Systems Leadership
摘要
This chapter leads a section that asks how Remaking Sustainability might happen in practice. Systems leadership is now a core organisational competence, essential for operating in an environment where sustainability constraints are enforced through finance, insurance, trade, data, and technology. Rather than treating sustainability as a standalone agenda, leaders must understand how decisions cascade across interconnected systems, generating second- and third-order effects. There is a widening skills gap at board level, where directors recognise sustainability’s strategic importance but often lack the knowledge to challenge management effectively. The principles of systems leadership are: embracing complexity, recognising interdependence, planning across multiple time horizons, and exercising humility in the face of uncertainty. Boards must evolve—embedding sustainability into governance, risk, remuneration, and strategy—if firms are to navigate systemic risks and maintain long-term competitiveness. “Leadership” needs to be reframed as “Stewardship”: ensuring organisations remain viable within tightening environmental and geopolitical constraints.