Clarke Murphy - Sustainable Leadership: Lessons of Vision, Courage, and Grit from the Ceos Who Dared to Build a Better World

CLARKE MURPHY

Russell Reynolds Associates

Copyright 2022 by Russell Reynolds Associates, Inc. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.

Published simultaneously in Canada.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Murphy, Clarke, author.

Title: Sustainable leadership : lessons of vision, courage, and grit from the CEOs who dared to build a better world / Clarke Murphy, Russell Reynolds Associates.

Description: Hoboken, New Jersey : John Wiley & Sons, Inc., [2022] | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2022029445 (print) | LCCN 2022029446 (ebook) | ISBN 9781119872153 (hardback) | ISBN 9781119872177 (adobe pdf) | ISBN 9781119872160 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: Chief executive officers. | Social responsibility of business. | Corporate culture. | Sustainable development. | Career development.

Classification: LCC HD38.2 .M873 2022 (print) | LCC HD38.2 (ebook) | DDC 658.4/2dc23/eng/20220624

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022029445

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022029446

Cover design: Russell Reynolds Associates

Cover image: Katsumi Murouchi/Getty Images

To the unnamed and unsung sustainable leaders not mentioned on these pagesthe individuals who have yet to be promoted or developed as future CEOs and board members. If we accelerate their careers, if they can follow some of the examples and takeaways written here, collectively they will improve the way the world is led.

BY ADENA T. Friedman, President & CEO of Nasdaq, Inc.

Almost no topic inspires more passion and urgency from stakeholders as the drive for sustainability. Individually and collectively we all have a part to play in protecting the health and long-term sustainability of our shared planet, and in creating thriving economies and communities in which everyone can participate and succeed.

Within this context, business plays an important and defining role. In recent years, we have seen the growth of capital market participation at a scale and level of diversity like never before. This increased participation has also brought new expectations for companies and the role they can play in addressing societal challenges. Employees, investors, and consumers want to grow their wealth and savings, but they also care about how corporations make those returns and their broader impact. This underscores that sustainability and profitability are not competing forcesthey are an and, not an or.

Many people know Nasdaq as the largest global equities marketplace for innovative companies. But, Nasdaq today is also the premier platform and ecosystem for the global financial system. In addition to our foundational marketplaces business, we provide the technology that powers more than 130 markets around the world. This gives me a privileged position of being able to view the breadth of global business and engage with leaders across the financial ecosystem, from corporates to asset owners, asset managers, other market operators, and beyond. Without question, sustainability continues to be a top agenda item across the board, and there are clear and encouraging signs that business is responding to the challenge.

Nasdaq helps get capital into the hands of the most cutting-edge companies, many of which are focused on creating sustainable solutions for the future. We enable any investor to support a sustainable economy by betting on these bold pioneersand they are doing just that in unprecedented numbers. We are also seeing more companies than ever embrace environmental, social, and governance principles and make net-zero commitments.

As sustainability becomes a significant focus for business, we are defining the best practices that will drive future success. It requires a willingness to set meaningful goals and be held accountable for them. It requires the ability to prioritize long-term social and environmental benefits that may not be realized for decades to come. It requires flexibility and understanding as the space evolves and matures. Perhaps most importantly, it requires leaders who can recognize the role business can play in creating a more equitable and sustainable world.

Clarke Murphy's insights are based upon face-to-face conversations with individuals who are in the leadership seats influencing and shaping this change. He is right there in the trenches with the actual decision makers. By asking the questions others don't think to ask, he has discovered exactly the kind of mindset, skillset, vision, and drive it takes to lead a corporation into a sustainable future. Through rich storytelling and exclusive insights from the world's most influential CEOs and the next generation of leaders and startup pioneers, he details the steps we can all take to move toward our sustainability goals. The advice and examples found on the next pages demonstrate that it's not in the talking, but the doing.

Through his experience and expertise, Clarke is able to draw out personal and life-changing experiences from CEOs, crystallizing their deepest thoughts into actionable takeaways. I should knowI've had those conversations with Clarke myself, and he has been a guiding and encouraging voice.