This presentation was part of the ProSPER.Net Leadership Programme 2017 'Building Transformational Leadership Towards the SDGs'

1. Leadership and Education for
Sustainable Development
2017 ProSPER.Net Leadership Programme
Hosted by Chulalongkorn University
Bangkok, Thailand – July 1st, 2017
Dr. Philip Vaughter
UNU-IAS

2. Leadership for Sustainability
 Around the world, leaders shape how their organizations engage with the world
around them
 Government leaders steer policy
 Business leaders work with markets
 Civil Society leaders work on a variety of issues
 However, there has been a lack of leadership in shifting to a just and sustainable
lifestyle across sectors and across nations
 Why is there a lack of quality leadership around sustainability?

3. What makes a leader for sustainability?
 According to the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership there are
seven key characteristics for leadership tackling sustainability issues:
1) Systemic, interdisciplinary understanding
2) Emotional intelligence and a caring attitude
3) Values orientation that shapes culture
4) A strong vision for making a significant difference
5) An inclusive style that engenders trust
6) A willingness to innovate or be radical
7) A long-term perspective on impacts

4. What factors enable sustainable
leadership?
 Collaboration is key
 Systems must operate to allow
diverse groups to interact;
breakdown the silos
 Focus on critical challenges
 Priorities must be set to tackle most
critical challenges first
 Support for change
 Leaders must operate in institutions
that allow for change – the status quo
must be questioned

5. Challenges leaders face in addressing
sustainability problems
 Often takes long time for a solution
 Complex interactions with the
components and people involved
 A weak and scattered science base
for making evidence-based decisions
 Lack of integration across disciplines
needed to tackle problem
 Atmospheres are often emotional
and contentious

6. Challenges leaders face in addressing
sustainability problems
 Communication has made
information more available – but this
quantity of information can make
communication more difficult and
complex
 More stakeholders are making their
voice heard, very different than the
past

7. Challenges leaders face in addressing
sustainability problems
 Sustainability is complex – leaders
have to be careful that addressing
sustainability in one context does not
mean neglecting sustainability in
another context

8. Who are seen as leaders for addressing
sustainable development?
 According to GlobeScan
Sustainability Leaders Survey, non-
state actors consistently outperform
national governments in contributions
to sustainability
 NGOs still leading with conservation
of ecosystems
 City/local governments active with
climate change mitigation
 Research/academic organizations
seen as crucial players

9. Who are seen as leaders for addressing
sustainable development?
 Perceptions on corporate leadership
divided by regions
 Wide range of economic sectors
 Consumer facing companies
(businesses that emphasize
consumer satisfaction and feedback)
lead this list

10. Who are seen as leaders for addressing
sustainable development?
 But while individual companies in
different sectors were seen as being
leaders, no sector in the global
market stands out as a leader
 While experts feel companies have
an important role to play in
sustainability, they were critical of
performance, with all sectors
receiving mostly negative or neutral
ratings

11. How does education relate to leadership
for sustainability?
 Education can…
 Train leaders how to work with long
term timelines
 Provide systemic ways to breakdown
complex problems
 Inform decision makers about
knowledge bases to provide
evidence
 Teach how to work between
disciplines
 Give insight into stakeholders
motivations

12. How does education relate to leadership
for sustainability?
 Education is often promoted as a tool leaders can use to change the behavior of
their team or their institution to make it more sustainable
 But ironically, sometimes it is the most educated that are leading the least
sustainable lifestyles
 Therefore, it is not just that leaders need more education, but a different type of
education

13. Education for Sustainable Development
and Leadership
 Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is a different approach to
education
 Note the difference (McKeown, 2014):
 Education about Sustainable Development is an awareness lesson or theoretical
discussion
 Education for Sustainable Development is using education as a tool to transform
society
 If leaders are going to meaningfully engage with sustainability, education for
sustainable development is the most appropriate educational tool to use

14. Education for Sustainable Development
and Leadership
 UNESCO defines ESD as having the following characteristics:
 Based on principles of sustainable development
 Deals with four dimensions of sustainability – environment, society, culture, economy
 Promotes lifelong learning
 Locally relevant and culturally appropriate
 Based around local needs but links to global processes
 Engages formal, non-formal, and informal education
 Builds capacity for community-based decision-making, social tolerance, environmental
stewardship, adaptable workforce, and good quality of life
 Is interdisciplinary – no discipline can claim ESD for itself

