14
Match your passion to your profession
This chapter forecasts the trajectory of the CR profession and provides practical tips for getting a job and lessons to take on your journey.
It is up to us to live up to the legacy that was left for us, and to leave a legacy that is worthy of our children and of future generations (Christine Gregoire).
Today, corporate responsibility is a growing profession with a career ladder extending into the executive suite of the world’s largest companies. This is a relatively recent change and the knowledge, skills, and abilities for this emerging field are still being defined. The CR role cuts across almost all business functions and is housed in a wide variety of corporate departments. Similarly, there is enormous variability in the job responsibilities, ranging from the art of communications, to the technically demanding field of environmental management.
The newness and variability in this profession means that there are many different backgrounds that can qualify for and thrive in these roles. Notwithstanding this variability, throughout this book I have described the common skills and attributes essential for success in corporate responsibility. This book has also delved into the substantive aspects of the role that you must know to acquire a job and succeed in the field of corporate responsibility.
Corporate responsibility is, in fact, a real job with real responsibilities, unique pressures, and serious demands. While rewarding on many levels, the job of a corporate treehugger can be frustrating, because you will always be something of a “stranger in a strange land” – meaning that many of your colleagues will not understand what you do or how your work adds value to the company. When you work in this field, you will have to perfect your 30-second “elevator speech” about what is corporate responsibility, and how your role enhances the company brand and its attractiveness to employees and investors. At times you may feel like a metronome – vacillating between the euphoria stemming from your laudable accomplishments and the dejection from the feeling that your role in the corporate power structure sits somewhere between superfluous overhead and oblivion. There have been many moments in my corporate treehugger career when I was on top of the world and many other times when the late comedian Rodney Danger-field’s catchphrase summed it up well: “I get no respect.”
Even if you can stomach the bipolar nature of this role, you may be challenged by its breadth (which is very wide) and depth (which can be very shallow). This job requires that you are knowledgeable and – to some extent – responsible for a wide range of corporate behaviors and programs for which you have almost no control. And when you do achieve great accomplishments in this field, you should almost always deflect the credit to others within the company. If this were not bad enough, you should also consider that, until quite recently, corporate responsibility was widely considered a career dead end. Today, while this career is not considered the fast track to the executive suite, there is a positive trajectory. Many companies now have a senior vice president or vice president of corporate responsibility, and that list is growing with the increased awareness of CR issues. In addition, companies are realizing that many of the skills needed to perform well in corporate responsibility are portable to other career paths.
There are an increasing number of people who are interested in working in corporate responsibility departments or contributing to this growing field from their chosen profession. The academic and literary fields have responded to this demand by pumping out an amazing number of courses and books aimed at preparing people for these careers. The problem is that almost all of these instructional aides are written and delivered by people with little experience actually doing these jobs. Carefully researched business case studies and rhetorical arguments about why and how corporations could and should contribute to society are wonderful, but ultimately not all that helpful to getting and keeping a job in corporate responsibility.
As the mega multinational corporations gain importance in our collective zeitgeist, they are increasingly subject to our approval and acceptance of their operations. I believe that the market will ultimately punish the companies that seek only to take money out of our wallets without equal or greater contributions to our well-being. As high-profile examples of corporate screw-ups and public apologies mount – from Enron to BP – you don’t need a marketing PhD to figure out that a good reputation is vital to a company’s long-term success. And increasingly, the public is tuned into corporate responsibility as a major factor of a company’s reputation.
As this reality seeped into the corporate consciousness, it has stoked a CR competition among big companies. Traditional economic theory would predict that companies would always seek to maximize return on investment; indeed, there is a strong argument that this is the fiduciary responsibility of corporate officers and directors. As globalization has taken hold and traditional barriers have shrunk, this theory would predict that companies would move their operations to take advantage of cheap labor and lax regulation. While there is little doubt that these forces are at play, the “race to the bottom” is being countered by competition over CR reputation. The increased awareness of corporate responsibility (as manifested by the proliferation of ratings, rankings, and socially screened investments), as well as the values and expectations of younger employees, are palpable signs of the competition in responsibility or “race to the top” that is a fact of life for today’s big companies.
