ABSTRACT
This chapter briefly outlines leadership theory, noting that its development often reflected a rational, technocratic, and economic worldview. It explores the relationship between leadership and unsustainability. The chapter offers alternative approaches to leadership that may provide us with a way out of this quagmire. The nature of sustainability leadership is such that organizations would do well to focus on three areas of development. The first involves cultivating critical self-reflection as opposed to self-validation in potential leadership actors. The second area of development is relationship building. The third, and final, area of leadership development is systems-thinking competence. The chapter identifies several features inherent in contemporary leadership theory and demonstrates their contribution to unsustainability. The chapter concludes by offering some practical steps on how best to encourage sustainability leadership in an organization. Sustainability leadership would be more about the hosting of leadership activity and leader actors than being heroic.
