An Open Letter to SustainAbility

The letter below was recently sent to SustainAbility, a business that "advises clients on the risks and opportunities associated with corporate responsibility and sustainable development." While I am generally supportive of these kinds of business endeavors, I am often taken aback by how exploitative these "doing-well, by doing-good" companies can be. For a full account of the "risks" associated with this particular brand of sustainable development, click on the job link below.

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December 18, 2006

Dear Maddy Rooke-Ley:

I write in regard to your job "Associate Director, Research and Advocacy", which I saw advertised on the Ethical Corporation web site.

I worked for several years as the director or research at a not-for-profit organization that promoted community development-oriented venture capital. My politics are left-leaning though my experience has taught me that properly managed markets can have positive social and economic outcomes. I'm generally a high-tax, high-services kind of guy, which is one of the reasons I live in France. I'm perfectly willing to pay higher prices for energy, food, clothing, etc, if I know that these items are being produced in a sustainable manner. One could say, I am a fellow-traveler and it this proximity of spirit--this shared vision for a better future--that inspires me to write to you about your job advertisement.

I don't want to come across as flip or insensitive, but I think the job that your advertising for the Associate Director position sounds like part of the problem and not part of the solution. I am telling you this because my guess is that no one who actually wants the job can do so, even though what I'm going to say is far more truthful than 95% of the cover letters that you are likely to receive.

The problem is that the job you are advertising is at least a 70 hour per week position. In other words, the work your are proposing is completely unsustainable. I understand that, on one side, your company is working to solve immense and complex problems and, on the other side, your clients are pressing for good, cheap, and fast--a trifecta which they themselves, of course, could never win. However, the work you are giving to this one position is enough to squeeze the life out of even the most dedicated of work horses. You will, of course, find someone to fill this position and they will be excited to work on these interesting and worthwhile projects. But given the litany of responsibilities, he or she will not last more than a few years and is likely to leave looking like Jimmy Carter circa 1981. Is it too much to ask that a company whose stated goal is to promote sustainability try and create a sustainable work environment?

Please don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with the objectives of your organization. I support your goals whole-heartedly and accept the inevitable imperfections that go with all human endeavors. Nor do I mean to single out SustainAbility, except in so far as your organization has revealed itself as being particularly concerned with sustainable solutions. The fact is that many companies (and even more not-for-profits) with good intentions pursue equally unsustainable working conditions. My unsolicited advice: hire one person to do Research & Writing and hire another to do Outreach & Networking. Don't try and get one person to do both.

Good luck with your organization and good luck hiring the right folks.

Regards,

Brian T. Schmitt