Upskill & reskill for impact - #1

This newsletter gathers insights, tips & tricks on how you can successfully make your transition toward a sustainability career. 

If you would like to build connections & belong to a community of practice, join us on the Knowledge Hub on Sustainability by signing up for free:

https://fructify-network.mylearnworlds.com/career-journey

Career tips

Networking like a pro

No matter your path (job searching, entrepreneurship, working for purpose-driven companies and organizations) networking should be a key element on your sustainability career journey. Some networking tips from our panel guests on the Sustainability Career Day, 16th June.

The network is what supports you the most when you go through rough times; ask yourself what it is that you can offer to help others. - Priska Burkard

You need to build a community/ network before you need it; build trustful relationships no matter the gender, ethnicity, region, beliefs, or hierarchical position. - Eylem Demir Sentürk

Don`t network with an agenda, show genuine interest. The best secret is to have fun doing it! - Catherine Leduc

The way I see success is building it with people that share common values. - Andreea Avramescu

Be curious about the people you talk with. Show up early at an event. - Gwen Jettain

How did the others succeed? 

Inspiring Career Journeys series 

On the Knowledge Hub, we explore the good, the bad, the challenges, and the excitement of every career change from the perspective of the wonderful professionals in our community. Our interviewees also share mighty knowledge gems that every career changer should be aware of.

Agnes Pakozdi is a passionate job search advisor and career coach with experience having professional careers in 3 countries, in 3 industries and in 3 languages.

What education is needed for business transformation?

On July 4th, we had sustainability educators, authors, and change-makers who shared their experiences and challenged the many angles of education needed for business transformation. Our guests were Trista Bridges - Sustainable Business Expert; Renée LaPlante - Founder & Director of Decarbonista; and Niels Rot - Co-Founder & CEO of Rflect.

We talked about how we can build up our credibility in a new field, namely in sustainability, and we also covered the topic of finding your place while considering the financial aspects too.

Some tips from our guests:

• Trista's tip: Separate the personal interest and the things you can monetize from because they are not necessarily the same things, and do small love projects.
• Niels's tip: Send individual messages to your network that you are available for freelancer projects.
• Renée's tip: Credibility is based on building so start with projects.
• Karina's tip: Keep moving because staying (not doing anything while searching for a job) is hard to explain.

The full recording and all the tips & tricks shared, are available on the Knowledge Hub after signing in/ signing up for:

Identify and Improve your green business skills

Which skills do you need even to become a sustainability business consultant?

• Having a comprehensive knowledge of sustainability principles and practices is essential for consultants to approach the work holistically and consider the interconnectedness of environmental, social, and economic factors.
• Knowledge of relevant regulations, standards, and certifications in sustainability. Staying up to date with regulations, standards, and certifications ensures compliance and helps consultants guide organizations in adhering to sustainability best practices, fostering a holistic approach to sustainability management.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills to assess complex challenges and develop sustainable solutions that consider multiple perspectives and potential trade-offs.
• Proficiency in data analysis to make data-driven decisions and identify meaningful insights, and ability to interpret environmental impact assessments to understand the potential environmental consequences of specific actions and projects.
• Effective communication skills to engage and influence stakeholders at all levels. Empathy plays a role in effective communication, allowing consultants to understand stakeholders' perspectives, tailor their messages accordingly, and build trust.
• Project management skills to execute sustainability initiatives within deadlines, a holistic approach helps to consider various aspects of a project, incl. stakeholder engagement, resource allocation, and integration of sustainability into the overall project plan.
• Ability to think strategically and identify opportunities for sustainable business growth.

Coming soon!

Join us on 29th August online where we will discuss with successful professionals about the skills needed, and the career path in sustainability business consulting. Find out more:  https://fructify-network.mylearnworlds.com/course/consultancy-as-a-career-path-in-sustainability 

Get answers to all your questions related to job searching, career development from an experienced recruitment/ HR professional in September.  Read more: https://fructify-network.mylearnworlds.com/course/q-and-a-with-the-sustainability-recruiter 

Knowledge Nuggets

But what if the business of business is more than business?

After all, decades after Milton Freedman’s Nobel in Economics, reality shows us that there is more to business than financial inputs and outputs. Almost 30 years ago, advisor, author, and entrepreneur, John Elkington, coined the term “triple bottom line” with the hope to transform the financial accounting-focused business system to take on a more comprehensive approach to measuring impact and success.

