Building a sustainable future: Why a new paradigm for leadership is calling (2024)

Our society is experiencing a pivotal moment. We are confronted with unprecedented global challenges that require immediate action, strategic foresight and a willingness to embrace new ways of thinking.

It is becoming abundantly clear that we need to do things differently. To make long-lasting change and create a flourishing future, our traditional approaches to problem-solving and business operations need to shift. One critical starting point is the culture of leadership and the leaders we expect to guide their organizations through the mosaic of modern global challenges both skilfully and wisely.

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Until we evolve our perspectives and practices of what it means to be a modern leader, we will continue to experience the same results — and, unfortunately, with that comes even more dire outcomes.

Policy Horizons, our federal foresight agency, recently identified 35 plausible events, scenarios and trends with the potential to radically disrupt life in Canada and around the world. Each is disturbing on its own — from the threat of ecosystem collapse to the erosion of democratic institutions.

However, the most alarming circ*mstances arise from the convergence of such events and the way they amplify each other. Stable ecosystems and social institutions alike seem to be unravelling before our eyes, signalling the emergence of a new landscape — one that is both perilous and filled with possibilities.

So, how do we prepare our young people to thrive and lead in such a landscape?

For 20 years, the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary has offered a unique, land-based course that takes students into the wilderness. Created and run by professor Dr. David Lertzman until he was killed by a grizzly bear, more than a thousand students have now taken part in the Haskayne Wilderness Retreat.

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With the support of both university professors and Indigenous elders, they have asked fundamental questions: What does a flourishing future look like? What kind of leadership is needed? What principles and patterns can we use to guide our way as leaders? And what does that mean for our lives and careers?

The course combines five distinct lenses: Indigenous ways of knowing and the path of reconciliation, ecological awareness, sustainability, practice and personal reflection. Through these lenses, students engage with Indigenous elders, leaders and tradition-keepers to understand colonization, reconciliation and the critical role of Indigenous peoples in co-creating a flourishing future.

They develop ecological literacy, inspired by the idea that a forest can teach us important lessons about running a company. They explore sustainable development literature to grasp its debates and relevance to their fields. And they learn practices to navigate uncertainty with centredness and compassion, while reflecting on their deeper sense of calling and purpose.

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Students consistently describe the course as a life-changing experience that shapes their leadership for years afterward. The Wilderness Retreat emphasizes a holistic perspective along with values such as authenticity, humility and an ethic of service — all qualities not only needed by our future leaders but ones that are increasingly expected.

Many have been inspired to actively participate in what the philosopher Thomas Berry called “The Great Work of Our Times”; restoring a sense of reverence and care for the earth, recognizing that humans are part of a larger community of life and actively taking responsibility for the well-being of the planet and future generations.

In an era of exponential change, existential threats and the rise of self-replicating, autonomous intelligent machines, it feels like a gift to know that some of our brightest, most ambitious and accomplished young people are holding such a perspective.

Perhaps the future isn’t as bleak as we sometimes imagine.

With sustained investment and a commitment to rethinking leadership for a sustainable world, we can create a future that generations to come will be proud of.

Julian Norris is an associate professor in organizational behaviour and human resources at the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary. He is also a wilderness guide and instructor for the school’s Wilderness Retreat.

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