Motion, innovation and altering the world — that is what I envisioned once I first entered sustainability consulting almost 10 years in the past. I pictured myself working alongside a large number of purchasers, guiding the sustainable transformation of their companies and the transition to a virtuous cycle — serving to them shift from environmental degradation to a planetary economic system.
Fortunately, a lot of what I imagined is the fact. There are plenty of alternatives in sustainability consulting to make a big effect. That stated, there’s so much I didn’t anticipate or know. And I by no means thought that sooner or later I might come to hope that my job will grow to be out of date.
Listed below are 5 key issues I realized about being a sustainability advisor:
1. It’s all about engagement
Consulting is first, and foremost, about empowering inner groups. Why? As a result of they’re the important thing to truly reaching an organization’s sustainability objectives. My job is to equip groups with the data and instruments they should combine sustainability into decision-making and produce the methods to life. Consultants additionally play a crucial function in breaking inner silos, bringing totally different groups collectively and translating scientific details into enterprise ideas. One in every of my colleagues instructed me years in the past that our job is definitely to be translators. This not solely requires sturdy communication and engagement abilities, however it additionally means consultants have to be nice listeners to be able to perceive how greatest to help these groups in driving significant change.
2. Issues transfer quick — actually quick
Consulting is an exhilarating world the place issues transfer rapidly and there’s plenty of selection. However sustainability consulting takes this to a different stage. The sphere remains to be very new and every thing is in improvement — new methodologies, processes, requirements and initiatives crop up virtually every day. Which means consultants have to not solely keep on prime of what is going on on, but additionally to be versatile and in a position to adapt rapidly. A willingness to remain curious and continue to learn is crucial.
Nonetheless, whereas all of those developments are thrilling for us, in addition they imply plenty of uncertainty for our purchasers to navigate. To help our purchasers successfully, we have now to remain three steps forward of them always, at all times anticipating what’s to return. We have to transcend merely staying on prime of what’s occurring and concentrate on collaborating extensively with the organizations defining these future requirements or methodologies.
3. We don’t do the doing
Except you’re a advisor specialised in implementation, you’re in all probability not going to be the one executing the methods and options you present to purchasers. Whereas our work is to allow our purchasers to implement these options, equipping them with every thing they want from the plans, the milestones, the instruments and even help them all through the change, on the finish of the day, we gained’t be going to the vegetation or within the area to make the modifications occur. Whereas many consultancies have long run relationships with purchasers so are nonetheless round when the modifications occur and get to see it materialize, we aren’t concerned within the course of. To some, this may be irritating, and it may possibly really feel such as you didn’t get to take part ultimately of the journey. And if a change doesn’t get applied, it may possibly really feel like we as consultants failed when there are a large number of explanation why an organization won’t be capable of make shifts to an operations mannequin.
I imagine sustainability consulting could have fulfilled its mission the day it’s not wanted.
However I attempt to see this as a possibility to convey my data and impression to extra corporations. Implementing an environmental technique is an iterative course of that may take years, if not many years, to realize. If I used to be answerable for the implementation section of those methods, I wouldn’t be capable of convey my abilities and data to as many different corporations. I see consulting as a possibility to scale my impression.
4. Sustainability and enterprise have to be one
There might be no sustainability transition so long as sustainability isn’t embedded into enterprise technique. Getting change to occur requires sustainability consultants to transcend our sustainability experience. First, we want to have the ability to communicate the language of enterprise so we may help purchasers perceive why sustainable transformation is crucial for enterprise continuity. Enterprise acumen can also be necessary for serving to us as consultants know what limitations leaders and their groups face in driving change of their organizations. Second, we have to equip sustainability departments to provoke conversations with their CFOs and CEOs. A method to do that is by involving management and different departments within the sustainability tasks we’re main. As an example, have the CFO take part in environmental-related danger assessments or have the operational groups within the room when creating environmental roadmaps. Getting these stakeholders concerned and fostering a way of possession over the mission and its final result is the way in which to make sustainability core to them as nicely.
5. The signal of our success is our disappearance
I imagine sustainability consulting could have fulfilled its mission the day it’s not wanted. That may occur the day sustainability turns into a cornerstone of enterprise quite than an upsell or a pleasant to have — the day sooner or later when corporations could have totally internalized the abilities and experience that I convey from the surface. When sustainability is the principle goal of every division and financial success, efficiency and aggressive edge are finished inside a mindset of sustainability — that’s the day we could have succeeded.
I gained’t lie — sustainability consulting isn’t a cakewalk. It may be intense, tiring and generally disappointing when purchasers are resistant to alter or the tempo of progress is sluggish. However should you’re energized by the concept of fixing troublesome challenges, studying one thing new day-after-day and dealing exhausting to assist companies function inside planetary boundaries, then working in sustainability consulting may very well be your greatest method to drive impression.
And if we do it proper, we would even get an early retirement.
