In our first 2012 issue of Leadership Times we explore the reasons why Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan’s Budget speech is just as much a leadership issue as it is a financial one.  Guest writer Terry Meyer shares his insight into why sustainability is the next leadership challenge.

By Terry Meyer

The concept of sustainability has been on corporate agendas for over a decade. The notion of People, Profit and Planet has been the basis for triple bottom line reporting for most listed companies for many years. However, in most cases the focus has been on compliance, whether directly in respect of legislation or indirectly whereby companies recognise the social need for a “licence to do business”.
In almost all cases sustainability has been a secondary item on the strategy agenda. As such it has been relegated to specialist functional departments headed by executives whose primary involvement is often in photo shoots or oversight of annual reporting.

Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan delivered his Budget Speech on 22 February.  So much of the focus in the media and in our minds is on the money - where it comes from and definitely where it is going.  This is as it should be.  After all, the Budget and its consequences affect every aspect of our lives.  But there is a bigger, even more important aspect to this whole issue.