How Can Your Career Incorporate Sustainability?

Inaddition to executive management playing a critical role in the success ofa company, business sustainability requires leadership across the entireorganization. While management may ultimately carry the responsibility ofsustainable business results, employees have a part to play in the definitionand implementation of the company's business sustainability programs.

Businessestoday are presented with the unique opportunity to dramatically improve the bottom-line through expanded eco awareness and amore proactive and innovative mindset than 'business as usual'. Progressivecompanies are seeking to refine their sustainable business strategies, improveinternal and external communication, and bring cohesiveness to theirorganization to promote employee engagement.

Sustainableorganizations understand the value in managing their human capital. Theyrealize that a quality workforce, aligned with the goals of the organization,is essential to business sustainability. Whether led by a sustainabilityexecutive or traditional management, a sustainable organization has many teamsand key roles for individuals seeking to become leaders:

SupplyChain Professionals: A key in-bound interface which implements newsources of supply or work with current suppliers to incorporate sustainabilityconcepts that improve operations.

Salesand Marketing Professionals: A key out-bound interface whichrepresents the face of the company's sustainable products and corporate action.

Environmental,Health, and Safety Professionals: A key internal interface whichfunctions as the internal business sustainability voice of the company.

HumanResource Professionals: A key employee and community interface whichplays a key role in implementing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) objectives.

Employeesas key business stakeholders are potential business sustainability leaders inany organization.

--By Julie Urlaub, founder and managing partner of TaigaCompany. She writes, speaks, blogs and consults on how changing theway you look at something can change your results and your world. She's asuperstar green blogger, 2010 Shorty Award Runner Up on Twitter in the Greencategory (with over 15,000 followers), and works with companies to address thegreen/sustainability pressures in a way that strengthens them—capitalizing onthe opportunities and mitigating the risk.