ESG and the Principle of Joy: From compliance to conscious leadership

What happens when leadership runs on joy?

“True joy is not the result of something visible or tangible,” Aïvanhov wrote.

Authentic joy is an inner psychological state, not an external reward. It emerges from the alignment between who we are, what we decide, and the meaning we pursue.

Modern neuroscience reinforces this perspective. Research shows that well-being directly influences decision-making capacity, stress resilience, and organizational coherence. Dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin are not just chemistry: they regulate how we perceive risk, collaboration, and opportunity. When these mechanisms are balanced, we become more creative, clearer in thought, and more receptive.

In other words, our emotional landscape implicitly shapes organizational sustainability. Organizations do not become sustainable through policies alone, but through the inner climate of the people who build them. A culture dominated by stress and pressure produces reactive, administrative decisions; a culture that cultivates joy and meaning generates responsible, coherent, future-oriented actions.

The link between the psychology of joy and ESG

What is fascinating is that the principle of joy is never just an individual experience. Our inner state influences how we build relationships, make decisions, and relate to the world. A leader who operates from meaning and inner coherence generates a different type of impact than one driven by pressure or fear.

In this sense, the psychology of joy should be a foundational pillar of ESG: when leaders and organizations act from inner balance and clarity, their decisions naturally become more sustainable, more ethical, and more coherent.

Thus, ESG is no longer merely a reporting requirement or compliance exercise. It becomes an extension of inner well-being: responsible actions toward the environment, people, and governance emerge from an ecosystem that integrates human flourishing with organizational responsibility.

ESG through the lens of joy

Environmental

When we respect nature from a place of genuine care, our actions become sustainable and coherent. Research in positive psychology shows that people who feel connected to the environment adopt ecological behaviours not out of obligation, but out of real joy, strengthening their long-term sense of purpose. In other words, they become happier, and happiness becomes an ally of sustainability.

Social

Inner joy and emotional intelligence enhance collaboration, empathy, and cohesion. Organizations in which people experience authentic fulfilment become more creative and more resilient. Thus, the Social component – the “S” in ESG – becomes the cultivation of human vitality: the joy of growing alongside the organization and everything that supports us, and that we support, internally and externally.

Governance

Decisions made from inner coherence and joy are more ethical and transparent. Studies show that leadership grounded in internal values generates trust and long-term stability, unlike governance based solely on rigid rules. Psychology and neuroscience confirm that joy is a powerful internal regulator: it reduces anxiety, increases cognitive clarity, and encourages sustainable decisions.

Leadership that integrates the principle of joy transforms actions into expressions of inner values.
In this sense, ESG becomes a natural extension of personal and organizational energy – not a compliance exercise, but a higher form of motivation.

ESG as an inner barometer

If we reimagine ESG not as an external framework but as an inner ecosystem of consciousness, we discover that each letter reflects a dimension of human existence:

E – Exist

The environment enables life. Your existence is possible because of the air, water, light, and living systems that sustain you. How do you know you exist? Because you breathe. And since you breathe, help nature breathe as well – through small, conscious gestures that restore the balance we all depend on.

S – Support

The Social dimension is the living bond between you and others. To support is not only an outward act; it is also inward: supporting yourself, supporting those around you, today, tomorrow, and beyond. To support means creating space for empathy, cooperation, and the joy of growing together.

G – Generate

Governance can be seen as the art of generating clarity, direction, and trust. To govern means first generating your own inner framework of balance: values, principles, coherent choices. From this inner space arise ideas, policies, and systems that work not only for you but for the entire ecosystem you belong to.

True governance begins within.

When you exist in harmony, support with intention, and generate from a place of joy, ESG ceases to be an external requirement and becomes the natural reflection of a conscious, responsible mindset.

Questions for reflection

• How would organizational culture change if joy – not compliance pressure – powered the decisions that shape the future?
• What feels different, in your own experience, between acting from “I must” and acting from inner coherence and joy?
• What small daily ritual could nurture joy as a principle, not merely as a consequence?