This theory expands business success metrics to include contributions to environmental health, social well-being, and a just economy. These bottom line categories are often referred to as the three “P’s”: people, planet, and prosperity.

How do we measure sustainability leadership?

According to the latest research from GlobeScan and the SustainAbility Institute by ERM that tracks expert opinions on sustainable development leadership for more than 25 years, sustainability leadership is increasingly being measured by the integration of sustainability into business strategy.

Though sustainability experts think that the sustainability agenda is now mostly driven by legislative initiatives and disclosure frameworks, corporate sustainability leadership requires companies to go beyond compliance and switch to innovative business models with sustainability at their core.

Based on the research this year the 5 most recognized companies were: Patagonia (mentioned by 32% of experts) , Unilever (29%), IKEA (10%), Natura &Co (9%), and Microsoft (6%).

5 must-read reports from 2023 to stay up-to-date on sustainability

1. ''The State of Green Business 2023' by GreenBiz Group gives insights on the 10 key trends worth watching, reflecting a broad spectrum of environmental and sustainability topics: transportation, carbon removal, the circular economy, climate tech, sustainable food systems, renewable energy and more.
2. 'The 2023 Sustainability Trends Report' by ERM details the progress companies are making in working toward a more just and sustainable world, and also highlights the trends shaping the business agenda this year.
3. 'The Greenwashing Hydra' by Planet Tracker brings an overview on the different greenwashing strategies as greenwashing appears to be becoming increasingly sophisticated.
4. 'Chief Sustainability Officer Report' by Weinreb Group Sustainability Recruiting unpacks how the CSO position has established itself within the corporate structure. The biggest headline in 2023 is that CSOs are gaining substantial power and influence.
5. 'The Breakthrough Effect: How to trigger a cascade of tipping points to accelerate the net zero transition’, developed by Systemiq Ltd. in partnership with the University of Exeter and Simon Sharpe, examines where positive socio-economic tipping points may exist for zero-emission solutions and what conditions can activate these tipping points.

Inspirations

The top 3 podcasts on green careers you must listen to

1. Degrees: Real talk about planet-saving careers with Yesh Pavlik Slenk - If you search for inspiration on how you can use your job to tackle climate change.
2. The Climate Careers with Ryan Dunfee - It is all about your biggest asset -- your skills and talents -- that can help you to make a meaningful impact on climate change.
3. Work Green, Earn Green with Jay Tipton - Find out what a green job is, where they are today, where they’ll be in the future, and how you can land one.

Curated list of podcasts on sustainability: Curated List: Inspirational Podcasts on Sustainability (mylearnworlds.com)

6 books on sustainable businesses & business consultancy

1. 'The Sustainability Handbook: The Complete Management Guide to Achieving Social, Economic, and Environmental Responsibility' by William R. Blackburn - This comprehensive guide covers sustainability management strategies, tools, and best practices for businesses.
2. 'The Sustainable MBA: A Business Guide to Sustainability' by Giselle Weybrecht - This book offers a holistic overview of sustainable business practices, including case studies, tools, and frameworks for integrating sustainability into various business functions.
3. 'Green to Gold: How Smart Companies Use Environmental Strategy to Innovate, Create Value, and Build Competitive Advantage' by Daniel C. Esty and Andrew S. Winston - This book explores the business case for sustainability and provides practical insights on how companies can integrate environmental strategies into their operations.
4. 'The Responsibility Revolution: How the Next Generation of Businesses Will Win' by Jeffrey Hollender and Bill Breen - How to create a company that not only sustains, but surpasses-that moves beyond the imperative to be "less bad" and embrace an ethos to be "all good",
5. 'The Consultant's Handbook: A Practical Guide to Delivering High-value and Differentiated Services in a Competitive Marketplace' by Samir Parikh - This book provides guidance on consulting methodologies, client engagement, and delivering value-added services as a business consultant.
6. 'Good Business Gone Better: Understanding the Past, Present and Future of Sustainability' by Dr. iur. Aylin Noorda - This book showcases how far we have come in addressing potential harms of business in our globalised world by looking at different aspects. But the journey is not complete!

Curated list of books covering different aspects of sustainability: https://fructify-network.mylearnworlds.com/course/curated-list-books

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