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What is Sustainable Individualization in Leadership?

What is Sustainable Individualization in Leadership?

by Iris Burner | Jun 28, 2023 | Digital Transformation, Leadership Impact, Leadership in the digital transformation | 0 comments

Sustainable individualization in leadership – pious hope or real alternative?

In line with the last blog post on our MDI website “Inner Development Goals For a Better Leadership World“, this time we dedicate ourselves to the megatrend topic of individualization and the connection with the Inner Development Goals (IDGs) towards sustainable leadership.

Individualization instead of multi-module programs

The status quo often shows that companies rely on multi-module programs to develop and train their executives. Depending on the target group, these programs provide a broad general basis of tools and methods – a so-called “toolbox” from which the appropriate tool can be selected according to the situation.

In times of ever scarcer resources (keywords: time and knowledge, cost efficiency and environment) and living realities in climate change, however, one topic is increasingly coming to the fore in the education and training of our future shapers of tomorrow: individualization.

Individualization – one of the 12 megatrends

Individualization was presented by the Zukunftsinstitut 2023 as one of the 12 megatrends. These megatrends are the central trends of our time. They are the biggest drivers of change in business and society and shape our future – not just in the short term, but in the medium to long term. Megatrends unfold their dynamics over decades.

IDGs & SDGs 2030

This time horizon may seem long, especially considering the Inner Development Goals (IDGs), which are based on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030. This deadline means that the implementation of this megatrend can no longer be delayed. 

But when we think of Sustainable Development Goals, can we give individualization any room at all? Doesn’t individualization always consume considerably more resources than a collective measure? 

Megatrend-Map

Quelle: Zukunftsinstitut.de 

Sustainability vs. Individualization – Dealbreaker or Complement?

Sustainability and individualization have an interesting interaction with IDGs. On the one hand, individualization can be seen as a potential challenge to sustainability, as it may require more resources and lead to fragmentation of actions. If individualized programs are developed for each leader or individual, this can add time and cost and may be inefficient.

On the other hand, individualization also offers opportunities for sustainability. By enabling people to consider their interests, strengths, and needs, tailored development and education can take place. When leaders are supported in their development processes and have the opportunity to leverage their strengths, they can develop more effective leadership approaches that are also aligned with sustainability goals.

Promoting Individual Strengths and Creating Sustainability for Leaders and Organizations

IDGs are leveraging the megatrend of individualization to promote personal development and inner growth. By focusing on individual needs and goals, they enable people to realize their full potential and shape their own growth. This also includes the development of leadership competencies required for the sustainable transformation of organizations and societies.

Sustainable individualization in leadership thus means reconciling individual development and sustainability goals. This requires careful planning and design of educational activities to address both individual needs and sustainability issues. It is about fostering individual strengths while creating a common foundation for sustainable leadership.

Transfer to practice – 3 concrete approaches

What concrete measures can companies now take to initiate a sustainable and individualized leadership era?

1. IDG potential analysis

As a possible tool, the IDG potential analysis, for example, can provide an initial basic assessment. The basis of this analysis is a questionnaire based on the five IDGs (Being, Thinking, Relating, Collaborating, and Acting). By evaluating the analysis, the leader receives a self-assessment and finds out where they stand on the company values.

 

The results of the analysis serve as a basis for targeted measures to promote personal and professional growth in line with the IDGs and are particularly suitable for organizational and personnel development, leadership, team development, and change processes.

generational management

2. Team workshops with team profiles

In order to validate the self-assessment, there is also the possibility to get an external assessment from a colleague. Based on this, there is the possibility to conduct team workshops with team profiles to strengthen cooperation regarding the IDGs.

3. Mentoring program

Another way to put these findings into practice is to implement a mentoring program. This program supports leaders in realizing their individual goals and needs and integrating sustainability-oriented approaches into their leadership practice.

