Reflections on Trailblazing Leadership - Jan Artem Henriksson

As the clock ticks down to 2030, progress toward the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has been alarmingly slow. While we have accumulated extensive knowledge on the factors driving challenges such as climate change, poverty, and public health, and developed countless technical solutions and policies, a critical element has been largely overlooked.

This "blind spot," as described by the creators of the Inner Development Goals, is not about what needs to be done—but how we equip individuals and organisations with the inner skills and abilities necessary to act effectively. The gap between what we know and what we do is still far too wide.

At the heart of the IDG initiative is a question that sparked its creation:

What abilities, qualities or skills do you believe are essential to develop, individually and collectively, in order to get us significantly closer to fulfilling the UN Sustainable Development Goals?

This inquiry led to the creation of a framework outlining 23 essential skills, grouped into five dimensions. The IDG Framework is both a guide and a call to action for organisations, companies, and institutions to prioritise inner development as a pathway to sustainable outcomes.

In 2025, the IDGs will take centre stage as the theme partner of the WIN WIN Gothenburg Sustainability Award, which will highlight Trailblazing Leadership

We spoke with Jan Artem Henriksson, Executive Director of the Inner Development Goals (IDGs), to explore how the IDGs can redefine leadership and accelerate progress toward a sustainable future,

With just five years left until 2030, progress on the SDGs is far behind where it needs to be. How do you see the IDGs contributing to closing this gap and speeding up progress?

Jan: The Inner Development Goals (IDGs) contribute by focusing on building the necessary skills and abilities that empower individuals and groups to increase their capacity to see, understand, and tackle global challenges. Progress on the SDGs depends not only on technical solutions but also on the human willingness and ability to act boldly and collaboratively.

By scaling transformative learning—the process of developing critical inner skills such as self-awareness, systemic thinking, and compassion—we can enable individuals, organisations, and societies to:

• Break through old patterns of behavior and thinking.
• Address the root causes of our global crises.
• Drive the systemic shifts required to implement sustainable solutions at scale.

When individuals develop the IDG skills, they become more resilient, adaptive, and capable of long term orientation and true innovation. This creates the conditions for systemic change, where human creativity and collaboration can unlock technical solutions, policy innovation, and action aligned with the SDGs. In essence, the IDGs serve as a catalyst, ensuring that humanity has the skills and mindset needed to bridge the gap and accelerate progress towards 2030.

In your view, what is the greatest challenge facing leaders today in driving sustainable transformation?

Jan: The greatest challenge facing leaders today is recognising that sustainability is primarily a human and adaptive challenge. While we have many technical solutions available, the critical obstacle lies in getting people—both within and outside organisations and across political parties and nations—to collaborate and embrace the necessary changes for our future generations.

Driving sustainable transformation requires leaders to overcome inertia, resistance to change, and competing priorities by fostering:

• A shared willingness and capacity to act collectively for the long-term good.
• A culture of collaboration that transcends silos and borders.
• The inner skills to navigate complexity, such as empathy, long term orientation, and systemic thinking.

When people develop the ability and willingness to change, it becomes possible to unlock the collective action needed to address our global challenges.

Could you share a couple of real-world examples where organisations or governments have applied the IDG framework? What kind of outcomes have they seen so far?

Jan: Absolutely! Global companies like Google, IKEA, Novartis and Volvo Group have integrated the IDG framework into their leadership development programs, enhancing leaders' abilities to navigate uncertainty, foster collaboration, and think systemically.

In the governments of countries like Albania and Costa Rica, the IDGs have been used in policymaking workshops to build capacities such as perspective-taking and systemic thinking among policymakers, leading to more integrative approaches to social and environmental challenges.

The outcomes include a stronger commitment to the SDGs, a shift in the sustainability narrative toward hope and action, reduced eco-anxiety, enhanced trust and cross-departmental collaboration, and a greater self-perceived willingness and capacity to tackle complex challenges.

What would you recommend as the first step in developing the inner abilities needed to navigate complexity and drive meaningful action?

The first step is to create space for reflection and self-awareness within leadership and organisational culture. In today’s fast-paced world, leaders and teams must intentionally pause to examine their ways of working and ask fundamental questions:

• Are our HR and Sustainability departments collaborating effectively to drive shared goals?
• Which IDG skills do we excel at, and where is there room for growth?
• What evidence-based methods and tools can help us improve the skills we need most?

A practical way to begin is by engaging with IDG Hubs—over 700 active hubs worldwide—where individuals and organisations can connect, learn, and exchange best practices. Another valuable step is to join the IDG Learning Journey (tailored for corporate partners), providing access to the latest science, tools, and real-world examples from leading organisations.

Additionally, organisations can start small by integrating short IDG reflection practices into team meetings. These practices encourage teams to reflect on successes, challenges, and learnings, building the inner capacities needed to navigate complexity and foster continuous improvement.

By committing to this reflective process, organisations can lay the groundwork for a culture of growth, collaboration, and meaningful action.

Thank you, Jan!
We at WIN WIN Gothenburg Sustainability Award look forward to collaborating with the Inner Development Goals in the comming year, and hearing more from Jan Artem Henriksson at the Gothenburg Sustainability Summit on April 9th! Read more about the summit here.