The Sustainability Upskilling Paradox: Why Your CSO is Running on Fumes

Sustainability leaders are currently doing something no other executive is asked to do.

Think about it. Investment managers do not have the task of teaching the entire company how to pick stocks. Risk managers do not create training on risk management for all departments. Yet, Chief Sustainability Officers (CSOs) are often expected to be the company’s lead educators.

It is a unique burden. It is also a massive logistical puzzle.

Why "One Size Fits All" Fails

You can explain the basics of carbon footprints in fifteen minutes. That is the easy part. The hard part is making sustainability move the needle for every specific role.

Procurement teams need to know about supply chain ethics.

Engineering teams need to understand circular design.

Marketing teams need to avoid greenwashing risks.

If the training is not actionable for a specific department, beyond general awareness, it becomes a waste of time (because it is not relevant, and employees have other objectives).

When you add a global workforce to the mix, it gets even harder. Different regions have different values, languages, and local regulations.

The Impossible To-Do List

How does a CEO expect one person to be a master educator while also juggling everything else? CSOs are currently buried under:

• Complex reporting: Navigating a mountain-load of data.

• Regulatory monitoring: Keeping up with ever-changing laws.

• Investor relations: Answering deep-dive technical questions.

• Public visibility: Speaking on panels and industry working groups.
  

The Long-Term Game vs. Short-Term Fires

Upskilling the workforce is arguably the biggest lever a company has to reach its ESG goals.

If the employees do not "get it," the strategy stays on paper.

Unfortunately, upskilling often falls to the bottom of the priority list. Like most executives today, CSOs are busy putting out short-term fires.

Defining "sustainability" in a way that resonates with everyone is a full-time job on its own. We need to recognize the sheer complexity of this task.

We cannot expect long-term transformation if we don't give leaders the space and resources to actually empower those that will eventually have to integrate sustainability into their work.