Executives are paired individually with an experienced mentor to foster their personal development and leadership skills. Thus, individual leaders’ needs and goals are addressed by assigning them a mentor who has experience and expertise in the specific areas the leader wants to work on.

The mentoring relationship allows executives to identify their individual strengths and weaknesses and work on them specifically. At the same time, the mentor and mentee are in a two-way exchange on a variety of topics, allowing them to learn from and with each other. This helps the leaders to integrate sustainability-oriented approaches into their leadership practice and to drive positive change in their organizations.

Conclusion

Ultimately, IDGs and customization can help create a new generation of leaders who are both personally fulfilled and focused on sustainable change. By addressing the individual needs and potential of each individual, IDGs can pave the way for sustainable and individualized leadership that can have a positive impact on organizations, society, and the environment.

Commitment MDI – We support leaders who strive for a better world

As an official partner of the Inner Development Goals (IDG), we are actively engaged in collaborating with other stakeholders, organizations, and individuals to advance the integration of transformational sustainable development skills into our leadership development. Our goal is to facilitate dialogue, knowledge sharing, and collaboration to advance the SDGs agenda.

Iris Burner

Iris Burner

Learning & Development Consultant

Since 2022, Iris has been an L&D Consultant at MDI, supporting leaders and organisations worldwide in personal development and creating tailored training programs. She values the personal learning experience and ensures clients benefit from valuable insights. With a background in adult education and professional experience in a renowned corporation, Iris has a comprehensive understanding of company needs and develops customized solutions for sustainable development and growth.

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The Lasting Impact of Leadership Horizon – Meike’s Perspectives

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by Marcin Swierkocki | 10. April 2025 | eLearning, Learning Transfer, Short Knowledge Bits | 0 Comments

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Why Should We Lead More Sustainably?

Why Should We Lead More Sustainably?

by Aline Depoorter, Jana Wölfl | Jun 26, 2023 | Leadership Impact, Leadership Tips, MDI Inside | 0 comments

Why Should We Lead More Sustainably?

It is hard to imagine most companies today without the concept of “sustainable leadership.” Leaders are not only becoming more privately aware of the impact of climate change but also want to fight it on a corporate level.

In this article, you will learn what exactly is meant by Sustainable Leadership and how we at MDI are doing our part.

What is Sustainable Leadership?

In the Journal of Corporate Citizenship, Sustainable Leadership is defined as a leadership style that incorporates social, economic, and environmental issues into its professional concepts. Sustainable leadership is the collaboration of multiple individuals striving to provide the best possible professional future for future generations.

It is important to have an eco-centric mindset (sustainable consumption both privately and as a company), to plan for the long term, and to innovate new, environmentally friendly methods and models.

This means, then, that in a sustainable management style, strong thought is given to the future generation of workers. By consciously paying attention to the environment and planning sustainably in the company, you directly contribute to a generally more sustainable leadership culture.

What Are the Benefits of Sustainable Leadership?

According to a Forbes article, two-thirds of international organizations are striving to be more sustainable in their business. They are focusing heavily on expanding sustainable approaches because, on the one hand, they are feeling the effects of climate change both physically and financially (especially companies in the agricultural sector).

On the other hand, sustainability strategies lead to better financial performance and thus higher profitability, as a Harvard Business Review study has found.

Another relevant aspect is the fact that many job applicants prefer a sustainable management style and would rather accept a job that shares their values and where they can make a difference. 69% of workers consider the aspect of sustainability when choosing a career.

Sustainable leadership is therefore not only a financial advantage for companies but also an attractive factor for applicants and employees.

Sustainable Leadership

Sustainable Leadership @ MDI

At MDI, we also take sustainability to heart. For starters, we conduct the majority of our seminars virtually, which significantly reduces our carbon footprint by saving our participants’ travel expenses and the company travel and hotel costs.

Since virtual conferences can also have a negative impact on the environment, the quality of the video does not have to be extremely high. The type of technology also plays a major role – according to this, a fiber optic line is a much more environmentally friendly alternative to standard 3G mobile internet.