15. Education for Sustainable Development
and Leadership
 While leaders in many different fields can use ESD to advance sustainability, the
following skills are essential for using ESD (Tilbury & Wortman, 2004):
 Envisioning – being able to imagine a better future. What does it look like?
 Critical Thinking – question our assumptions. What is development?
 Systemic Thinking – looking for links. How is this system connected to others?
 Building Partnerships – learning to work together. How can we help each other?
 Participating – feeling empowered to act. How can I use my knowledge to make the
world more sustainable?

16. Who is using ESD in Leadership?
 The Provincial Government of
Manitoba in Canada

17. Who is using ESD in Leadership Training?
 The Provincial Government of
Manitoba in Canada
 The Ministry of Education in Scotland

18. Who is using ESD in Leadership Training?
 The Provincial Government of
Manitoba in Canada
 The Ministry of Education in Scotland
 The Ministry of Education and
Ministry of Environment in Japan

19. Who is using ESD in Leadership Training?
 The Provincial Government of
Manitoba in Canada
 The Ministry of Education in Scotland
 The Ministry of Education and
Ministry of Environment in Japan
 German Federal Ministry for
Economic Cooperation and
Development, in partnership with
governments of India, Mexico, and
South Africa

20. But, is leadership training using ESD
reaching current leaders?
 Many countries now include sustainability in the education that primary and secondary
students receive
 Example of long-term thinking – train tomorrow’s leaders today
 However, this is typically education about sustainability, not education for sustainability: lot’s of
good knowledge, not a lot of workable solutions
 Other major challenges (Leicht, 2014):
 Going from a pilot project to a policy
 Small scale to large scale
 Margins to mainstream
 Most ESD focuses on youth – adults need to change their behavior as well

21. What helps leaders engage with ESD?
 In addition to the before mentioned skills, the following preconditions are necessary for
helping a leader engage with sustainability, and to use ESD to do this
1) Make the case for change: a leader must be adept at shifting others from unconscious
to conscious reactivity to the challenge. Must be able to educate about the challenge
and frame in a way that seems serious but also one that can be overcome.
2) Translate vision into action: stakeholders respond to plans with action rather than
vague commitments to concepts. Must be able to work with experts and ideas to design
actions that fit with sustainable vision.
3) Expand boundaries: a leader must anticipate and evaluate long-term sustainability
trends to embed sustainability within the organization, spotting new opportunities along
the way. Must be able to learn from similar case studies and use critical thinking and
forecasting.

22. What structures can help leaders engage
with ESD?
 To recap:
 Collaboration is key
 Systems must operate to allow diverse
groups to interact; breakdown the silos
 Focus on critical challenges
 Priorities must be set to tackle most
critical challenges first
 Support for change
 Leaders must operate in institutions that
allow for change – the status quo must
be questioned

23. We can’t wait for a new generation of
leaders!
 Leaders across all sectors need to
start engaging with ESD today –
right now!

24. We can’t wait for a new generation of
leaders!
 Leaders across all sectors need to
start engaging with ESD today –
right now!
 Why?

25. We can’t wait for a new generation of
leaders!
 Leaders across all sectors need to
start engaging with ESD today –
right now!
 Why?
 Life expectancy and material
aspirations continue to rise around
the world

26. We can’t wait for a new generation of
leaders!
 Leaders across all sectors need to
start engaging with ESD today –
right now!
 Why?
 Life expectancy and material
aspirations continue to rise around
the world
 GHG emissions tend to be higher
among the most educated and
powerful

27. We can’t wait for a new generation of
leaders!
 Leaders across all sectors need to
start engaging with ESD today –
right now!
 Why?
 Life expectancy and material
aspirations continue to rise around
the world
 GHG emissions tend to be higher
among the most educated and
powerful
 Adaptation is the key to good
leadership

28. Remember, “Once you are through
learning, you’re through…”
 Will Rogers (1879-1935)