The Find: Rather than pie in the sky idealism, learning to manage sustainability can be a huge career boost for middle managers, even during a downturn.- The Source: An FT Management blog podcast with Andrew Shapiro, president of Green Order, a consultancy working with companies such as GE, GM and BP.
The Takeaway: Scarcity always drives up prices, and the key lesson of this podcast is that middle managers with traditional business skills plus an understanding of how to manage sustainability projects are a rare and sought after breed in many large organizations today. Rather than view being a green evangelist as an opportunity to get yourself written off as a wacko, Shapiro argues that those who figure out smart ways to manage and measure a company’s green initiatives are more likely to be promoted.
What about the recession, you ask? Shapiro asserts that the fierce drive to cut costs in today’s economic climate offers a powerful way to sell efficiency initiatives that both save energy (or water or waste) and save the company money. What manager wouldn’t like to find a way to go their supervisor and say that they’ve found a way to cut costs without cutting staff right now? Sustainability initiatives may just be the way to do that. For much more, check out the eight minute podcast.
(Image of meeting al fresco by Office Now, CC 2.0)