My own career reflects this change. I started off working on regulations dealing with local environmental impacts. Later, I was enforcing social and environmental standards with Apple’s suppliers in countries around the world. Now, at AMD, I am working to end the human rights abuses in the dangerous minefields of the Democratic Republic of Congo where the profits from mining “conflict minerals” are funding some of the worst human rights abuses of our generation. In just a couple of decades, the scope of corporate responsibility has grown from local to global, from single impacts to multiple impacts, and from a single company to a whole supply chain. This field is still evolving, and with this evolution new career opportunities are being created.
Getting a job in corporate responsibility
While the boundaries of corporate responsibility are still expanding, so is the profession. A few years ago, I would have said that this role is too much of a niche to support real job growth. Now, I see a field that is growing in opportunities and stature:
• The world’s largest company, Walmart, employs a senior vice president of sustainability, and VP-level corporate responsibility positions exist or are being created at many of the Fortune 500 companies
• The essential skills for this job have been mapped by several organizations (The Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship website has one of the most comprehensive catalogues of relevant papers on the essential skills for these jobs.)
• The Corporate Responsibility Officer Association is developing a “code of practice” for the profession
• The International Organization for Standardization published ISO 26000, outlining standardized management systems for the practice
• The Reputation Institute estimates that more than 40% of a company’s reputation stems from its corporate responsibility practices and communications
The evidence is mounting that corporate responsibility is a necessary function with staying power. The rise of the corporate responsibility profession has been compared to the quality movement in the 1980s. During this period United States manufacturers were concerned about losing their edge to Japanese companies that were delivering high-quality products at lower costs. This concern spawned an entire movement that gave rise to quality departments in most major companies, and entire new disciplines, like Six Sigma, that are now integral to many companies’ operations.
While the quality movement is mature, the CR field is still evolving and more jobs are being created. In my experience, many of these jobs are initially created from inside the company. Once the executive decision is reached to initiate the CR function, companies will typically find seasoned managers from within their ranks to fill these spots. Because these roles have to work across so many functions within the company, it makes sense to select a leader who has familiarity with the business. Also, some companies use the cross-functional nature of the role as a good training ground for executives they are grooming for other positions.
As this field matures, the tendency to appoint corporate responsibility managers from within will change. Increasingly, companies are seeking experienced professionals who come fully loaded with all the capabilities and connections needed to vault their programs into a leadership position. Some of the major headhunting firms (executive recruiters) have formed specialties around these positions and there are a growing number of firms and websites devoted to placement in this profession (e.g., see Martha Montag Brown, Ellen Weinreb, BSR.org, sustainablebusiness.com/jobs, netimpact.org/do-good-work/job-board, Greenjobs.com, brightgreentalent.com, and others). The book, Profession and Purpose by Katie Kross (Greenleaf Publishing, 2009), is also an excellent reference for corporate responsibility job hunters.
Most companies launch their CR departments with a senior leader who will then assemble a staff by hiring entry- and mid-level positions. Currently, many companies have small CR departments – typically a senior person and one or two staff members. CR departments are beginning to expand as sub-specialties are being defined. For example, communications and marketing is a major sub-element needed to manage corporate responsibility reports, websites, updates, blogs, rankings, ratings, and events. There are an increasing number of entry-level and mid-level jobs within corporations, consultancies, or PR firms to help manage this workload.
As discussed in Chapter 6, the field of supplier responsibility is an increasing job market for experts in this area. Outsourcing and greater public awareness of social compliance will continue to feed this market for years to come. These are excellent jobs for people interested in getting deep into the tactical operations of companies and supply chains. They are also great jobs for driving tangible improvements for people and the planet.
Getting started
You are coming to the end of this book, you have researched the field, and now you want to go out and get a corporate responsibility job. What do you do? Where do you start?
Start with a bit of self-reflection and analysis. If you were completely honest with yourself, would you be best suited for a more technical role (e.g., supply chain auditor), a less technical role (e.g., communications) or a managerial position (e.g., corporate responsibility director or vice president)? Use your self-analysis to filter (or at least prioritize) the jobs in your search.
