Leading Beyond Sustainability

The world is at a turning point, where significant change is required to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG) by 2030.

We have an opportunity to think differently and initiate sustainable and impactful change, but this needs to be done across industries and communities to be successful. On this eight-week microcredential, you’ll learn how to lead and apply innovative sustainability strategies to work toward a resilient and thriving future.

Whether you’re already in a leadership position in your organisation, you’re an emerging leader in your role, or you’re hoping to lead in your community, this microcredential will help you develop in-demand sustainability skills to make practical changes in your context.

Guided by the experts at The Mind Lab, you’ll explore diverse approaches to sustainability underpinned by indigenous values – helping you to finish with the knowledge and tools to become a leader for change.

Learn how to overcome social, economic, and environmental challenges

As you explore the increasingly-complex challenges we are facing on a global scale, you’ll unpack the key social, economic, and environmental issues of our time, and how we can work to overcome them.

This knowledge will help you investigate the need to move away from the notion of sustainability, as sustaining our current practices is not going to be enough. You’ll discover how to promote lifelong learning to develop the knowledge and capability required to tackle growing sustainability challenges.

Take a systems thinking approach to sustainability

With the knowledge of the global challenges we face, you’ll discover how organisations and communities must take a more strategic and integrated approach to drive sustainable change. You’ll learn how to go beyond linear thinking and explore systems thinking as a framework for problem-solving.

This approach will help you discover the importance of critical engagement with contemporary perspectives on sustainability. Exploring the collaboration between systems thinking, indigenous knowledge, and scientific evidence, you’ll learn how to support individuals and communities to develop the awareness and capability to work toward a better future.

Delve into indigenous knowledge

To help you dive deeper into a collaborative approach to sustainability, you’ll learn directly from indigenous leaders. Gaining insights into key values and indigenous leadership for sustainability, you’ll explore the importance of leading with purpose.

This knowledge will help you identify your ‘why’ to hone your own leadership style.

Learn to develop a sustainability strategy

You’ll evaluate diverse, contemporary, and emerging approaches to leading authentic sustainability in practice. This knowledge will help you critically reflect on personal, professional, and collective skills gaps in working toward a sustainable future.

Next, you’ll apply what you have learned to develop a strategy for sustainable change. Within this strategy, you’ll learn how to address sustainability challenges in your context, including how to encourage stakeholder engagement.

Armed with in-demand sustainability skills and a change strategy for an initiative in your context, you’ll finish the microcredential with the knowledge and tools to lead sustainable change in your organisation or community.

How does knowledge of sustainability help in the workplace?

Sustainability is becoming more and more of a focus in organisations and communities. Being able to evaluate diverse, contemporary, and emerging approaches to sustainability, and ensuring the approach is authentic to the organisation or community is critical to making an impact. This microcredential will arm you with a toolkit of a range of proven approaches to sustainability in practice, giving you a diverse and future-ready skillset that workplaces will rely on as they focus more on sustainability.

Will I earn a sustainability credential?

Yes, you’ll finish the microcredential with Postgraduate Level 8 on the NZ Qualifications Framework (15 credits) from The Mind Lab.

How will I be assessed?

To apply what you have learned to your context, you’ll complete two summative assessments. You must achieve a ​pass​ on all assessment criteria to receive an overall pass for the microcredential.

First, you’ll evaluate a case study of a model or organisation that is relevant to your context. The analysis should be presented in a written format. You will then be provided with feedback on your evaluation, which you can use to shape your project brief. Due end of Week 4.

For your second assessment, you’ll present your project brief, where you will apply strategic approaches to address a sustainability challenge in your context. You will be provided with a template for the brief to help you complete the assessment. You will present your brief through a video presentation, which can be done using several different free tools including Zoom and Screencastify. Guidance on these tools will be provided in the assessment details you receive. Due end of Week 8.

Courses under this program:
Course 1: Leading Beyond Sustainability
-Become a leader for change as you learn the sustainability strategies to drive action in your organisation or community.