In addition, when choosing the means of transport, it is also important to us that public connections are used, for example, in order to reduce the ecological footprint. We also make sure that the average of our participants does not have a long or far journey to the seminar location.

However, MDI still has an annual CO2 emission of 119 tons, which is why we offset our greenhouse gas emissions by purchasing certificates from the “VCS & CCBS Forest Conservation Brazil” project. We also strive to implement sustainable management strategies at our main site in Vienna.

In general, we are aware of the state of the environment and we always strive to do our part for a more sustainable leadership culture in the spirit of Sustainable Leadership.

Office Inner Development Goals (IDG) Collaboration Partner

As an official Inner Development Goals (IDG) collaborating partner, we at MDI are committed to actively engaging with other stakeholders, organizations, and individuals, to promote the integration of transformational skills for sustainable development into our Leadership Development. We aim to facilitate dialogue, knowledge sharing, and collaboration to advance the agenda of the IDGs.

Read more on our Inner Development Goals for a Better Leadership World

Sources:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263604448_Sustainable_Leadership_Towards_a_Workable_Definition

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2022/09/07/the-importance-of-sustainable-leadership/?sh=36805631b6ae

https://hbr.org/2017/09/how-to-quantify-sustainabilitys-impact-on-your-bottom-line

https://news.gallup.com/poll/346619/environmental-record-factor-job-seekers.aspx

Aline Depoorter

Aline Depoorter

Marketing Manager

Aline joined MDI in 2020 as a Marketing Manager with over 10 years of B2B marketing experience. She is primarily responsible for the overall coordinated organisation of MDI’s advertising activities and the management of marketing projects. This includes, among others, the MDI Business Unit SDI as well as Leadership Horizon and personalist.at. Aline is a strong marketing all-rounder with a passion for leadership development, digital transformation and event organisation.

  • LinkedIn
Jana Wölfl

Jana Wölfl

Marketing Assistant

Jana Wölfl works at MDI as a marketing assistant and writes blog posts for our site in addition to her studies at Leiden University.

She also works for SDI and supports us with writing content there as well.

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Why Flexibility is Key to Employee Retention

Why Flexibility is Key to Employee Retention

by Peter Grabuschnig | Jun 26, 2023 | Digital Transformation, International leadership development, Leadership Tips | 0 comments

Why Flexibility is Key to Employee Retention

This article presents 5 tips on how you can build a strong corporate culture within the trend of hybrid work that fosters a sense of belonging to your company.

The challenge of a hybrid work environment presents companies with the task of building and maintaining a strong corporate culture. With location-independent work, it becomes more difficult for us to foster a sense of connection and belonging to the company.

Studies have shown that companies that allow for flexibility have higher levels of employee engagement than those that do not. The trend towards a more flexible working world is likely to be unstoppable. We want to ask ourselves now how to retain employees in this new working environment.

These are five factors that will increase your employee retention in your company.

Allow for flexibility and encourage open communication

In your company, you should be willing to allow for flexibility and adapt to the changing needs of your employees. This may mean offering flexible working hours or home office and mobile working options.

Open communication is essential, especially in a hybrid working environment. You should encourage your employees to communicate openly and frequently and provide them with tools and platforms to do so.

 

Home Office

Create shared goals and values and provide opportunities for social interaction

Shared goals and values are critical for a healthy working environment. Your goals and values should be communicated to all of your employees and aligned with your company’s overall mission and vision.

Social interaction is important to create a sense of connection and belonging among your employees. In your company, you can organize virtual happy hours, team-building activities, and other virtual or in-person events to foster social interaction and build relationships among employees.

Acknowledge and celebrate successes

Recognizing and celebrating successes is important to a strong corporate culture. Companies should recognize both individual and team achievements and acknowledge employees for their hard work and contributions.

A flourishing working environment is crucial for employee retention, motivation, and performance. If you adapt to the new needs of your employees and create a hybrid working environment, you can be more successful and achieve better results within your company.

