Source: www.thecro.com
How to attract environmental staff when Western-educated talent looks for new challenges
For decades, U.S. and European corporations have been importing talent--programmers from India, researchers from China, and many other permutations of competence and geography. But in sustainability, Western-trained talent will reverse the tide, as individuals increasingly seek opportunities to work in the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) countries and other developing nations. To win the war for this increasingly valuable human resource, Chief Responsibility Officers (CROs) of multinationals and domestic companies operating in those countries must understand the dynamics of this movement of environmental talent--and they must act strategically to tap into it.
Members of this “Have Green: Will Travel” generation will migrate to BRIC for two reasons. First, they want to go there. Because the explosively growing BRIC countries cannot afford to waste resources, companies operating there will need to pursue sustainability and innovation on a vast scale. Meanwhile, sustainability efforts in the U.S. and Western Europe will remain comparatively incremental, given existing infrastructure and years of work at it. As a result, much Western-trained talent will look to the developing world for opportunities to have an impact that matches their passion and aspirations.
Second, they will be in great demand there. Multinationals and domestic businesses in those regions will increasingly need highly talented people who can establish sustainability as a core principle of operations, and profitably address the enormous challenges of sustainability their companies face. Sustainability will not be a corporate luxury but a strategic necessity as resource availability--from metals to water--presents real limits to growth. Because such talent is disproportionably cultivated in the U.S. and Europe, supply and demand will be geographically unbalanced.
On the face of it, these conditions appear to be in sync: the talent wants to go where it’s needed most. But in this emerging talent market, the intensifying demand for environmental talent will likely outstrip supply in the near term. Faced with these conditions, CROs can do three things to make sure they will be able to secure and retain the people they need:
Map the talent
Knowing where the environmental talent is, tracking it, and being poised to cultivate relationships with it are the first steps in a comprehensive talent strategy. Much young talent will emerge from a number of leading academic institutions, which have created strong programs in sustainability. For a pool of more experienced talent, CROs can look to extractive industries like oil, paper, coal, and other markets where regulation has driven significant advances in sustainability.
The best of this talent combine three essential ingredients for success: environmental understanding focused on sustainability, experience in a demanding business context focused on value creation, and knowledge of how to harmonize both.
Balance company and candidate recruiting needs
To attract candidates who expect--and are expected--to take on assignments that are both challenging and unforeseeable, offers must be both sensible and equitable, which means less cookie-cutting and more tailoring. Opportunities to work in developing countries will attract talent, but companies shouldn’t assume that the lure will be sufficient without competitive compensation. These professionals might be expats, with the tax and other issues that living abroad brings, or they might be returning to their home country after studying in the U.S. or Europe, all of which must be taken into consideration.
Drive retention through talent development: Many members of the “Have Green: Will Travel” generation want ever bigger and more challenging assignments, and if they don’t get them they are likely to seek them elsewhere. The CRO can do two things to ensure that this talent--often driven as much by the desire for impact as by personal economics--will stay with the company for the long term: (1) consistently demonstrate the importance of sustainability to the company and (2) pay close attention to talent development--the sequence, size, and complexity of the assignments of high-potentials.
By adopting these principles, CROs can find the right people for the developing world and ensure that they have maximum impact on company value as they take on bigger projects, responsibility for larger regions, and greater leadership roles.
Christoph Lueneburger specializes in sustainability talent for Egon Zehnder International, a leading global firm in executive search, management appraisal, and talent management. Prior to joining Egon Zehnder, he was a principal at private equity house 3Stone Advisors, leading the partnership’s water investment practice. He has been published in Global Water Intelligence and Environmental Finance, among others, and is a frequent speaker and moderator at forums devoted to Cleantech in general and the water industry in particular. He has lived and worked in the United States, Germany, and France.
How to attract environmental staff when Western-educated talent looks for new challenges
For decades, U.S. and European corporations have been importing talent--programmers from India, researchers from China, and many other permutations of competence and geography. But in sustainability, Western-trained talent will reverse the tide, as individuals increasingly seek opportunities to work in the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) countries and other developing nations. To win the war for this increasingly valuable human resource, Chief Responsibility Officers (CROs) of multinationals and domestic companies operating in those countries must understand the dynamics of this movement of environmental talent--and they must act strategically to tap into it.
Members of this “Have Green: Will Travel” generation will migrate to BRIC for two reasons. First, they want to go there. Because the explosively growing BRIC countries cannot afford to waste resources, companies operating there will need to pursue sustainability and innovation on a vast scale. Meanwhile, sustainability efforts in the U.S. and Western Europe will remain comparatively incremental, given existing infrastructure and years of work at it. As a result, much Western-trained talent will look to the developing world for opportunities to have an impact that matches their passion and aspirations.
Second, they will be in great demand there. Multinationals and domestic businesses in those regions will increasingly need highly talented people who can establish sustainability as a core principle of operations, and profitably address the enormous challenges of sustainability their companies face. Sustainability will not be a corporate luxury but a strategic necessity as resource availability--from metals to water--presents real limits to growth. Because such talent is disproportionably cultivated in the U.S. and Europe, supply and demand will be geographically unbalanced.
On the face of it, these conditions appear to be in sync: the talent wants to go where it’s needed most. But in this emerging talent market, the intensifying demand for environmental talent will likely outstrip supply in the near term. Faced with these conditions, CROs can do three things to make sure they will be able to secure and retain the people they need:
Map the talent
Knowing where the environmental talent is, tracking it, and being poised to cultivate relationships with it are the first steps in a comprehensive talent strategy. Much young talent will emerge from a number of leading academic institutions, which have created strong programs in sustainability. For a pool of more experienced talent, CROs can look to extractive industries like oil, paper, coal, and other markets where regulation has driven significant advances in sustainability.
The best of this talent combine three essential ingredients for success: environmental understanding focused on sustainability, experience in a demanding business context focused on value creation, and knowledge of how to harmonize both.
Balance company and candidate recruiting needs
To attract candidates who expect--and are expected--to take on assignments that are both challenging and unforeseeable, offers must be both sensible and equitable, which means less cookie-cutting and more tailoring. Opportunities to work in developing countries will attract talent, but companies shouldn’t assume that the lure will be sufficient without competitive compensation. These professionals might be expats, with the tax and other issues that living abroad brings, or they might be returning to their home country after studying in the U.S. or Europe, all of which must be taken into consideration.
Drive retention through talent development: Many members of the “Have Green: Will Travel” generation want ever bigger and more challenging assignments, and if they don’t get them they are likely to seek them elsewhere. The CRO can do two things to ensure that this talent--often driven as much by the desire for impact as by personal economics--will stay with the company for the long term: (1) consistently demonstrate the importance of sustainability to the company and (2) pay close attention to talent development--the sequence, size, and complexity of the assignments of high-potentials.
By adopting these principles, CROs can find the right people for the developing world and ensure that they have maximum impact on company value as they take on bigger projects, responsibility for larger regions, and greater leadership roles.
Christoph Lueneburger specializes in sustainability talent for Egon Zehnder International, a leading global firm in executive search, management appraisal, and talent management. Prior to joining Egon Zehnder, he was a principal at private equity house 3Stone Advisors, leading the partnership’s water investment practice. He has been published in Global Water Intelligence and Environmental Finance, among others, and is a frequent speaker and moderator at forums devoted to Cleantech in general and the water industry in particular. He has lived and worked in the United States, Germany, and France.
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