Next, think about the companies in your search. In Chapter 1 we categorized companies as “2x4” (those who have been whacked and now see the value in CR) and “epiphany” (where CR is an integral part of the company’s mission and business model). Almost any job in an “epiphany” company will give you exposure to corporate responsibility – which can open up many job possibilities – but these companies are typically overwhelmed with résumés and the competition is fierce. Corporate responsibility jobs within “2x4” companies are more focused and thus less plentiful, but there are many more companies in this category.
Consider the maturity of the corporate responsibility program within your target companies. More mature programs are likely to have more jobs, but the jobs will also be more specialized and thus constrained to certain aspects of the program. Jobs in less mature programs will be more entrepreneurial but also more ambiguous and chaotic. In these programs you may find yourself designing the strategy and developing the programs. If you go to work in one of these programs, you should be comfortable dealing with ambiguity and being self-directed. Another factor to watch out for in your job search is under-funded programs. As mentioned above, many corporate responsibility departments are small – often just a leader and one or two people. These roles will require you to cover a wide swath of the issues and responsibilities outlined in this book. To the extent feasible, and in the interest of your own self-preservation, you should seek clarity on the scope, responsibilities, and objectives in these roles.
Interviewing tips
When you narrow it down to the companies and jobs you will go after, there are a few tips that will help you in the selection process:
Passion
I am continually surprised when I interview candidates and they don’t take the opportunity to tell me about why they would be thrilled to work in the role. The interview is your chance to express your passion for the work and you should absolutely volunteer this information. It conveys a sense of engagement to the hiring manager. As discussed in Chapter 11, people who see their work as a cause are far more likely to go the extra mile. I like to hear a personal story about why this is an important field for you and why you chose to invest time in this career path.
Prove your passion
Show concrete evidence of your passion. It’s not nearly enough to go into an interview and say you care about the environment if the most you can claim is that you recycle your soda cans. Volunteering – in a way that shows real commitment and produces real accomplishments – goes a long way to making this case. Hiring managers tend to be skeptical about candidates who say they are committed to an issue but cannot present evidence that they support the cause.
Experience
If you are entering the workforce, a CR-related internship will give you a definite boost in the job hunt. Hiring managers like to see you’ve taken this step to gain experience in the field. If you don’t have a directly related experience, draft a résumé and cover letter that shows how your experiences can specifically add value to the CR role in question. For example, if the role is about communications, demonstrate your experiences and capabilities in communications that would be directly applicable to this role. I recommend developing two or more versions of your résumé that highlight certain experiences along the lines of the jobs you are seeking. You should also draft a specific cover letter for each job that customizes your personal story and experience to demonstrate how you could add value in the position. Use your cover letter to tell your story in your own personal way. A résumé can only convey so much, so your cover letter must weave the relevant threads through your experiences and your personal goals and passions that led you to apply for this position at this time.
Research
In the Internet age, it astonishes me how many candidates show up with limited knowledge of the company, the role, and the hiring manager. In a couple of minutes, you can find out reams of data online. In a few more minutes, you could probably link up with a few insiders and get the scoop about the job and company. If you are considering working at a company for years, doesn’t it make sense to spend a few minutes on the Web to discover what you can? Someone once asked me if I was put off when candidates reveal that they have researched my background during an interview. For me, it is a net positive: it means that the candidate has done his or her homework and come prepared. While most hiring managers will be flattered if you talk about accomplishments, don’t overdo it – remember, the hiring manager is assessing you.
Practice your pitch
There are a few standard techniques that interviewers will use to assess candidates and, since you have only one hour or less to make an impression, it makes sense to practice your story and your responses in advance. For example, Intel uses a standard technique called “behavioral interviewing.” This method assesses your capabilities by asking you to discuss real-world experiences about specific situations. A typical question on how you manage ambiguity could be: “Tell me about a time when you were given a vague assignment. What was the assignment, what did you do to clarify the goals and how did it turn out?” There are references you can find on the Web about this technique that can help you prepare. Select a few of the skill areas that you think are relevant for the role and develop your examples in advance. Also develop your opening remarks that tell your story: who you are, your passion for the company and the role, and how your experience and personal capabilities will add value. I recommend practicing in a mock interview with a friend – preferably one who has experience interviewing candidates.