Peter Grabuschnig

Peter Grabuschnig

Trainer, Coach & MDI Partner

Peter is a partner and trainer at MDI, advising major international corporations on implementing hybrid work policies and building a hybrid work and leadership culture.

He is considered an expert in training design. With his Webinar Guru Framework he has developed a tool that helps to design training content for successful and activating virtual learning.

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3 Highlights of HR and Learning Technologies 2023

3 Highlights of HR and Learning Technologies 2023

by Nicole Wessely | Jun 26, 2023 | Digital Transformation, eLearning | 0 comments

“The Future of Learning in London:

3 Highlights of the HR & Learning Technologies 2023″

The Learning Technology 2023 in London was a groundbreaking event that showcased the latest developments in learning and technology. The event attracted a wide range of diverse vendors who wowed the attendees with innovative solutions.

In this blog post, we take a quick look at the exciting experiences and trends we witnessed at the conference. 

AI & LMS

This fair was the perfect place to experience the latest trends and technologies. One of the biggest trends at the show was the integration of artificial intelligence and chatbots into LMS platforms.

Many vendors showed how AI and chatbots can be used to create personalized learning content and improve interaction with learners. Particularly impressive were the vendors that had integrated Chat GPT, which made communication with participants more natural and intuitive.

Find out more about this:
https://www.goodhabitz.com/de-at
https://www.coachvici.com/

Gamification: cartoon characters in e-learnings

Another interesting variation was the use of comic characters in e-learning. These characters can be used via gamification to make complex learning content easier to understand and to create a pleasant learning atmosphere.

Some providers have even started to offer customizable courses that allow participants to upload their own learning content and create their own courses.

Learn more about this:
https://www.iamlearningcontent.com/

 

Robot Learning Technologies 2023

Lifelike robot used for advertisement during the fair

Virtual Reality

Another area that had a strong presence at the show was virtual reality technology. Vendors showed how to offer their platforms and support to shoot and create VR videos.

While some vendors offered VR games, others focused on helping participants create their own VR experiences.

More about this:
www.virti.com
https://aruvr.com/

Colorful & Promising

All in all, Learning Technology 2023 in London was a resounding success. One of the highlights of the show was the offbeat advertising used by some of the vendors to grab the attention of the visitors.

Beer taps, sushi, stormtroopers from Star Wars, stuffed animals, and even lifelike robots (as you can see above) were used to increase interaction. Some vendors also offered live demonstrations of their products, showcasing the power and capabilities of their technologies.

The future of learning has already dawned

Virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and gamification are just some of the innovations that will revolutionize the way we learn. The variety of vendors and technologies presented at the show showed that the future of learning and education is very promising.

The show offered a glimpse into the latest trends and developments in learning technology and was a must-attend event for anyone interested in this topic.

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Inner Development Goals for a Better Leadership World

Inner Development Goals for a Better Leadership World

by Gunther Fürstberger | May 30, 2023 | International leadership development, Leadership Impact, training new leader | 0 comments

Inner Development Goals for a better leadership world

Many companies invest in training and programs to prepare their leaders for the challenges of business. But in addition to traditional goals such as increasing sales and optimizing efficiency, Inner Development Goals (IDGs) are also gaining importance.

But what exactly are IDGs and why should they matter in leadership development?

Better philosophy, a better leader

Inner Development Goals refer to the personal development and growth of leaders at a deeper level. They focus not only on improving skills and competencies but also on a leader’s inner state and awareness.

IDGs aim to help you as a leader develop your emotional intelligence, self-reflection, values, and leadership philosophy.

Organizations align their leadership development efforts with organizational goals and strategy. Traditionally, leadership development programs have focused primarily on building skills and competencies that are important to the success of the organization.

Sustainability Goals 2030

More and more companies are recognizing that financial success is not the only thing that matters; they also want to contribute to a resource-efficient circular economy to enable a livable future.

