Civility & Social Responsibility: Towards Sustainable and Impactful Leadership
%20(19.png)
By Karima Guerfali Lazzem, Best Training Academy
In a world evolving at a vertiginous pace—where social, environmental, and human challenges are becoming more complex—leadership can no longer be defined by the ability to achieve goals or manage teams alone.
Leadership today—and even more so tomorrow—must be responsible, sustainable, and profoundly human.
Two often underestimated levers are emerging as powerful catalysts for this new kind of leadership: civility and a deep commitment to social responsibility (CSR, ESG, ethical leadership).
Civility: Not about being "nice", but about being effective and inspiring
Research by Professor Christine Porath (1), highlighted in her book Mastering Civility and her highly acclaimed TEDx talk (2), shows that everyday civility significantly enhances how leaders are perceived, improves individual performance, and strengthens collaboration within teams.
Christine Porath has spent two decades studying workplace civility. Her core finding?
“Those who are seen as civil are more likely to be viewed as leaders, and generally are more likely to perform well and succeed. (1)
Her research highlights multiple benefits:
- Increased influence: Civil behavior draws people to seek your advice and follow your lead (1.1)
- Enhanced performance: Leaders who model respect foster trust and cohesion (1.2)
- Well-being & retention: Mundane acts of courtesy reduce burnout and build mental health in teams (1.3).
Porath’s TEDx reinforces this: civility isn’t optional—it’s the core of sustainable leadership.
Conversely, even subtle forms of incivility can trigger powerful negative effects(3)
- Reduced motivation and engagement: 48% of employees intentionally decrease their efforts after being exposed to uncivil behavior.
- Decline in creativity: 61% experience a drop in creativity, generating 45% fewer ideas.
- Erosion of trust and psychological safety: 25% admit to "passing on" this incivility, fueling a vicious cycle within their teams.
👉 This is why fostering a climate of civility elevates leaders in the eyes of others—making them appear both warm and competent—the two pillars of positive and sustainable influence, according to social psychology.
Responsible Leadership: From how we do things to why we do them
Parallel to civility is the growing imperative of social responsibility—not just in words, but in systems, strategy, and shared values.
Theories from Porter & Kramer’s Creating Shared Value affirm that businesses thrive when they integrate societal challenges into their core mission (4) Meanwhile, ISO 26000 provides a universal compass—ethical behavior, governance, and community impact—as essential leadership commitments (4.1)
Empirical studies further confirm:
- Organizational citizenship (like civic virtue and courtesy) boosts performance, perceived warmth, and competence (4.2)
- Ethical leadership and CSR enhance employee engagement, moral maturity, and pro-environmental behavior (4.3)
When facilitating emotional intelligence and modern soft-skills—the challenge is clear: weaving social responsibility into organizational culture isn’t just moral, it’s strategic. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is no longer just about compliance or marketing. Today, it forms the very foundation of leadership aligned with human values and the expectations of new generations.
Leaders who successfully embed CSR into their daily actions create a deeply inspiring model of leadership:
- They embody
coherence between words and actions.
Employees and stakeholders quickly detect whether stated values are genuinely lived by the leader. - They bring meaning
to work, connecting individual actions to collective goals:
→ Contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
→ Actively engaging in social and environmental initiatives
→ Promoting inclusion, diversity, and well-being at work - They cultivate a
long-term vision, emphasizing sustainable management practices
and a systemic approach to performance.
Leadership is no longer driven solely by quarterly results but by its broader positive impact on employees, communities, and the planet.
👉
Once again, civility plays a critical role here.
You cannot authentically lead with CSR without embodying deep respect, active
listening, and genuine care for others.
How a leader treats their teams daily directly reflects the credibility of their social commitment.
The Virtuous Circle: Civility, Trust, and Responsibility
Civility
is not just an individual quality—it is a systemic lever.
When leaders consistently demonstrate civility:
👉
They reinforce trust
👉
This trust nourishes psychological safety
👉
This safety enables a culture where CSR is not merely promoted—but genuinely
lived(4)
“In my own coaching practice, I often witness a simple truth: a leader’s smallest behaviors—how they listen, acknowledge, and respect others—shape the entire culture of an organization. Civility is not a soft skill ‘nice to have.’ It is a powerful force that builds trust and makes social responsibility visible and credible every day.” In coaching and leadership development, I see this connection every day. A leader who is ethical but uncivil loses credibility.
