Forging the Future Ready Mind of ESG Leaders

---

My Sustainable Encounter with Diya Sengupta 

by Albert Schiller

We have the frameworks for a sustainable future, but do we know how to find the people who can build it?

In our previous discussions, we have dissected the systems of sustainability. We have examined the flawed data, revised the corporate strategy, and analyzed the pragmatic path forward. We have inspected the blueprints for the machine. Yet, a more fundamental question lingers. A blueprint is useless without a builder. What is the composition of the mind required to operate, innovate, and lead in this complex, often frustrating, field?

My encounter with ESG strategist Diya made it clear that our conventional methods for identifying talent are obsolete. The obsession with specialized degrees and linear career paths produces experts in narrow fields, but sustainability is a discipline of radical interconnectedness. It demands more than expertise; it requires a particular form of wisdom.

Deconstructing the 'Ideal' Candidate

If you were to write a job description for a leader capable of navigating the ESG landscape, what would it contain? Diya’s answer effectively shreds the traditional corporate checklist. When I asked her what she looks for when building her team, her response was looking beyond the resume. "The foremost trait I look for is empathy," she began, "followed by humor and an entrepreneurial spirit."

Let us analyze this. Not financial modeling, not data science, but empathy, humor, and initiative. Why? The logic is impeccable. Empathy is the ability to understand the complex web of stakeholders, from a nervous board member to a community activist. Humor is the psychological armor required to maintain sanity and morale when progress is slow and setbacks are frequent. An entrepreneurial spirit is the engine of proactivity, the refusal to wait for permission to solve a problem.

She is not interested in one-dimensional specialists. She values a candidate who "can talk about subjects other than the position that they're applying for." This is a search for intellectual agility. It is a test to see if a candidate’s mind is a narrow corridor or an open field of curiosity. The specialist can optimize a known process, but the agile thinker can create a new one when the old one inevitably breaks.

The Technology of Empathy

If these character traits are the goal, what is the method for cultivating them? Here, Diya’s philosophy becomes truly insightful. The essential technology for forging this future-ready mind, she argues, is reading. Her "bias towards somebody who reads" is not a casual preference; it is a core strategic principle. As she puts it, "a reader always brings a unique point of view to the table."

Reading, particularly literature, is one of the most effective training simulations for developing empathy. It is an exercise in "moving between characters in a book," involving the ability to inhabit different minds and understand their motivations. This is the skill of the ESG leader in microcosm.

This cultivated empathy becomes the foundation for what she, referencing the work of Dr. Saikat Majumdar, calls a "unique personal narrative." A leader must be able to craft their own story to inspire others to join it. This narrative is built upon what she describes as "a productive relationship between multiple sets of intelligences." The ideal mind is not one that is merely logical-mathematical, but one that integrates linguistic, personal, and existential intelligences into a coherent whole.

The conclusion is clear. The leaders we need are not simply found; they must be forged. They are forged through a deliberate process of self-cultivation, involving the conscious integration of diverse knowledge and the development of a character resilient and curious enough to meet the challenge. The search is not for a perfect CV, but for a prepared mind.

So what can we take from her approach?

Questions for Audience

1. In your organization or field, how much weight is given to traits like "empathy" and "humor" versus technical qualifications? Do you believe a shift is needed, and what practical steps could leaders take to assess these qualitative traits during hiring?

2. Diya argues for the power of a "unique personal narrative." What are the key elements of your own professional narrative, and how has cultivating it helped you navigate your career in sustainability or any other complex field?