Advice for career changers
A 2008 Ethical Performance salary survey of CR professionals in Europe showed that more than half had changed careers to enter the field. If you’re a career-changer, highlight how your skills and previous experience can transfer into the new, CR-focused position. For example, while at Apple I hired a person (Kirsty Stevenson) with no CR experience (but loads of passion for the role) from the supply chain organization specifically for her skills, contacts, and experience in managing suppliers. Show that you bring skills to the table that can advance the needs of the program while telling the story of why CR is your calling. For career-changers in particular, you can come to the interview with a compelling story of why your values have led you to the decision to change the course of your career to corporate responsibility.
Lessons to take on your journey
Throughout this book I have covered the skills, competencies, and attributes that will help you with your career in corporate responsibility. As you head out on this journey, here are a few more lessons I have learned along the way that I hope are helpful to you:
Understand the business
Chapter 1 opens with the statement “the business of business is business.” While perhaps trite, the message is that companies are not charities. For-profit enterprises survive or fail based on the value they deliver to the market. As a CR worker, you need to understand your company’s value proposition on a deep level and articulate how and why your CR programs add to that value.
Don’t get too far in front of the cavalry
Because the rest of the business is focused and busy delivering a product or service, it is easy to fall into the delusion that you are the final authority on decisions about CR. You need to understand where your program fits in the overall power structure of the organization and adjust accordingly. For example, there are a myriad of CR principles and pledges (e.g., the UN Global Compact) that your company will be asked to endorse. You may be able to make a case for or against adopting one of these pledges, but the ultimate decision must reflect the policy of the corporation. It is a huge mistake to make commitments on behalf of your company without lining up the needed support (cavalry) and going through the appropriate decision processes.
All ideas are good ideas until you have to pay for them
Because the field of corporate responsibility is new, in many companies you will likely get involved in strategy and program development. As your program grows and matures, you will need to choose the areas that you will invest in carefully. With a scope as broad as corporate responsibility, there are nearly unlimited possibilities. An important skill for your success is to analytically differentiate the merely good ideas from the ideas that have the highest leverage for your program. Chapter 3 discusses the criteria and process for finding the right programs for investment.
Don’t take yourself too seriously
Benjamin and Rosamund Stone Zander, in their book The Art of Possibility, coined the term “rule number 6,” which is totally meaningless unless you know the definition that the Zanders ascribe. Benjamin Zander used “rule number 6” as a code phrase to remind his students not to take themselves too seriously. Great advice in my opinion. In my career, I have seen many people allow their personalities to become enmeshed with their positions. After a while, they begin to believe in their own hype and become arrogant or inflexible. Always remember that, regardless of your stellar résumé and accomplishments, you have been hired for your capabilities not your reputation. Avoid “silo” behavior where you are more concerned about your own performance or your group’s performance than the overall benefits to the company. Always seek out ways to help others, and your effort will earn interest and come back to you with dividends.
Words matter
This is a phrase I learned from the Chief Counsel for the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Mike Evans, when we were working through the legislative language. It is a fairly obvious observation but it stuck with me because, too often, we assume that others will know what we mean. While this assumption is especially dangerous when you are writing legislation, it can be just as relevant in the practice of corporate responsibility. You will be asked to communicate on a wide variety of corporate programs and policies, many of them complex and sensitive. Often, you will have to communicate these complex, sensitive topics to a broad audience of stakeholders who may not understand all of the details, but are still outraged and emotional about the topic. As outlined in Chapters 8 and 9, the ability to communicate clearly and concisely is an essential skill for the corporate treehugger. If you are not a good writer or speaker, make it a priority to strengthen these skills. These are high leverage skills for corporate responsibility and a wide variety of other vocations.
Results matter more
The field of sustainability has become a “gabfest” of conferences, webcasts, blogs, websites, and forums extolling the shift of business toward solving social and environmental problems. If we could tap into the resources and energy expended on talking about sustainability and use a fraction of it to achieve sustainability, we could make real progress. While you will participate in many of these events and communications about sustainability and corporate responsibility, always ask yourself, “how is this activity helping to make things better?” If the answer is elusive or unclear, think about using your time on another project that has a clearer direct benefit to people and the planet.
