5 skills every sustainability manager needs and how to develop them

The ability to think critically and make well-informed decisions is one of several crucial skills needed for sustainability.

Any sustainability professional working in a leadership role must be able to identify areas of improvement in their organisation by considering the internal and external challenges impacting their business goals. Following this, they will need to leverage their findings and use their sustainability skills to creatively convert ideas into actions and deliver upon them to support business goals and improve the impact they have on the world. By developing strategies, guiding the organisation, and optimising operational practices, they will be able to overcome a variety of social, legal, economic and political challenges linked to sustainability.

Competing demands from various stakeholders often makes decision-making in sustainability and environmental management roles complex, as competing demands arise from the interests of different people. For example, activists’ desire to enhance and invest in environmental policies may be at odds with shareholders’ directive to minimise costs.

For sustainability managers, the ability to navigate this, influence the behaviours of others and make smart individual and group decisions is essential to success.

Learn more about our Decision Making in a Complex World module

Good working relationships are key to performance and productivity in all organisations and every role, but the ability to effectively communicate and collaborate with global stakeholders is particularly important for sustainability professionals.

Organisations need to engage customers, employees and other stakeholders in their sustainability strategies and environmental performance. And this requires leaders who can effectively communicate their company’s commitment to achieving such goals.

Similarly, businesses will need sustainability managers to collaborate with other functions such as marketing to publicise sustainability initiatives, and external pressure groups to address any public concerns.

Addressing challenges to the environment and sustainability is time-critical and requires rapid solutions. It therefore goes without saying that project management is ranked highly as one of the top skills needed for sustainability.

There are lots of ways that sustainability is becoming an important issue for organisations, but they must also find ways to incorporate this into existing strategies.

Take environmental management (e.g., tackling climate change) and diversity and inclusion initiatives for example. They are arguably just as important as each other, but if you were tasked with implementing both at the same time, how would you balance this and make sure that they are equally addressed?

This example emphasises why sustainability managers need good project management skills. They must be able to prioritise such tasks and deliver solutions in a timely manner.

So, we’ve explored how important it is for leaders to think critically about sustainable solutions, make tough decisions, communicate clearly, and manage multiple projects and commitments. But when concluding each sustainability initiative, results must be gathered and examined. This brings analytics into our top five skills needed for sustainability.

It’s essential for sustainability professionals to have good analytical skills to truly pinpoint and show the impact that innovative approaches are having on businesses. This data can then be used by leaders to evaluate the benefits and limitations of a variety of sustainability issues from work and economic growth to reduced inequalities.

Learn more about our Business Analytics module

Ready to enhance your knowledge and skills for a successful career in sustainability?

Our fully online Sustainable Business Leadership Masters draws on sustainability techniques, concepts, and analytical skills to help you problem-solve and communicate solutions to complex business issues.

The course is a result of a collaboration between Leeds University Business School and the School of Earth and Environment. You’ll gain the skills that employers are actively seeking by learning how to develop sustainable business strategies to transition to a more sustainable economy, whilst effectively leading on change strategies, in your organisation.

Take control of your learning, study online and thrive in your career with an online Masters from the University of Leeds.

• 3 reasons why businesses need more sustainable management
• How and why sustainability is becoming an important issue for organisations
• The top 5 management careers in sustainability