7 Ways To Develop Sustainable Leaders Within Your Business Team

Written by: Wayne Elsey, Executive Contributor

Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.

Learn seven of the most vital tips to develop sustainable leaders within your company to influence your team toward transformative change.

In today's world, businesses must go above and beyond to keep up with the rapid changes in society and technology. Further, because of issues related to the climate, we're seeing a greater emphasis on sustainability and ethical practices from consumers and businesses. This means that you should develop sustainable leaders within your company. Moreover, you should set the necessary skills to implement these processes within your teams so that internal champions influence others.

Developing sustainable leaders within teams is vital to businesses because these individuals ensure your organization thrives over the long term. Team leaders are responsible for supporting a business's culture, so they have the power to make a significant impact on your business's sustainability efforts. If you want your business to thrive in this new era, work toward developing sustainable leaders who can drive transformation within your company. The following are seven ways you can do just that.

1. Leaders should hold regular meetings to assess current practices.

Starting with a baseline is best if you want to implement sustainable practices in your company. Even though sustainable practices vary from business to business, leaders should meet regularly to assess the current practices within their company. Evaluating your current situation and identifying your existing patterns help you develop future sustainable strategies for your company.

Therefore, you can conduct focus groups and surveys within your team to see their current practices and identify areas where they can improve. When performing these assessments, it's essential to keep an open mind and engage in critical thinking. Your team may currently be doing a few sustainable things, but they may also be doing a few things that aren't sustainable. So, it’s vital to let that bubble up to the surface. Then notice who’s stepping up to the plate.

2. Communicate your business's core values consistently.

Core values drive sustainable business practices and leaders, so communicating your business's core values is essential to developing maintainable methods and team leaders. If your business already has a mission and core values, you should communicate these to your team and reinforce these messages as much as possible. Your leaders will continue to promote it. So, if you don't have a mission and core values, now is the time to create them. It’ll give your team a strong foundation and help you define your sustainability strategy.

Core values aren't just things that sound nice on a poster in your office. They're the values driving your business and team leaders. So, if one of your values is sustainability, you want to make it a core value. In doing so, you reinforce team leaders to champion it within your company. In turn, that idea permeates through everything you do as a company, and in time, everyone gets with the program to support efforts.

3. Don't expect immediate change; build up habits over time.

Transitioning toward a sustainable business model is lengthy, and you shouldn't expect to transform your company overnight. For example, converting to renewable energy within your office might take some time. And it also takes time to suss out the sustainable initiatives you want to be done. Sustainable practices take time to implement and sustain, so you should be persistent and patient.

What are some ways you can build sustainability for your team? Start by making minor adjustments to your daily routines and encouraging your team to do the same. Focus on making those adjustments over time, and support and reward your sustainability leaders who help drive the change. You can also offer training for your employees on sustainable practices and how to incorporate these into their daily lives.

4. Successful managers offer transparent communication and hold open Q&A sessions.

Transparency is vital to sustainable leadership because it helps your team trust that you're genuine and honest. If your team trusts you and your leaders, they will likely adopt sustainable practices. Transparent communication also goes hand in hand with accountability.

Sustainable leaders are accountable for their actions and hold others responsible for theirs. To foster a sustainable culture within your team, you should be clear about what to expect from each team member. Moreover, you should hold them accountable for meeting those expectations, including team leaders.

5. Offer development opportunities to grow your employees' skillset.

Another good way to develop sustainable leaders within your company is to provide opportunities for your employees to build their skill sets. This could involve engaging in training programs and workshops, taking community classes, and reading books on sustainable practices. Ask sustainability leaders who are leading efforts to lead training sessions.

You can also offer mentorship opportunities within your business. This could involve pairing more seasoned employees with new team members or pairing up employees with different skill sets for peer-to-peer learning. It could also include partnering sustainability champions with team members who may be lagging a bit behind.

6. Provide education for everyone in the business, not just leadership.

As we’ve discussed, sustainable practices vary from business to business, depending on where your company is currently in the process. That means that it's essential for your entire team, not just the leadership, to understand your company's sustainability goals. Moreover, you want to develop sustainability champions who influence the rest of the group.

Your team champions and members should ask questions about how your business meets its sustainability goals and actively participate in the implementation process. Engaging your entire team helps them feel more invested in the overall transformation and helps them adopt sustainable practices. So, make sure the flow of information is consistent.

7. Thriving as a sustainable leader.

Sustainable practices are essential, but sustainable champions are even more critical because they help create the transformation within your business. So, look for individuals who strongly desire to drive change and develop them to help influence others. Selecting and developing sustainable team leaders ensures that your company thrives long-term.

Once you've chosen your leaders, actively work towards developing their skillset and ability to implement sustainable practices through communication, training, and mentorship opportunities. And don't forget to reward your sustainable champions by keeping them inspired and engaged. After all, this is how you retain talent and grow your business sustainably for the long term.

© 2022 Wayne Elsey. All Rights Reserved.

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Wayne Elsey, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine

Wayne Elsey is the founder and CEO of Elsey Enterprises. Among his independent brands, he is also the founder and CEO of Funds2Orgs. This social enterprise helps nonprofits, schools, churches, civic groups, individuals, and others raise funds while helping to support micro-enterprise (small business) opportunities in developing nations and the environment.