But I Digress
Not going to lie — too bored to churn out another blog about reporting standards. Instead, I am going to touch on a few common misconceptions I’ve encountered in my decade-long foray as a corporate sustainability professional.
1. Will work for smiles
At various points in my career, I had managers who tried to explain that the abusive work hours were worthwhile; in fact, we should be grateful for the precious opportunity the organisation had given us to “change the world”. It did not take long for me to realise that — no matter where I took my skills — I could sleep well at night knowing I did a little bit of good during the day (or, at the very least, did no harm).
To those who are new to this profession, particularly young women, a gentle reminder — you work for the same reasons that others do, so please do not accept compensation in the form of compliments. If you deserve it, ask for that raise or promotion.
2. Conferences, seminars, summits
My first year as a sustainability professional did sometimes feel like an endless buffet spread. I had specialised in sustainable agriculture as a grad student and, no surprise, ended up joining an agribusiness industry that was (and still is) flushed with cash. There were catered sustainability related events nearly every other day of the week, and the trappings were beyond nice. Seriously — the best vegan dessert spread I ever tasted was at an industry conference. It was fun while it lasted.
James (not his real name) was my manager in that first role. He is one of the movers and shakers in the sustainability world, but you will have never heard of him. Outside of a handful of conferences where he shows up to negotiate with key stakeholders, James does not attend or speak at sustainability events. He loathes the self-professed experts that gather at these places and the sheen they gain by merely being more visible — these are not places where one goes in search of “hard answers”. My wide-eyed self was not entirely convinced at the time. Fast forward 10 years — although not completely sworn off on the annual event circuit — even before COVID-19, I had long ago reached a point where the glitz of it all had worn off. Besides, the answers are more likely found on page 179 of that standard buried under 15 other documents sitting at the edge of my desk.
3. Out and about
For the longest time, my relatives were under the impression that I planted trees for a living. Let’s get this out of the way. I am not the colleague who organises volunteer outings. Although… planting trees is loads of fun! When done the right way, it is meaningful and results in real impact. But most days I am the colleague who sits at a desk working on a PowerPoint proposal or running numbers on Excel, if not reviewing a myriad of requests and proposals. Occasionally, yes, this can be related to trees and touch on, for example, nature-based climate solutions, biodiversity-related due diligence, conservation programmes, and so on.
4. Treehuggers
Small word of advice to anyone wanting to get a foot in the door to a corporate sustainability career — more often than not, the hiring manager will try to sift out candidates that hold one-sided views on how to “green” the planet. Sure, there are perks to working in a large corporation; by sheer virtue of their size, corporations have the potential to create positive impact on a massive scale. Having said that, the entire time we are striving to drive change from within, the role also demands a genuine interest in protecting the business and its people. To get in and stay in, learning how to balance on that metaphorical tightrope becomes a useful skillset.
