InsightsArticles and resources to help you harness the potential of leadership storytelling.
Wet activism: Swimming against the tide of dominant stories
Explore how “wet activism” is reshaping our relationship with nature. In this reflective piece, Zoe Arden dives into year-round Thames swimming, challenges extractive mindsets driving projects like the Thames Water abstraction scheme, and shows how fresh metaphors—from interspecies councils to forest-inspired systems—can unlock new approaches to leadership, policy and our place in the living world.
Storytelling, creativity, and living out loud!
From the raw honesty of the Edinburgh Fringe to the playful reinvention of Shambala, Zoe Arden explores how creative storytelling helps us rethink who we are and how we lead. This reflection previews themes from her upcoming book, Story-Centred Leadership, showing how performance, music, and culture can unlock new perspectives, spark connection, and inspire action in a world hungry for change.
Competing in the age of disruption
This is an inspirational paper that I was fortunate enough to be able to contribute to and is an essential read for anyone in business who wants to be able to thrive on a livable planet.
Who I’m celebrating on International Women’s Day
For #IWD2024, Cambridge Institute of Sustainability Leadership (CISL) asked women from across their community on LinkedIn who or what is inspiring them to make a difference in the world.
Revisiting why we need to put love at the heart of our leadership
Why we need to put love at the heart of our leadership every day of the year... Revisiting a blog from a previous Valentine's Day and reflecting on how love, care and courage are embedded in the new Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) leadership capabilities framework.
Proud to co-author CISL’s new leadership capabilities framework
I feel proud and privileged to be a co-author of CISL's new leadership framework officially launched this week which proposes purpose-led, connected, collaborative, creative, courageous and context-based leadership to achieve a thriving future for all.
Communicating purpose: How to activate and embed purpose in your organisation
The Great Realignment has shown that current employees, as well as future recruits, make choices based on a company’s values. Zoë Arden, CISL Fellow and an independent leadership and stakeholder engagement specialist examines the significance of having a clear purpose for an organisation and how to bring it to life.
A community of action: Celebrating the impact stories of our global CISL Network
CISL Fellow Zoë Arden introduces impact stories from our global CISL Network, celebrating individuals who are driving change in their industries and communities.
In the race to net zero, green jobs struggle with the gender gap
The energy transition has become a question of ‘when’ not ‘if’ in the UK, which is making huge investments to achieve a low-carbon economy. One of the many benefits of this transition will be the creation of thousands of jobs in sectors ranging from forestry to finance.
School's out - learning's in
In Europe, and some other parts of the world, a few more weeks of summer still stretch ahead. These are the so-called halcyon days of ‘school’s out for summer’ when we reap the rewards of running around getting ready for the holidays
University of Cambridge Women Leading Change: Shaping Our Future Online Short Course
Watch this trailer for the Women Leading Change: Shaping Our Future online short course from the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership.
Celebrating our superpower as women leading change
This year International Women’s Day recognises the contribution of women and girls around the world who are leading the charge to build a more sustainable future for all. In this blog, CISL fellow Zoe Arden celebrates the breadth, depth and diversity of the women in CISL’s ecosystem.
Why we need to put love at the heart of our leadership
Zoë Arden, CISL Fellow and Head Tutor of the Women Leading Change: Shaping Our Future online course, explores why we need to place love at the heart of our leadership to create genuine and lasting change.
Women Leading Change: Shaping our Future Webinar
Join Zoë Arden, CISL Fellow, and expert Contributors to the ‘Women Leading Change: Shaping Our Future’ 8-week online programme to discuss their leadership journeys and own experiences female agents of change.
Women Leading Change: Harnessing our resolve to deliver change in 2022
In our first blog of the new year, Zoe Arden, CISL Fellow and Head Tutor of the Women Leading Change: Shaping Our Future online course, explores how we can harness our resolve to tackle environmental and social injustice to ensure 2022 is a year of significant progress.
Sustainability Mindshift Webcast
Why are experiential learning and ‘storybeing’ essential tools for leadership scale and impact today, and how can truthful stories powerfully told drive transformational change?