Aim: It is the aim of this research to investigate how responsible leadership and institutional changes can enhance teams' effectiveness. Entrepreneurship helps to build legitimacy for sustainability-focused innovation in the Swedish renewable energy. 

Methodology: The approach to this study is based on theory and involves an interpretivist qualitative research design (deductive, Peircean) thematic analysis the data was collected through nine semistructured interviews with entrepreneurs and innovation support actors who are focused on sustainability in the Swedish renewable-energy sector. Complemented by relevant secondary documents the empirical material was utilized thematic analysis arranged within an integrated framework that combined multiple perspectives. Theory of Institutional Leadership and the Theory to Foster Responsible Leadership. 

Findings and Conclusion: According to the results, sustainability-based innovation is gaining active legitimacy. Established through the integration of effective leadership and institutional setting.' practical leadership methods that prioritize safety, stakeholder care, transparency, and long-term responsibility are key to strengthening trust and responsibility. Institutional entrepreneurship—such as navigating regulatory the value of limitations, building partnerships, and standards is conveyed through these values. Field-level practices and expectations together, these mechanisms generate pragmatist, moral and cognitive legitimacy, in support of institutional alignment and rationality. The societal acceptance of renewable-energy innovations in the long run. 

Contribution of the Study: Theoretically, the research facilitates the advancement of knowledge by outlining an encompassing structure which explains the legitimacy construction as a process and relational phenomenon in sustainability transitions. It introduces an elegant idea of the process of legitimacy creation, as it creates dynamic relations between the actors and thus serves to enrich the discourse on institutional change and the process of transition. iiiPractically, the results provide practical advice on sustainability-oriented leaders, intermediaries of innovation, and policymakers. The study identifies the synergistic nature of ethical leadership and institutional work by showing how these interventions can lead to the increased trust in stakeholders, enhanced credibility, and the overall acceptance of renewable energy solutions by society. 

Keywords: Responsible leadership, institutional entrepreneurship, legitimacy,stakeholder, corporate leaders, renewable energy