Last week, I created this cartoon to illustrate an article by sustainability consultant Coro Strandberg called Managing sustainability talent: Lofty goal or new business imperative? and published yesterday by Greenbiz. Chief Financial Officer says “What if we invest in sustainability skills for our people and then they leave us?”. Chief Executive Officer says “What if we don’t and they stay?”. Coro wanted a cartoon based on this simple and funny dialogue deliberatly using two female characters for CFO and CEO. I did a couple of sketches that she shared with friends and colleagues and after a round of feedback, I created this final cartoon. Please let me know what you think in the comments below.
Managing sustainability talent: Lofty goal or new business imperative?
Fueled by globalization, technological change, population growth and shifting demographics, sustainability mega-forces will affect the ability of business to succeed and thrive over the next 30 years.
With the global population expected to balloon from 7 billion to 9 billion people by 2050, companies will need to reinvent themselves to secure their access to resources and the social license to operate and grow.
Collectively, humanity is already consuming 1.5 times the resources that can be renewed in a year. Just as concerning, the income inequality gap continues to widen, further threatening social cohesion.
Businesses that anticipate, plan for and help alleviate these trends not only will build their competitive advantage, but will contribute to building a viable society for all.
The catch: For business to prosper in this new global context, current and future leaders will need a host of new skills and competencies. Click here to read more.
Nice cartoon ! Also, I would like to underling a question that a lot of people around me ask : “How sustainability can increase my revenues? “. People need explanation on this but also real life example of company which earn money by investing in sustainability.
Good work, continue like that !
Thanks Baptiste! I made a video on this particular topic: the business case for sustainability http://sustainabilityillustrated.com/en/portfolio/business-case-sustainability/ and another one on a related topic: Creating sustainability value for a business http://sustainabilityillustrated.com/en/portfolio/creating-sustainable-value-business/.
Does this help? I am planning to make more videos on these important topics in the future…
Alex, I love the cartoon! It captures the tension around this perfectly and in a fun way.
Cheers,
b
Thanks Barb 🙂