| The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which the principles of sustainability and sustainable development were integrated by public sector leaders, as part of their effectiveness in the design, development, and implementation of critical public policy decision-making process, affecting not only the current generation but also future generations. The dissertation research was focused on selected local and regional government leaders in the Seattle/King County area of the State of Washington.; The research methodology used for this dissertation was a modified Delphi process with limited two-step application of in-person interviews with selected public sector leaders, followed by their suggested respective case study examples of sustainable public policy decision-making processes.; As part of the qualitative research protocol, nine pre-selected public sector leaders were interviewed via a specially prepared questionnaire as well as through one-on-one personal meetings. Although the focus of this research was to sample the extent of sustainable leadership skills and traits of the local and regional government leaders in the Puget Sound region of the State of Washington, other public sector leaders from around the country were also interviewed to increase the sample of the database. The rationale behind the five questions posed to the leaders being interviewed was to identify any missing links or voids in their respective styles of leadership with or without the effective application of the emerging sustainable development tools and resources.; The primary findings about sustainable leadership qualities that emerged from the interviews were that the leaders were somewhat aware of the sustainability principles and directly incorporated the triple bottom-line and triad of sustainable development into their respective governance responsibilities: economic prosperity, environmental stewardship, and social justice.; The selected three case studies emerging from this study exemplified the distinct long-term societal benefits of effective leadership for sustainable development in the public sector. |
