LF25 Part 1 of 3 - Sustainability Is Simple: Reframing Legacy and Longevity

Let’s Stop Overcomplicating What We Already Know

Let’s say the quiet part out loud: sustainability is actually very, very simple. At its core, it’s the intersection of legacy and longevity.

• Legacy: Can I be proud of what we did?

• Longevity: Can we keep doing it over time, without depleting our people, our resources, or our trust?

That’s it. That’s the whole thing.

And yet, we’ve let the sustainability conversation become bloated—layered with jargon, tangled in performative virtue, and obscured by decades of moral pressure. Somehow, we’ve turned something as straightforward as “operate in a way you can stand behind, and keep doing it without burning out or breaking down” into a specialist language requiring panels, certifications, and storytelling seminars.

The truth? We’ve known the answers for a while. The problem is, we keep trying to persuade people using complexity instead of clarity.

At ILFI's Living Future 2025 in Portland last week, I met so many leaders, change agents, and sustainability practitioners who are still in but tired of the spin. The ones who are showing up, doing the work, and asking: Why are we still having the same conversations we had 15 years ago?

Let’s bring the sustainability conversation back down to earth—and rebuild it on something we can actually use.

Legacy: What You Leave Behind When the Project Ends

Legacy isn’t about idealism. It’s about being able to look at your work and not wince.

It’s transparency. It’s knowing you didn’t need to hide what was done, how it was done, or who paid the price. It’s having the receipts and being okay if someone reads them out loud.

Legacy doesn’t require sainthood. It requires reflection:

• Would I proudly explain this decision on a stage?

• Would I want my team’s name attached to it?

• Can I hold my head up when asked, “Was this worth it?”

We know what it feels like when the answer is no. We've all been part of the "get-it-done" moment that skips the post-mortem. That's not sustainable leadership—that’s just survival mode with a calendar.

Longevity: Can You Do It Again Tomorrow?

Now let’s talk about longevity. It’s the part of sustainability that gets dressed up as “resilience” or “continuity”—but it’s really about functioning without collapse.

• Can your systems adapt and recover?

• Can your people keep showing up without burning out?

• Can your business hold its integrity under pressure?

Here’s the kicker: Innovation doesn’t get a pass on longevity. Too often, we treat technical debt, throwaway design, or burned-out teams as “the cost of progress.” But that’s not innovation. That’s poor planning wearing cool shoes.

Even our innovation cycles need to be sustainable. They need room for recovery, iteration, and absorption.

Because if it only works once—or only works when no one’s watching—it’s not longevity. It’s a novelty.

The False Binary: Good vs. Commercial

Here’s where we get stuck: the belief that sustainability is a tradeoff between doing good and doing business. This binary shows up everywhere—from procurement decisions to public messaging. And it’s a myth.

Because a culture that people want to work in? That’s good business. A system that doesn’t collapse under scrutiny? That’s good business. A product that isn’t obsolete in a year? Good business.

Pride in your work and staying power in your strategy are commercial advantages. We just need to stop pretending that sustainability is a “nice to have.” It’s operational hygiene.

If your business can’t continue to deliver without exploitation—of people, resources, trust, or truth—it isn’t stable. It’s subsidized by harm. And harm always has a cost. It just shows up late.

The Problem Isn’t Definition. It’s Courage.

Let me say this clearly: we don’t need another definition of sustainability. We have definitions. We have metrics. We have globally accepted standards.

What we lack—sometimes—is the will to name what’s not working.

At the Living Future Conference, we were all among brilliant architects, designers, engineers, and change practitioners. The level of expertise in this, yes I'll say it, elite room was staggering. And yet, some of the conversations? The exact same ones I had in retail over 15 years ago.

Still trying to “get people on board.” Still debating how to make the case. Still prioritizing persuasion over power.

I don’t say this to discourage. I say it because I believe we’re ready to move forward. But only if we stop waiting for a better story and start telling the truth.

Storytelling Isn’t the Problem. Fear Is.

Everywhere I go, I hear the same thing: “We need to improve our storytelling.” And sure, good communication matters.

But let’s be honest. We’ve been telling stories since the beginning of time. We know how to persuade. Retail proves that every single day.

So why are we pretending we’ve forgotten how?

The issue isn’t storytelling—it’s fear.

• Fear of being first.

• Fear of being exposed.

• Fear of admitting what we haven’t done.

That’s why we default to garbage pile imagery and crisis mode messaging. We want people to feel urgency without having to lead vulnerability.

But leadership is vulnerability. And sustainability? It’s leadership in motion.

From Measures to Meaning: Making It Real

If legacy and longevity are the lens, measures are how we focus it.

One tool I come back to is a simple framework I call MOO:

• Measures of the Mission – Are we achieving what we claim to be about?

• Measures of Objectives – Are we delivering what we promised?

• Measures of Operational Viability – Can this hold under real-world conditions? Is the journey as well managed as the destination?

Most teams are great at measuring objectives. Fewer are clear on mission. And almost none build in stress testing for operational reality.

But these aren’t technical hurdles. They’re leadership choices. And the frameworks already exist: GRI, Living Future, B Corp, public sector best practice. The wheel does not need reinvention. It needs application.

The Real Question: What Would It Take to Be Proud?

Forget “green.” Forget “carbon neutral.” Forget “ESG compliant.”

Just ask: Would I be proud to show this work to someone I respect?

Would I be okay telling the full story—not just the approved version?

If not, that’s the red flag. Because pride and persistence aren’t just emotional states—they’re indicators of sustainability. They tell us whether we’re building something we can live with and live in.

And that includes the systems we run, the cultures we shape, the choices we normalize.

So What Now? A Quick Leadership Debrief

1. Run a Legacy Review. Pick a recent initiative. Ask:

• Would we stand behind every part of this?

• What would we omit if asked to present it?

• Are we proud, or just done?

2. Conduct a Longevity Audit. Take a critical process. Stress test it:

• What breaks under pressure?

• Where are we fragile?

• Can we still do this in five years?

3. Choose Better Measures. Look at your dashboards and reports. Ask:

• Do these reflect what actually matters?

• Are they legacy-worthy?

• Would they survive public daylight?

Closing Thought: The Most Sustainable Resource Is Courage

In my experience, the biggest barrier to sustainability isn’t complexity. It’s discomfort.

• Discomfort with going first.

• Discomfort with being visible.

• Discomfort with doing the work differently.

But discomfort isn’t a reason to delay. It’s a sign you’re touching something that matters.

Legacy and longevity aren’t just ideas. They’re your leadership edge. They’re what separate well-intentioned initiatives from resilient, respected organizations.

So ask yourself, every time you sit down to make a decision:

Can I be proud of this? Can we keep doing it?

If the answer is yes, you’re on the right track. If the answer is no, then congratulations—you’ve just uncovered your most important work.

Leadership Reflection Prompt

If no one gave me a sustainability award for this work, would I still be proud of how we showed up?

Because in the end, the goal isn’t approval. It’s integrity. And integrity—unlike most metrics—actually lasts.

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Jennifer Diamond is a managing consultant, educator, and longtime change strategist with over 35 years guiding leadership teams through transformation across industries. Founder of Maypop Grove, she brings a human-centered, systems-savvy approach to sustainability, strategy, and resilience. Her work blends curiosity, clarity, and deep operational fluency—whether in executive sessions, university classrooms, or reflective garden paths.

"The Gourd Series" is her three-part exploration of leadership in a time of disruption: moving from exhaustion to renewal, and from resistance to clarity, with gratitude to the participants at ILFI's Living Future 2025 and the Lan Su Yuan in Portland.

Learn more at www.maypopgrove.com