Our “social brain”—with its sensitivity to congruence between what is said and what is done—quickly detects such inconsistencies.
Authenticity is everything.
Where Civility + Responsibility Converge
When leaders champion both civility and social responsibility, three transformative outcomes emerge:
1. People thrive in psychological safety
Civility establishes respect, while CSR commitments elevate purpose. Together, they create environments where people feel safe to innovate and engage (5)
b) Engagement turns into advocacy
Employees who feel cared for—and part of a deeper mission—regularly go beyond required tasks. They exhibit organizational citizenship behaviors like advocating for community, mentoring colleagues, and championing purpose (5.1)
c) Reputation becomes sustainable
Leaders who model respect and drive responsible initiatives stand out as both warm and competent. That perception attracts talent, deepens client loyalty, and differentiates brands in saturated markets .
Why Civility is a Lever for Sustainable Performance
Combining civility with CSR fosters:
- a culture of cooperation
- a climate of innovation and creativity
- reduced turnover and improved employee engagement
It creates fertile ground for:
✅
Developing self-awareness
✅
Enhancing emotional intelligence
✅
Strengthening non-violent communication
✅
Nurturing adaptive leadership
It also helps:
✅
Model civil behaviors across the organization
✅
Embed CSR into management practices
✅
Master conversational intelligence⁵
In short, it cultivates leadership that is not only high-performing but also deeply human and aligned with societal values. (6)
Conclusion: Tomorrow’s Leadership is the Leadership of Care
In a world longing for more humanity, sustainability, and meaning, civility and social responsibility have become foundations of impactful leadership.
“As I often tell the leaders I accompany: people may forget what you said or did — but they will never forget how you made them feel. Civility, combined with a deep sense of responsibility, allows us to lead with both heart and impact.”
The leaders of tomorrow will be those who care—not only about achieving results but also about nurturing human relationships and driving positive societal impact. It is no longer just about motivating people. It is about embodying a leadership style that is sustainable, compassionate, and coherent..
By fusing civility with social responsibility, you elevate leadership from transactional management to transformational legacy.
Now, ask:
- How can each training cohort leave with one practical habit of civility?
- What CSR action (even small scale) can your audience champion?
- How can you spotlight moments when respect + responsibility led to breakthrough performance?
References
2. Porath, C. (2016). Mastering Civility. Grand Central Publishing / mdpi.com+12forbes.com+12youtube.com+12 /
1. (1.1) researchgate.net+2blog.culturewise.com+2researchgate.net+2. /
1. (1.3) kra.com+4pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov+4researchgate.net+4
3. TEDx talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YY1ERM-NIBY
4. Porath, C. & Pearson, C. (2013). The Price of Incivility. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2013/01/the-price-of-incivility
1. (4.1) en.wikipedia.org
2. (4.2) en.wikipedia.org.
3. (4.3) frontiersin.org
5. bovardcollege.usc.edu+15en.wikipedia.org+15pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov+15en.wikipedia.org+10forbes.com+10youtube.com+10.
1. (5.1) en.wikipedia.org.
6. researchgate.net+12en.wikipedia.org+12youtube.com+12.
#Civility #CivilityAtWork #CSR #CorporateSocialResponsibility #EthicalLeadership #SustainableLeadership #SocialResponsibility #BusinessForGood #LeadershipDevelopment #TransformationalLeadership
Author Bio :
Karima Guerfali Lazzem
Coach & Mentor in human potential
acceleration and success.
I help individuals and organizations develop professional and personal skills
through training, coaching, NLP, and hypnotherapy.
Expert in Leadership, Communication, and Soft Skills, I design transformational
programs to foster impactful, responsible, and human-centered leadership.
Founder & CEO of Best Training Academy (BTA), I am committed to building
stronger, more conscious communities through learning and personal growth.
contact@besttrainingacademy.com
best.trainingacademy2019@gmail.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/karima-guerfali-lazzem-besttrainingacademy-bta/
Comments
Post a Comment