Sustainability isn’t just about carbon, supply chains, or solar panels. At its core, it’s about people. Because behind every KPI is a decision, a mindset, and—most of all—a leader.
If we’re honest, most systems don’t change on their own. They change when someone stands up and says, “This isn’t working anymore.” That’s leadership—and it’s the missing ingredient in many sustainability strategies.
1. Why Sustainability Needs Leaders, Not Just Strategies
In 2023, the UN reported that only 15% of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were on track. The frameworks exist. The tools are available. So why aren’t we moving faster?
Because strategy without leadership is just intention. What drives results is people willing to challenge the status quo and rethink what success looks like, not just for profit, but for long-term value.
Leadership isn’t just top-down. It lives in teams, decisions, and small actions repeated every day. And it’s leadership—not checklists—that moves sustainability from paper to practice.
2. It’s Not Just What We Do—It’s How We Talk About It
Sustainability often gets buried in jargon. But real impact comes when we communicate clearly, with courage and imagination.
We need thought leadership—not for personal branding, but to shape how people understand the issues and the opportunities.
“What if waste wasn’t something to throw away—but something to invest in, because we saw its value in another system?”
That’s the kind of reframing that unlocks change.
And here’s something we don’t say enough: sustainability often reduces cost by using resources better. The job is to help people see that value.
Take digital services. Slightly slower data processing or smarter load distribution can significantly reduce energy use—without affecting the user much at all. But people need to understand that value to embrace it. That’s where leadership shows up: shifting the story from inconvenience to intelligent choice.
3. We Built the System. We Can Redesign It.
The systems we’re trying to fix weren’t accidents. They were designed. Which means they can be redesigned.
Unsustainable outcomes come from assumptions—about growth, convenience, and ownership. So if we want different results, we need different thinking.
The circular economy, for example, isn’t just a technical model. It’s a cultural shift. It requires us to see waste differently, to value relationships over transactions. And that shift happens through people, not policies.
In Closing: Leadership is the Leverage Point
The climate crisis isn’t just an environmental issue—it’s a leadership one.
And the leaders we need aren’t always the loudest. They’re the ones who:
Ask better questions
Hold complexity without rushing to fix it
Choose courage over comfort
If we want a sustainable future, let’s not start with technology. Let’s start with people.
Because change doesn’t happen by default. It happens because someone leads.
Written by:
Ashleigh Ball, Consultant, AIMS South Africa
Knut Aulund, Managing Partner, AIMS Norway