Navigating Corporate Sustainability Realities

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My Sustainable Encounter with Ariba Naaz

by Albert Schiller

The Genesis of a Pragmatic View

Why does the path from a brilliant idea to concrete action often feel like navigating a maze? This question frequently confronts those working to drive change in complex fields like sustainability. Ariba Naaz, a professional whose insights are shaped by both academic rigor and real-world corporate engagement, offers a clear perspective on this challenge. Her journey reveals a significant distinction between understanding sustainability in theory and implementing it in practice.

One Coin

Ariba’s early academic pursuits in geography and disaster management provided a strong theoretical foundation. Sustainability was a "complementary subject" to these fields. She recognized early that disaster management, focused on building resilience and preparing for crises, and sustainability, aimed at preventing crises, were "different sides of the same coin". This intellectual framework established a logical connection between mitigation and prevention. The academic environment allows for the exploration of ideal solutions, unburdened by the complexities of corporate operations. This is a space where perfect plans can be mapped out. Ariba's initial interest in geography was about understanding "the earth's atmosphere, how the hydrology of the earth, the climatology of the earth". This intellectual curiosity about global systems led her to disaster management and, subsequently, sustainability.

Corporate Realities and Cost Management

The transition to the corporate world, however, introduced a new set of variables. Ariba quickly learned that in business, "Everything is about managing costs". This fundamental reality impacts how sustainability initiatives are perceived and adopted. No matter how "out of this world" or theoretically sound, a plan must ultimately align with budgetary constraints and the company's financial objectives. If a proposal does not demonstrate clear value within these parameters, it risks quietly disappearing. "You'll see that people are interested. They'll nod with you, but in the end it will just quietly disappear. It will go nowhere". This pragmatic understanding highlights that even if the end goal is to build a system with "no incidents" to harm the workflow, in the corporate context, this translates directly to cost minimization. The conceptual overlap between disaster management’s preparedness and sustainability’s prevention became apparent: both ultimately seek to minimize disruptions and associated financial burdens for businesses.

The Indispensable Role of Persuasion

Ariba's mentor at the Times Group, Yanesh Pasak, provided a crucial insight that bridged this gap between ideal and real. His lesson, not directly tied to sustainability content, was about presentation. His central teaching: "Being right is not always enough. You also have to be convincing". This wisdom applies irrespective of the field. A brilliant plan, supported by data, can "fall flat in front of the board of directors" if the presentation lacks conviction or appropriate communication. This insight was particularly "beneficial, especially in the corporate world, rather than something that I learned from him in the field of sustainability". It underscored that the intellectual validity of an argument is only one component of its success. Its persuasive power and alignment with the audience's framework are equally vital. This applies whether one is advocating for environmental initiatives or discussing financial strategies.

Strategic Communication

This emphasis on communication exceeds budgets. It encompasses aligning sustainability goals with broader company policies and future objectives. Ariba notes that she did not fully account for these complexities when drafting her early academic papers, where she thought in "ideal situations". The corporate world, conversely, requires more than just "the best idea". It demands convincing leadership and aligning with the "company's future goals". This pragmatic understanding shapes her approach today. It highlights that the most profound insights can be translated into the language and priorities of the audience one seeks to influence. Ariba stresses that it is important "to know the solution to a problem, but also how to send the solution to the audience". This crucial skill determines whether a proposal gains traction or fades away. For aspiring sustainability professionals, this means cultivating the ability to articulate value in terms that resonate with various stakeholders. It's about speaking the language of finance, operations, or human resources, tailoring the "why" of sustainability to their specific concerns and objectives. This strategic communication transforms sustainability from an abstract concept into a tangible business advantage, ensuring that good ideas lead somewhere.

So what can we take from her approach?

Questions for Audience

1. Ariba Naaz highlights that academic sustainability often focuses on ideal solutions, which can clash with corporate realities like budget constraints. For aspiring sustainability professionals, what practical strategies can help them prepare for the financial and political landscapes they will likely face in the business world?

2. The blog emphasizes the importance of understanding the "pain points" of your audience (e.g., finance, operations) to communicate sustainability's value effectively. Can you share an example of how you successfully translated sustainability benefits into terms that resonated with a non-sustainability-focused department or stakeholder?