationships influence decisions, and how power and status can guide opportunities and actions. You will assess an environmental justice case and produce the first part of your personal sustainability leadership plan.

Cultural & Systems Change Within Organizations

Leadership is typically exerted through groups of people acting as informal or formal organizations. In this module, you will explore how organizational culture can be a help or hindrance to sustainability progress, and how to utilize a change management framework to move organizations in a positive direction. By watching discussions with two experts in culture change and business/philanthropy, you will develop a change management for sustainability leadership framework.

Sustainability Leadership Competencies

This 5th and final module focuses on lifelong learning and building the practical sustainability competencies that allow for growth in the professional world. You will review the research on what is most needed in the field and hear from two sustainability leaders who have had very different career paths yet have trained many future leaders. You will finish creating your own sustainability leadership plan utilizing the podcast and final case study about building competencies for success.