21st Century leadership - how can leaders develop a sustainable business in 2024?
We need leadership with the ability to navigate complexity and ambiguity. To establish the right conditions for individuals, teams, and organisations to take accountability and innovate to create value through sustainable solutions. To deliver for the long-term whilst producing the returns required in the short term.
Leadership needs to understand what actions are most critical to deliver a sustainable future (CISL’s Rewiring the Economy and Business Transformation Framework cover key areas). Leadership also needs to embrace the inner capabilities and capacity required to influence and progress these actions individually and collectively across systems. Our work shows that some leading organisations are successfully rethinking their leadership development strategy to meet this changing context, but many organisations are yet to recognise the scale of change required for long-term business success
Organisations need a new form of leadership development which helps them to reframe their values and purpose, strategy and culture – enabling them to innovate and change their fundamental approach to value creation.
CISL Insights for Leaders
Leadership for a sustainable future Framework
CISL have developed a framework that embraces the ultimate purpose of leadership - to deliver a sustainable future, with business/organisational success being an essential means to deliver this goal.
CISL’s Business Transformation Framework
This practical diagnostic tool sets out 12 key enablers presented onto four organisational typologies, distinguished by different levels of alignment to sustainability and purpose, against which businesses can self-assess.
Future of Boards Research Phase 1
The Future of Boards research has identified key trends influencing board practice, provides practical, evidence-based, internationally relevant insights and recommendations. They are designed to support boards and the business they lead to strategically navigate the multiplying risks and opportunities and respond appropriately.
How we work with you
Developing the right leadership skills and capabilities across an organisation is not easy, but a growing body of work indicates that organisations that cultivate learning and innovation to develop these capabilities are better able to anticipate and mitigate risk and enhance productivity. More importantly, they are better able to shape their own futures and seize the opportunities inherent in aligning their activities with society’s needs and priorities.
Our leadership programmes work with organisations and individuals to allow them to thrive in the changing business context and to support them to develop the leadership that we need to transform our economies and deliver benefits to people, and protect our nature and climate. You can find more about CISL's position on leadership here.
Leadership capabilities for the 21st Century
The leadership lab taking place in October 2024 is a chance for
you to explore leadership within and beyond your organisation to develop the mindsets and practices for a sustainable future.
Register your interest
Open application programmes for leaders
We build the leadership capacity of individuals and organisations across disciplines to catalyse and accelerate change to deliver value within and beyond their own context.
Find out more about our courses
Executive coaching to support you to deliver impact
Our team of executive coaches are experienced to support you as you lead change to transition and transform your board, your leadership, your team or your organisation.
Submit an enquiry
Research
We invite you to engage with us to stress test the leadership framework in your organisation as part of our research.
Find out how to engage
Transforming organisations
We challenge and support organisations to raise ambition and address the challenges and opportunities of sustainability.
Customise leadership and strategy programmes
Accelerating solutions
We foster new enterprises, business models, technologies, products and services that promote a sustainable future.
Innovation for small businesses
Short online courses in leadership
Leading Sustainability: High Impact Leadership
For professionals seeking to build skills in values driven, high impact leadership.
Find out more
Communicating for Influence and Impact
For professionals seeking to build the communication skills to achieve meaningful change.
Find out more
Women Leading Change: Shaping
Our Future
For current and aspiring leaders who are ready to lead change in organisations and society through systemic transformation.
Find out more
Watch a recording of the Women Leading Change webinar
Alumni stories
"With the credentials of CISL, this could well be the most successfully designed programme in the world that delivers sustainability to business management in a nutshell."
Lu-Ann Ong, Singapore Co-founder and Managing Partner, Independent Consultants 1920 LLP
"The course gave me a firm foundation on sustainability, equipped me with up-to-date trends on how it is practised across the globe, and gave me the chance to meet passionate practitioners of sustainability and be inspired by the work they do."
Harris Albert Guevarra, Philippines President and CEO, Drink
Resources and research
Fatima might just get us out of this mess (she just doesn’t know it yet)
30 October 2020
30 October 2020 – In her latest blog, Dr Louise Drake reflects on the contributions of the arts and humanities to leadership, making the case that society must continue to value the academic disciplines that nurture diversity in how we see, process and engage with the world around us.
Exploring the multiple contributions of the arts and humanities to leadership
28 October 2020
October 2020 – This working paper summarises three emerging narratives about the distinctive contribution of the arts and humanities to leadership.
23 June 2020
June 2020 – As Covid-19 recovery plans are developed, Dame Polly Courtice, Director of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), reflects upon the need for a new contract to be negotiated between business, government and society. One that is built not just upon the resilience of our businesses and financial systems, but of the societies and nature upon whom we unequivocally depend.
The future we want requires leaders who can communicate for influence and impact
5 May 2020
6 May 2020 – Zoë Arden, CISL Fellow and Course Convenor on the new Communicating for Influence and Impact online short course, discusses the need for leaders who listen first, show humility and use communication to influence and accelerate social and environmental change.
Advancing Leadership webinar series
27 February 2020
The Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) hosted a series of ‘Advancing Leadership’ webinars between March and May 2020. See which sessions cater to your development needs and access the recordings below.
Staying true to purpose: how individuals can drive transformative change in business and beyond
31 July 2019
31 July 2019 – Following the launch of the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership's new Centres to accelerate the transformation to a sustainable economy, Alice Spencer reflects on her experiences delivering executive education programmes for senior leaders tasked with driving these transformations.
10 questions to ask when aligning purpose and strategy
28 June 2019
28 June – Ben Kellard, Director of Business Strategy, CISL, explores the challenges of aligning purpose and strategy with the transition that is required to enable a business to succeed into the future.
29 May 2019
30 May – In the first of his blog series, Ben Kellard, Director of Business Strategy, CISL, considers the evolution of business perspectives and responsibilities - and the role of leadership in delivering sustainable, future-fit strategies.
The future of sustainable business: Reflections from 30 sustainability leaders
18 December 2018
December 2018 – In a period of urgent environmental and social challenges, it's clear that business as usual cannot deliver the required response at the pace and scale required to achieve a positive impact. This working paper highlights the challenges and opportunities faced by businesses during periods of change, outlining the leadership required to deliver positive actions.
10 lessons for embedding sustainability across the business
18 December 2018
18 December 2018 – Sue Garrard, CISL Senior associate and Unilever’s former EVP Sustainable Business, was responsible for leading and embedding the company’s ambitious USLP (the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan) into the business and ensuring progress against its 70-plus time bound targets. Here she provides 10 lessons for embedding sustainability across the business
