Managing through Chaos: Suggestions for & from sustainability leaders

These are difficult times for most, but especially for the next generation of sustainability leaders – whether in mid-careers now or still in the early stages. At critical points in their careers (and lives),  they’re facing two overlapping challenges:

• The content of their work is under attack. Things we took as axiomatic (climate change is bad, and needs to be both fought and prepared for; diversity, equity and inclusion are good and need to be encouraged) are seen as false or even evil.
• The context of their work is in chaos. We’re in a serious disruption of government and the economy that makes Covid or even the 2008 Great Recession look simple in comparison. 

Fortunately, we can tap insights from Covid, when we had to think about how to manage through a disruption of increasing severity, uncertain duration, and spiraling impacts. [Note: this article is on LinkedIn only. If you'd like a PDF please email me directly.] And we have insights from the next gen leaders themselves, many of whom are calmly thoughtful in the midst of the chaos. Several suggestions emerge from these sources:

1.          Remember that what you do is important. Even more so now. Real-world drivers and trends (climate science, the need for climate adaptation, population demographics) will continue and even accelerate. “Governments – particularly ours – failed to adequately address climate change, resulting in a world that is riskier, costlier, and increasingly hostile,” reminded one next gen leader in the US, adding: “In response to the current and future investment risks, investors called for more comprehensive information to make informed financial decisions. This is how ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) emerged. While it may not always be perfectly implemented, we should remember its foundational intent.”

2.          Keep that in mind through the chaos. As another next gen leader wrote: “Sustainability and ESG are based on global standards and frameworks, none of which are changing. Maybe more important - maintain forward momentum while the world around us figures out how to calm down.”

3.          Use your voice. Business leaders in your company are increasingly concerned about the chaotic context and can lose sight of the value of what you do. Remind them. One next gen leader wrote:

“What I deeply care about is living up to this role and fully using the voice and position that I’m fortunate to have in this moment. It’s not easy.”

4.          Follow the money. “The state of ESG/Sustainability, whatever people want to call it these days is in a shambles,” wrote one next gen leader in the UK, “and for me, it’s now more than ever that sustainability professionals need to help [business leaders] by showing them how the implementation of whichever (targets/strategies/other) makes business sense and impacts the bottom line.” My colleague Linda Brewer laid out some key questions earlier this year, including:

• How are our competitors using sustainability to differentiate themselves within the industry? 
• Can embedding genuine sustainability considerations into our products make them more robust, more easily recyclable or returnable (for parts reuse), last longer, attract more and create returning customers, build or enhance our existing reputation? 
• Which of our suppliers are already focused on sustainability within their offerings? 
• How can our customers use our sustainable products differently? Which of our customers cares about sustainability? What new customer sets can we attract based on our sustainability strategies?
• How does considering sustainability enhance operational efficiencies? 

5.          Take care of your people. If you are confused and depressed, think how they feel. Communicate effectively – and compassionately. Some suggestions from an early Covid article are still very much on point:

• If you know it and can share it, do
• If you know and can’t share, say so
• If you don’t know, say so
• Don’t promise what you can’t deliver
• Don’t say what you don’t believe
• Share the uncertainties if you can
• Share your hopes - honestly

6.          Focus on champions. You don’t have to be alone in your company. There are others across businesses and corporate functions who care about the same things you do. They are unlikely to come find you, and they probably don’t even know how much you would value their support. Identify them, enlist them, engage them.

7.          Strengthen your network.  You don’t have to be alone in the broader world. Lots of your peers are wrestling with the same content and context you are. Reach out. Ask for advice. Offer support. Just check in on them.

8.          Prepare for the long haul. Even leaving aside the multi-year election cycles, this is going to be a long disruption. Frankly, things are probably going to get worse before they get better. Using the model from a Covid era article, we’re still staggering through “Stage 1: Triage and Transition”, “cycling through feelings of shock, grief, fatigue, or uncertainty.” We haven’t even begun “Stage 2: Maintain & Sustain…[with] rampant uncertainty of duration and depletion of resources.” The subsequent stages (Rebuild and Recover, New/Next Normal) are still in the distant future.

9.          Fight to protect democracy. You probably have to do this well away from your job. But without a functioning democracy, don’t expect either the content or context to get better. As one next gen leader noted grimly:

“This time, we can't rely on the investment community to help fill the government gap. There will be no start-up that can save democracy while making billions for investors. The only real safeguard is our populace, and it will require people to reject sensationalist distractions and demand structural change so the government starts working in the best interests of all. …these two issues [sustainability and democracy] are deeply interconnected, and we cannot realistically solve one without addressing the other.”

10.    Develop backups as appropriate. That is the great advice my college job counselor gave me over 50 years ago. It’s never let me down and it never goes out of style. Do your best to make things work in the job you have in the company you have. But in disruptions like this, no job and no company are guaranteed to be safe.  Take care of yourself.