Overview

Leading the Way: Becoming a Sustainability Change Agent is designed to help you craft a meaningful career that aligns with your values and drives real change in organizations, communities, and industries. Drawing from insights shared by sustainability professionals across diverse roles, you will explore your own leadership style, understand how to build resilience and influence within complex systems, and learn how to position yourself for impact in any industry. Offering an authentic, behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to become an effective sustainability change agent - whether you’re early in a career or looking to expand your influence, this course is ideal for connecting purpose with practice, and discovering how to play a more intentional role in advancing sustainability. This course was developed in collaboration with Siemens Digital Industries Software and is part of the "Design for the Circular Economy" collection. Learners who complete and pass the course can receive an industry-recognized digital badge. The “Design for the Circular Economy” microcredential and graduate certificate are developed around the educational goals of providing technical, business, and leadership knowledge and skills that inspire the transformation towards a more circular economy. This includes gaining technical knowledge to apply circular economy principles in product design, minimizing waste and maximizing impact; developing business acumen to implement innovative circular economic models that prioritize sustainability and resilience; and acquiring leadership strategies to communicate effectively and inspire change within an organization. This course can be taken for academic credit as part of CU Boulder’s Master of Engineering in Engineering Management (ME-EM) degree offered on the Coursera platform. The ME-EM is designed to help engineers, scientists, and technical professionals move into leadership and management roles in the engineering and technical sectors. With performance-based admissions and no application process, the ME-EM is ideal for individuals with a broad range of undergraduate education and/or professional experience. Learn more about the ME-EM program at https://www.coursera.org/degrees/me-engineering-management-boulder.

Syllabus

Becoming A Sustainability Change Agent

Welcome to the course, Leading the Way: Becoming a Sustainability Change Agent. In this first module, you will explore what it means to be a sustainability change agent and how people from all backgrounds can lead change without needing a formal title. You will be introduced to the course, connect with peers, and reflect on your own values and opportunities for impact. Through video, readings, and discussion, you'll begin building the mindset and skills to lead from where you are.

Finding Your Leverage - Mapping Your Role and Influence

In this module, you will learn how to lead sustainability efforts from wherever you sit in an organization. You will explore how systems work, where influence exists, and how your personal values and skills align with opportunities for impact. Through practical frameworks like leverage points, organizational mapping, and spheres of control, influence, and concern, you will identify how and where they can step in to make a difference. You will gain greater clarity on your leadership potential and a strategy for taking the first steps as a sustainability change agent.

Navigating Career Pathways in Sustainability

In this module you will explore the diverse and evolving landscape of sustainability careers. You will examine roles across industries and sectors, analyze the skills most in demand, and reflect on how their own experiences, values, and motivations align with emerging opportunities. Whether you are seeking to pivot into a new role or deepen your impact within your current position, the module offers practical tools for positioning yourself as a sustainability change agent. Through guided activities, you will craft a professional narrative that clearly communicates their purpose, capabilities, and desired impact.

Leading for Long-Term Impact - Sustaining Change and Empowering Others

In this final module, you will explore what it means to lead with purpose in the sustainability space. You will define your personal leadership style, develop strategies for resilience and adaptability, and learn how to empower others through leadership and mentorship. Through reflection, role-play, and real-world planning, you will build the mindset and momentum to become sustainability change agents.