The stoic practice of sustainability leadership in complex social-ecological systems

The United Nations has sought a new standard of leadership aligned with a sustainability agenda consistent with recent scholarship calls for greater reflection and independence of thought, pro-social outcomes and understanding of the place of leadership. Through this conceptual paper, we outline how the practice of Stoic principles can inform the enactment of contemporary leadership to address sustainability challenges. The teachings of Epictetus and Seneca provide context for potential contemporary applications of these principles in leadership conduct aligned with Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) theory within social-ecological systems (SES). Leadership practices, captured in the reflective journals of Roman Emperor and Stoic, Marcus Aurelius, encourage consideration of leadership conduct that is informed through broader SES perspectives. This conceptual enquiry contributes insight into the potential for Stoicism to provide practical leadership responses to the UN sustainability agenda and emerging ‘sustainability leadership’ debate.