A passion for sustainability is often the driver that attracts people to jobs in this field. However, for sustainability to be fully and successfully integrated into the day-to-day operations of any business, traditional skillsets may prove to be just as crucial. Let’s consider some of the qualities your team will need if you are to be a competitive player in the sustainability game.
Strong leadership
If the organisation is new to the sustainability arena, you will need strong leadership skills in place at the helm. These skills include understanding how to delegate tasks, empower others, maintain resilience, and communicate change within the team. As the climate crisis progresses, leaders will need to be able to think quickly, take perspective, and make decisions in the company and environment's best interests.
Knowledge of the business
The impacts, risks, and opportunities that sustainability presents for each business are unique. Understanding sustainability together with an intimate knowledge of your business operations, stakeholders and future strategic plans are critical to ensure successful integration of the sustainability agenda. A comprehensive understanding of the social issues prevalent in the company's industry is essential when discussing this issue.
Commercial mindset
Sustainable and business objectives were traditionally considered as separate. However, many businesses now find that sustainable practices can save money and attract new customers who are interested in supporting companies that contribute to the environmental and social good.
The subject of sustainability, perhaps more than other disciplines, tends to attract people who are driven by the need to be change makers. While enthusiasm is certainly needed, particularly on more challenging days, the ability to consider and incorporate commercial aspects into the wider conversation can prove more effective than passion alone.
Risk management
While sustainability may be a developing area of expertise in companies, risk management is not. The risk posed by either the transition, or failure to transition to a more sustainable economy, can and should be considered through existing risk management processes, enhancing existing skillsets and frameworks. Being familiar with the vocabulary and the approach taken can help with the incorporation of sustainability considerations.
External communications
Many of the sustainability regulations being introduced focus on disclosure of sustainability-related information to facilitate informed decision-making by stakeholders. It is important that the implications of these disclosures are understood in the wider context of any supervisory oversight. Consistency of investor messaging, and alignment with previous external disclosures, public commitments or marketing campaigns are other crucial factors for the effective management of external communications.
Stakeholder management
Perhaps the most fundamental skill required to develop and deliver a credible sustainability programme is the ability to get internal stakeholders on side. The ultimate goal of a sustainability function is that it should become ‘business as usual’, part of everyone’s day job. Until that point, support is required from all parts of the business from resources that are often already at capacity. The ability to tailor messaging to specific functions, outlining the drivers, risks and opportunities, together with executive support, is a critical skillset.
Change management
The impact of sustainability will ultimately be felt by all parts of the business, whether this is the implementation of a new strategy, regulation, process, or new responsibilities. Aside from sustainability, there is a significant change management element required to embed this level of change and support the culture within an organisation.
Resilience
While sustainability aims to deliver long-term resilience for people, planet and profit, a degree of personal resilience is required to chart the path. An emerging discipline in a fluid regulatory environment requires an organised, curious mind to digest the implications of developing best practice and frequent landmark publications, together with a support network to ensure the workload is shared.
Building a sustainable future together
While the above list may seem unrealistic, it is important to emphasise the ‘team’ nature of sustainability and the need to have support from across the organisation. Identifying a resource proficient in all of these areas is a significant challenge but securing resources with working knowledge of some or all of these areas, with the ability to upskill, is more achievable.
Members of this growing community often have diverse backgrounds and have taken unexpected paths to sustainability. Influenced by the material topics of a particular industry, those tasked with leading out on sustainability may have operations, HR, legal, compliance, financial or scientific backgrounds, or something completely different.
Few people start out with the intention of becoming a sustainability professional, but we now have a growing community forging a new path for their companies with an appetite for collaboration. Being a team player in the field of sustainability is an absolute must, especially given that we are all in the same boat and the water is rising.
