The nexus between leadership competencies and sustainable corporate performance: a systematic literature review and narrative review

In response to increasing pressure on organisations to embed sustainability within their core strategies, this study reviews existing literature on leadership competencies and sustainable corporate performance. Using the PRISMA protocol, 27 journal articles were identified and analysed both descriptively and critically to derive meaningful insights. The review highlights five essential leadership competencies: technological innovation, aligned execution, value creation, business intelligence, and dynamic capabilities that collectively enhance sustainable corporate performance across economic, social, and environmental dimensions. The study draws exclusively from journal articles indexed in the Scopus database and focuses on publications between 2009 and 2025 that include the terms’ leadership competencies’ and ‘sustainable corporate performance’. Consequently, studies addressing leadership or performance independently, or those not indexed in Scopus, may have been excluded, which could affect the comprehensiveness of the findings. Unlike prior research that largely concentrated on organisational performance, this review emphasizes the role of leadership competencies in shaping sustainable corporate performance. The findings offer valuable guidance for leaders and organisations seeking to develop the essential competencies required during this era of sustainability. This paper also outlines a forward-looking research agenda and proposes novel pathways for future investigations.