With its vision of a Sustainable World in 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals, the United Nations has created a global framework that can serve as a guide for companies.

Unfortunately, since the world is nowhere near on track to achieving the Sustainability Development Goals, the Inner Development Goals were created. These start with the capabilities and attitudes of individuals.

Analyze your values

To align your organization’s leadership culture with the IDGs and thus with sustainability, it makes sense to start by analyzing your existing organizational values, leadership competencies, leadership rules of engagement, and leadership development activities. It is important to assess your current leadership skills and competencies and understand how well they align with your desired IDGs.

A measurable comparison of the existing competency set with the IDGs allows us to determine the degree of overlap. Where are there already strengths and where are there still areas for development? Based on your analysis, a clear goal for the development of the IDGs can be defined.

A Roadmap for Reflection

Once the degree of overlap and the goal is defined, a roadmap for the changed leadership development architecture can be created. This roadmap includes specific training and coaching activities aimed at nurturing and developing IDGs.

For example, programs can be implemented to promote self-reflection, strengthen emotional intelligence or develop a sustainability-oriented leadership personality.

A content example of leadership development geared toward IDGs might be a program to promote mindfulness and stress management. By training leaders in mindfulness techniques, you can learn to be more aware of your inner state, reduce stress, and make more conscious decisions.

This enhances your personal development and helps you stay calm and collected in challenging situations.

Sustainable Leadership Goals

Who works with IDG?

Examples of companies working with IDGs include IKEA, Google, and Novartis. The IDG movement started in 2020, so it’s still quite young. But it is spreading rapidly. There are now 350 IDG hubs worldwide and a few new ones are added every week.

 

Not only the quantitative growth is impressive, but also the depth of content. This is supported by the fact that renowned authors such as Amy Edmonson, Otto Scharma, and Peter Senge are among the supporters, as well as academic partners from Harvard, Stockholm, or Erasmus University.

Possible difficulties

Integrating IDGs into leadership development can encounter several challenges. For one, it requires a shift in your organizational culture to recognize the value and importance of your internal development. It also requires time and resources to implement appropriate training and programs.

To overcome these challenges, it’s important to raise your awareness of the importance of IDGs and make clear the benefits to individual and corporate development.

Companies can conduct internal communication and awareness campaigns to inform employees about the benefits of IDGs in leadership development.

Promote your learning culture

It can also be helpful to foster a culture of learning and personal development within the company. You can do this by creating learning opportunities, such as mentoring programs, coaching, or internal training.

By allowing your company to provide you as a leader with opportunities to continuously develop and pursue your IDGs, you can create a positive and supportive environment.

So far, no official certification system has been created that can objectively provide transparency on the success of IDG initiatives. But some initiatives are already underway toward measuring the impact of IDGs.

IDGs for a more sustainable planet

Integrating Inner Development Goals (IDGs) into leadership development offers companies the opportunity to develop you as a leader on a deeper level and promote sustainable and authentic leadership.

By clarifying your inner goals and values as a leader and aligning them with your actions, you can contribute not only to the financial success of the company but also to a resource-efficient circular economy and a sustainable future.

By integrating IDGs into their leadership development efforts, companies can create a new generation of leaders who are not only technically competent but also possess inner strength and awareness. This ultimately leads to an attractive corporate culture, long-term success, and a contribution to the creation of a sustainable world.

Mag. Gunther Fürstberger

Mag. Gunther Fürstberger

CEO | MDI Management Development International

Gunther Fürstberger is a management trainer, author and CEO of Metaforum and MDI – a global consulting company providing solutions for leadership development. His main interest is to make the world a better place through excellent leadership. He has worked for clients including ABB, Abbvie, Boehringer Ingelheim, DHL, Hornbach, PWC and Swarovski. His core competence is leadership in digital transformation. He gained his own leadership experience as HR Manager of McDonald’s Central Europe/Central Asia.  At the age of 20 he already started working as a trainer.

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