The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set a vision and a framework with concrete goals for a more equitable and sustainable world. While the commitment with the SDGs comes at the national level, their implementation is a shared responsibility that require socially responsible individuals and articulation of efforts.

From a global perspective and systemic approach, education is aimed at preparing good citizens and competitive professionals, who will contribute to a more equitable and sustainable world. Talent development efforts create future value and progress, so that it must become a priority, being individuals a critical “piece” in providing value. When in positions of leadership the individuals will be able to higher contribute to achieve the SDGs. However, there is underdeveloped capacity to deal with our increasingly complex environment and challenges. The Inner Development Goals (IDGs) framework integrate 23 inner skills needed for sustainable development, organized into five dimensions. A framework that aims to raise our collective abilities to face and effectively work with complex challenges towards sustainable development. This requires to develop leadership and management capacities rooted on positive human values, oriented to integrity, self-awareness, critical thinking and collaboration, about others. Skills that come from the inner to catalyze outer change.

Leadership is about setting vision, direction and influence others in achieving a shared goals. For years it was taught from the individual to the environment, about influencing others, and only in the last few years there has been a shift towards the leader as individual, focusing on personal sustainability. Hence, there is an opportunity to align the leadership and management skills programs with the IDGs framework for a more impactful learning outcomes towards sustainable development.

This paper aims to share a case study on integration of IDGs into a Leadership and Management Skills teaching program as part of a Master in Management at a Business School. Based on the case study, key success factors were identified of application to other education institutions.

Keywords: Case study, education, IDGs, master, management, teaching, SDGs.