Aspire to build an ethical and sustainable organization? Renew thyself!
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to discuss the concept of building sustainable organizations through focusing on continuous self-transcendence towards positive leadership traits, and how this effects the strategic leadership capabilities.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper presents the insights drawn from an in-depth hermeneutic-interpretive study of an ancient philosophical text.
Findings
Leaders at apex should lead organizations focusing on self-development. It is seen that several aspects of one’s choices and conduct in personal and professional life influence his/her self-development process. One who is able to follow the conduct discussed builds superior strategic capabilities leading to creation of more caring-compassionate-ethical-and-value-driven organizations.
Practical implications
Practicing managers aspiring to build ethical organizations should concentrate on self-development through self-transcendence as an important tool to influence the organizational level positive outcomes rather than only controlling others to effect such outcomes.
Originality/value
This papers integrates the contemporary thoughts on strategic leadership, ethical leadership and authentic leadership with ancient wisdom of influencing positive institutional outcomes through top leaders focusing on continuous self-transcendence – rather than focusing on others and coercing others to comply.
Keywords
Citation
Sinha, S. (2017), "Aspire to build an ethical and sustainable organization? Renew thyself!", Strategic Direction, Vol. 33 No. 1, pp. 7-9. https://doi.org/10.1108/SD-08-2016-0126
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2017, Emerald Publishing Limited