Talking about ESG may seem like something new, recently created in response to the abrupt changes we have experienced in recent years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the topic is not new. However, it has become a key agenda and is now in vogue, as a study conducted by the Brazilian Association of Business Communication (Aberje) found that 95% of Brazilian companies consider ESG a priority in their corporate agendas.

But what is this ESG that everyone is talking about nowadays? Why does the pandemic seem to have brought it to the forefront within organizations? And more: what are the main drivers that will help us select, assess, and ensure professionals who will bring this topic to life, give it a voice, and make it a priority within their organizations?

Let’s help you understand this through five key characteristics that will serve as a guide for HR decision-making, whether in recruitment processes and/or people development.

What is ESG?

Environmental:

Measures adopted by organizations aimed at preserving the environment, including issues related to pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, waste management, and more.

Social:

Actions that help ensure increasingly diverse cultures, as well as guidelines focused on human rights, consumer protection, and more.

Governance:

Principles such as corporate governance, compliance (code of ethics, training, and whistleblowing channels, for example), maintaining transparency, reliability of financial reports and statements, internal controls and auditing, management of conflicts of interest, among other aspects.

The Origin of the Acronym

The outbreak of an initial COVID-19 endemic had a global impact. In November 2019, the first cases of infection by SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2) emerged in the city of Wuhan, China. The spread of the virus and its severity grew exponentially, leading the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare COVID-19 a pandemic in March 2020.

All of this context brought about several reflections and gave greater prominence to the ESG concept. In the study conducted by Aberje , this becomes clear as 58% of respondents stated that the pandemic accelerated the sustainability agenda.

However, the ESG acronym originated in 2005 through the report Who Cares Wins (or, in Portuguese, “wins who cares”), the result of an initiative by the United Nations (UN). However, it was in 2015, with the definition of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Paris, that the term gained greater prominence, with an ambitious agenda aimed at eradicating poverty and promoting economic, social, and environmental development on a global scale by 2030.

ESG and Its Leaders

With this agenda becoming a priority in the corporate world, the search begins for professionals capable of guiding and ensuring that this sustainability discourse truly becomes a practice within organizations.

Reflect on this: what are the main drivers that will help us select, assess, and ensure professionals who will bring this topic to life, give it a voice, and make it a priority within their organizations?

To discuss these drivers and key behaviors of an ESG professional, I first want to introduce another concept that is often mentioned alongside ESG: accountability.

In the book “The Oz Principle,” the authors and business management experts Roger Connors, Tom Smith, and Craig Hickman present a unique explanation of what it means to be an accountable professional. They use a metaphor based on an American film, drawing a parallel with the yellow brick road journey experienced by Dorothy Gale and her friends. This helps us understand the concept of accountability applied to life.

For these experts, an accountable professional is the protagonist of their own life—someone who does not wait for “Oz” (or, in our case, the company or manager) to provide the solutions needed for their growth. On the contrary, they are individuals who take responsibility for their actions and learn how to achieve exponential results.

But you may be wondering, what does this have to do with ESG?

A study conducted by the Harvard Law School analyzed the backgrounds of 46 senior ESG leaders from major global organizations appointed over the past 18 months.

In this study, we see that ESG demands reached a peak in 2020, as the world was impacted by simultaneous global crises: COVID-19, climate change, racial and social injustice, and geopolitical tensions. This created a need for ESG professionals and leaders who could act as guiding forces, helping organizations navigate and emerge more effectively from these global challenges. As a result, the demand for ESG leadership talent surged. What we observed is that organizations now require accountable professionals—those who take ownership, think strategically, act as protagonists rather than reacting to circumstances, and remain open to change (adaptable).

It is also worth highlighting that 70% of the professionals who have taken on ESG-focused roles worldwide are women, reinforcing the “S” (Social) aspect of ESG.

What are the characteristics of an ESG professional?

After all, what are these characteristics? To help you with this definition, I want to list five key behaviors that will help you in the process of mapping of these professionals in selection processes. Along with this, it will help in the development of people who aim to make a difference in organizations and the world they live in.

We at Clave Consultoria, throughout our more than 25 years in the market, We have already mapped more than 4 million professionals and studied trends, profiles, behaviors and motivators of these individuals. Therefore, based on these analyzes and at the World Economic Forum, which dictated 15 skills necessary for professional performance by 2025, we have designed the essential attributes that define this accountable professional, or as you might read, ESG professional. These are:

Collaboration and connection:

Seeks to establish constructive interpersonal connections, being empathetic. Knows how to manage conflicts, shares knowledge efficiently and understands the value of the result together.

Leadership and Influence:

Acts with accountability, inspiring people and generating results through them. Transmits purpose and engages in direction of the future. Encourages protagonism and values diversity.

Customer focus:

Has analytical thinking to diagnose and map scenarios, outlining strategies and creating creative solutions that delight the customer, meeting and exceeding your expectations.

Innovation and adaptability:

Deals positively with change, is resilient, multifunctional and flexible to different scenarios. Question models in the search for improvements and new products, has the initiative to devise and undertake solutions originals. He anticipates trends, he’s curious.​

Orientation towards sustainable results:

Mobilizes resources to obtain differentiated results and sustainable. Plan and carry out seeking Always achieve excellence in everything you do.

And now?

Faced with this whole scenario, the big question arises: how do I develop my talents in this direction? The first step forward this process is to promote the search for self-knowledge, through diagnosis and mapping. Try to analyze your employees against these five drivers, outlining actions that help enhance your strengths and vulnerabilities. Want to know how?