Sustainable leadership and the preparedness of leaders in Malaysian higher education: A phenomenological study

Abstract

Sustainable leadership has become an essential paradigm in higher education as institutions navigate increasingly complex social, environmental, and ethical challenges. Malaysian public universities play a strategic role in developing youth leaders capable of advancing sustainability-oriented agendas in alignment with national development priorities. This study examines the preparedness of student leaders in public higher education institutions (HEIs) in Negeri Sembilan for sustainable leadership roles. Guided by a qualitative phenomenological design, the research explores the lived experiences, perceptions, and developmental pathways of five purposively selected student leaders. Through thematic analysis, three major themes emerged—emotional intelligence, training and development, and organizational exposure—which collectively explain the dynamic interplay between personal competencies and institutional environments in shaping leadership readiness. The Motivation–Opportunity–Ability (MOA) framework served as the analytical lens, illustrating how emotional intelligence represents an ability, training enhances both motivation and skill, and organizational exposure provides or constrains opportunities for applied leadership. Findings indicate that while students display strong motivation and emerging sustainable leadership capabilities, institutional limitations—such as bureaucratic structures, inconsistent sustainability-focused training, and limited participatory governance—constrain authentic leadership engagement. This study contributes to scholarship on sustainability and leadership development by offering a holistic understanding of student leadership readiness and proposing institutional strategies for cultivating emotionally intelligent, ethically grounded, and sustainability-oriented future leaders.