University of Minnesota - UMN Executive Leadership Insights
The Adventure of Sustainable Performance
Book

The Adventure of Sustainable Performance

Beyond ESG Compliance to Leadership in the New Era

Dean Sanders and Stuart McLachlan
Wiley, 2023
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Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Concrete Examples
  • Engaging
  • Inspiring

Recommendation

The world is facing multifaceted crises as “business as usual” pushes the global environment to the breaking point. With a bracing blend of stark realism and buoyant optimism, Stuart McLachlan and Dean Sanders of the green consultancy Anthesis set out a powerful argument for urgent, bold action to address the simultaneous challenges of climate change, social justice, and economic transformation. The authors offer interviews with courageous business leaders and case studies of pioneering companies that are showing the way — beyond mere ESG compliance — to achieve both sustainability and performance. An absorbing, vital, and timely contribution.

Summary

The world is in crisis, and business leaders must take bold, rapid action.

The world is undergoing profound changes, pushing humanity beyond the comfortable boundaries of “business as usual.” Once-reliable social and economic foundations are crumbling, and nature, humanity’s indispensable partner, is showing signs of stress and collapse. Exploitation has taken its toll, and the future has become uncertain. The world approaches the end of an era, and change is no longer optional — it is inevitable.

Business models built on endless resource extraction and consumption have led to significant environmental degradation. The impacts on nature and humanity demand immediate and accelerated action. Unfortunately, the collective response has been constrained by outdated growth models and a reluctance to embrace the necessary speed of change. The urgency of the situation cannot be overstated.

The world’s strongholds — its entrenched social, economic, and political structures — are weakening, necessitating a transformative leadership response.

Strongholds are human structures created instinctively in the social, economic, and political realms to ensure stability ...

About the Authors

Stuart McLachlan and Dean Sanders are CEO and UK director, respectively, of Anthesis, a global consultancy helping organizations navigate the complexities of sustainability and address environmental and social challenges.

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