What are the most important qualities for a sustainability professional?

Sustainability is more than a buzzword or a trend. It is a strategic imperative for any business that wants to thrive in the long term, create positive social and environmental impacts, and meet the expectations of customers, investors, and regulators. But how do you become a sustainability professional who can lead, innovate, and deliver on this agenda? In this article, we will explore some of the most important qualities for a sustainability professional, based on our experience and insights from the field of business innovation.

1 Passion and purpose

A sustainability professional needs to have a genuine passion and purpose for creating a better world. This means being motivated by more than just financial rewards or career advancement, but by a deep sense of mission and vision. Passion and purpose can help you overcome challenges, inspire others, and stay focused on your goals. They can also help you communicate your sustainability story effectively and authentically, and build trust and credibility with your stakeholders.

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Travis Dahl

Building better industry through collaboration.
Passion and purpose are where success in sustainability needs to start. It should be your "why", which will help drive you in the other key areas when the going inevitably gets tough.
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2 Systems thinking

A sustainability professional needs to have a systems thinking mindset, which means being able to see the big picture and the interconnections between different elements of a complex problem. Systems thinking can help you identify root causes, leverage points, and potential solutions that go beyond the surface level or the status quo. It can also help you anticipate and manage the trade-offs, risks, and opportunities that come with any sustainability initiative, and avoid unintended consequences or negative externalities.

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Travis Dahl

Building better industry through collaboration.
Systems thinking is important for understanding this complex field. If you are able to see cause and effect, and understand the concept complexity theory, this will be an enjoyable field that will keep you engaged for years to come.
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3 Creativity and innovation

A sustainability professional needs to have a creativity and innovation skillset, which means being able to generate, evaluate, and implement new ideas that can create value and impact. Creativity and innovation can help you find novel ways to address sustainability challenges, differentiate yourself from the competition, and create competitive advantages. They can also help you foster a culture of learning and experimentation, and embrace failure and feedback as opportunities for improvement.

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Travis Dahl

Building better industry through collaboration.
It's not necessary to be an innovator or creative in the sustainability space. It always helps, no matter the field, but there is plenty of room where this is not a requirement. We need people who can put the ideas to work, not just imagine them. If that's your strength, bring it.
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4 Collaboration and communication

A sustainability professional needs to have a collaboration and communication competency, which means being able to work effectively with diverse teams and stakeholders across different sectors, disciplines, and cultures. Collaboration and communication can help you build strong relationships, align interests and expectations, and leverage collective intelligence and resources. They can also help you share your sustainability vision and goals, engage and influence others, and create buy-in and support for your initiatives.

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Travis Dahl

Building better industry through collaboration.
Climate change is something that still confuses a lot of people, and having the ability to communicate this in a way that helps things make sense is invaluable.
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5 Adaptability and resilience

A sustainability professional needs to have an adaptability and resilience capability, which means being able to cope with uncertainty, change, and complexity. Adaptability and resilience can help you respond quickly and flexibly to emerging trends, challenges, and opportunities, and adjust your strategies and actions accordingly. They can also help you maintain your well-being and balance, and recover from setbacks and stress.

These are some of the most important qualities for a sustainability professional, but they are not exhaustive or exclusive. You may have other qualities that make you a great sustainability professional, or you may want to develop some of these qualities further. The key is to be aware of your strengths and areas for improvement, and seek feedback, learning, and growth opportunities. By doing so, you can become a more effective and impactful sustainability professional, and contribute to a more sustainable future for your business and the world.

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6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Craig Wright

Founder @ Moondog & Co | Strategic Innovation, Design & Transformation Lead
As well as being knowledgeable in the area of expertise, it’s key to be a good storyteller. There is so much noise around the topic that those who can bring clarity, inspire others to change behaviours, invest and pay forwards with storytelling are priceless.
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Sagar Mital, CPSM

Senior Manager Sustainability Procurement at GSK
One must be agile, adaptable to change and should have hunger to learn and bring fresh perspectives. The person should be a good communicator in order to present the case and get buy in from senior leadership and have strong networking skills for building internal and external collaborations.
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What are the most important qualities for a sustainability professional?

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3

4

5

6

1 Passion and purpose

2 Systems thinking

3 Creativity and innovation

4 Collaboration and communication

5 Adaptability and resilience

6 Here’s what else to consider

Business Innovation

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What are the most important qualities for a sustainability professional?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Passion and purpose

2 Systems thinking

3 Creativity and innovation

4 Collaboration and communication

5 Adaptability and resilience

6 Here’s what else to consider

Business Innovation

Rate this article

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