Culture eats strategy for breakfast
This is another catchphrase that stuck with me because it is true. Every organization I have worked in has a distinct and different culture. I am not sure how corporate culture gets started and maintained, but I do know that every grouping of human beings who are together for any length of time will develop a unique culture – a way that they relate to one another. Just as knowing your company’s business model is essential, so it is essential to understand your company’s culture. In Chapter 2, we delved into “reading the system” and how different companies behave very differently. This behavior – or culture – will set the tone and context of your corporate responsibility program. For example, some companies will endorse every corporate responsibility standard, join every sustainability group, and speak or sponsor every major CR conference. Other companies would prefer to quietly work behind the scenes. Setting a strategy that is divorced from the reality of the culture of your organization is a fool’s errand.
The imposter syndrome
This is a known psychological phenomenon in which people are unable to internalize their knowledge and accomplishments. In other words, sometimes you feel like you are an imposter in your position and people may discover the “real you” at any moment. I believe that people in corporate responsibility jobs are especially prone to this syndrome because they have stepped away from whatever discipline or specialty they had established as the center of their career and are constantly dealing with issues in which they have little experience. This is the opposite of “don’t take yourself too seriously”; the advice here is to remember that you probably know more about corporate responsibility than most of the people you will encounter. While you always want to be curious, try to balance this with a quiet confidence about your knowledge, capabilities, and contributions.
Lead from wherever you stand
As stated in the Introduction, you may find yourself in a job where you have limited authority to use the lessons from this book because your role is constrained to a narrow scope. Never let your position supersede your passion or overshadow your abilities. Sure, you might not be the CEO yet, but you can look for ways to suggest changes or enhancements. Meet with senior leaders to understand their issues and problems. Be a curious, lifelong learner, an innovator, and a problem solver. Going the extra mile to help solve a problem is not only a rewarding experience, but it will also demonstrate your commitment to others in the workplace. All great leaders who started from lower-level positions discovered ways to leverage their capabilities to add value to their organization. Use the ideas in this book to enhance your program regardless of your position in the organization.
Final thoughts
There are just a few more reflections and observations to close this book and send you on your way into the world of corporate responsibility. As mentioned several times in these pages, many of the best practices for a career in CR are applicable to other careers. It is reinforcing to know that the investment you put into growing your skills for a career in CR can pay off in other career paths. Many of the skills covered in this book, such as reading the system, emotional intelligence, leading through influence, communications skills, being results-oriented, self-aware, self-analytical, and self-motivated are all ingredients for success in a variety of careers. Also, assuming the role of a servant leader – leading by giving priority to the needs of your organization and the colleagues you serve – is a recipe for success in any role. Remember that your personal credibility, your knowledge, and the trust you evoke in others are tremendous assets that cannot be traded away.
While this book is focused on a career in corporate responsibility, you can contribute to social and environmental good from any job within a company. Most CR departments are clearinghouses for information. They collect and communicate the data and accomplishments from other functions in other departments. If you are working in one of the traditional functions within a company, explore the opportunities to create a wonderful story for your colleagues in the CR department. For example, if you work in procurement you could leverage your core competency in supplier management to implement a green purchasing program. If you are in the real estate group, you could drive LEED building specifications or purchase renewable energy credits. If you are in human resources, you could work on initiating or enhancing your company’s diversity and inclusion programs. The list is nearly endless.
The noted humanitarian Dr. Paul Farmer100 – a Harvard-educated physician who has devoted his career to providing health care to the poorest people in the world – responded to a question about what advice he would give to college students who want to change the world with this statement:
Acknowledge the world the way it is. Acknowledge your privilege. Understand that there are things that can be done and that there is not one path but many if we want to take on these problems. [Ask yourself] what is it that you like to do … [and then apply these skills] to promote the movement for social justice globally.
These are wise words from a good man. The choice to work in corporate responsibility is one way, but certainly not the only way, to promote the movement for social justice and environmental protection. Corporate responsibility acknowledges the world the way it is, dominated by companies with revenues and global power beyond the wildest dreams of most nation-states. This book is dedicated to helping you, the corporate treehugger, develop the competencies to achieve social and environmental improvement through a career within a for-profit enterprise.