“Strength of any organization or initiative lies in the group of people who are aware of the power and interest of all the stakeholders they are dealing with.”
In the field of sustainability, there are three kinds of people marching ahead with their effort of cleaning this bigger room that belongs to everyone. The first one often referred to as “Starters” or “Beginners” are fresh talents who are redefining sustainability by thinking outside the box. The advantage of being a starter in the field is the freedom to explore and come up with economically feasible innovative solutions. The second kind of people whom we refer to as “Followers” are well-established entrepreneurs, leaders or managers who are well aware of the opportunistic future this field has to provide. Their ability to provide constructive solutions to existing unsustainable practices is the demand at present. The third kind of people whom we tag as “Innovators” are the nervous system of the current structure of sustainability. Their ability to foresee the risk and provide solutions through their experience has given a whole new meaning to operating a business ethically.
In this hierarchical pyramid structure of the sustainability professionals, the qualities and enthusiasm to work towards one goal is what binds these three group of people together. The 21st century is witnessing the rise of sustainability professionals who are redefining sustainability in the manner organizations have never seen before. The journey of jumping from one hierarchy to another requires balancing a type of people in your team. How important is it to develop interdisciplinary skills or take an interdisciplinary approach to solving problems related to sustainability? In my opinion, it is the most important aspect of sustainability. Consider a dinner setting where you invite guests from different ethnicity, your integrative thinking skills made you choose ingredients and create something magical that suit everyone’s taste on the table. Often, when it comes to dealing problem-related with sustainability, we tend to take one-directional approach limited to our knowledge or experience. Multidirectional approach with a touch of outside the box thinking not only provides a variety of solutions to choose from but also opens the door for new thoughts to cultivate.
In the field of sustainability, there are three kinds of people marching ahead with their effort of cleaning this bigger room that belongs to everyone. The first one often referred to as “Starters” or “Beginners” are fresh talents who are redefining sustainability by thinking outside the box. The advantage of being a starter in the field is the freedom to explore and come up with economically feasible innovative solutions. The second kind of people whom we refer to as “Followers” are well-established entrepreneurs, leaders or managers who are well aware of the opportunistic future this field has to provide. Their ability to provide constructive solutions to existing unsustainable practices is the demand at present. The third kind of people whom we tag as “Innovators” are the nervous system of the current structure of sustainability. Their ability to foresee the risk and provide solutions through their experience has given a whole new meaning to operating a business ethically.
In this hierarchical pyramid structure of the sustainability professionals, the qualities and enthusiasm to work towards one goal is what binds these three group of people together. The 21st century is witnessing the rise of sustainability professionals who are redefining sustainability in the manner organizations have never seen before. The journey of jumping from one hierarchy to another requires balancing a type of people in your team. How important is it to develop interdisciplinary skills or take an interdisciplinary approach to solving problems related to sustainability? In my opinion, it is the most important aspect of sustainability. Consider a dinner setting where you invite guests from different ethnicity, your integrative thinking skills made you choose ingredients and create something magical that suit everyone’s taste on the table. Often, when it comes to dealing problem-related with sustainability, we tend to take one-directional approach limited to our knowledge or experience. Multidirectional approach with a touch of outside the box thinking not only provides a variety of solutions to choose from but also opens the door for new thoughts to cultivate.
Organizations committed towards sustainable goals have to train and develop a new generation of professionals who are likeminded with a zeal to find the root cause of any problem. It is very easy to paint rusted metal and assume the problem is solved. The solution lies in finding out how surroundings can be changed to prevent further rusting and avoiding the extra cost that is going in servicing. Sustainability is like a project with many phases involved, the one who masters all the phases and keeps stakeholders aware of the changes is what we call sustainability professional.
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