Editorials:
Sustainability professionals – Prove your worth

How to go from sustainability director to chief executive

Do you, as a professional working in corporate responsibility or sustainability, expect one day to lead your company?

The chances of a sustainability director going on to become chief executive of his or her company could be as slender as one in a thousand, according to Adam Werbach, sustainability adviser to Wal-Mart (see big interview).

Werbach challenges corporate responsibility professionals to be more commercially minded. He has a point. Corporate responsibility teams could do more to articulate a clear business strategy for their company that will grow sales.

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Comments:

CSR & Sustainability must be seen as strategic not PR or Philanthropy first - Matthew Rochte, 3 Jul 2009

On the whole I agree with the premise that the leaders in CSR and sustainability must understand and communicate the economic (commercial) value of their work to the senior management. Yes and that is also true for any business unit leader in the organization.

The bigger challenge is the corporate leadership's (board, CEO) understanding that CSR and sustainability are not a fad, a PR game, or simply about philanthropy.

True CSR and sustainability are fundamental strategies to the long term success, management and leadership of organizations. True CSR/Sustainability activities are about efficiency and effectiveness (read commercially viable).

The concepts must be embedded from top to bottom and fully integrated into the corporate culture. This takes leadership, courage, strategy, skill, and full board buy-in & support.

I would argue that the inverse of your question of "Can a CSR Director become CEO?" is more prudent: Can a CEO become a CSR Director?

This critical role in corporate strategy needs the leadership qualities that you want in an outstanding CEO/President. They need business savvy; they need to be strategic; they need high IQ and EQ; they need true leadership ability; they need to be both entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs (being entrepreneurial from within the system); and they need to get the integrative nature of CSR & Sustainability.

Perhaps the question companies and HR departments should be asking is:
If a company is committed to CSR/Sustainability, are they hiring the best, brightest, and greenest (CSR/ Sustainability savvy) professional with the qualities of a CEO and an entrepreneur? Or are they making due with a marketing/ communications/ or philanthropy manager to do spin for the company (aka elaborate greenwashing)?

My guess and experience says this candidate is not likely to come from the same MBA / corporate gene pool. This candidate will see the world differently. They see possibility and strategy. Perhaps the survival instincts of SME leaders better fit the bill.

Matthew Rochte, LEED AP
Sustainability / CSR Consultant
http://www.OpportunitySustainability.com
http://www.matthewrochte.com/resume
http://twitter.com/mrochte