Why leadership and recruitment & retention go hand-in-hand in the environmental industry

Chris Swan, managing director & global practice leader: construction, design & environment at Transearch International, will be leading a roundtable discussion at Environment Analyst's upcoming Global Business Summit (27-28 June, Chicago) on how to attract and retain talent and ultimately get the right people, at the right time, at the right price. Here, he provides some insights ahead of the event.

The environmental industry has been steadily growing and expanding since the 1970s, with the passage of NEPA and the creation of the EPA. As a society, our ambitions for protecting the environment have only grown over the years, leading to new laws and regulations to reduce our impact on the planet. With the rise of CSR (corporate social responsibility) and now with ESG (environmental social governance), populations are setting the bar higher for businesses. 

The challenge remains in finding the right leaders to deliver on these high promises and business models that can support growth and financial success in the face of this ever-expanding social contract. Coupled with this implicit mandate is the very real judgment of youth, demanding change in stewardship in a world where available funds and entrenched interests have a lot to say about the speed and magnitude of changes that can take place. Businesses must find creative solutions and competent leaders to navigate the ever-evolving environmental landscape. 

Here are some of my "cheat codes" from 30 years of executive search in the environmental and AEC industry that should get your ideas flowing to take a business from "good to great," as Jim Collins would say.

1. Your business’s culture

In a business context, culture is not what makes people happy; it's what helps people to get the job done well. Without psychological safety, an enriching and positive culture is difficult to achieve, and in today’s emerging social norms, a dysfunctional business. 

How people interact with each other, customers, and other stakeholders, often determines the success or failure of the business. Without proper management and attention to culture, positive attributes that make customers happy are not rewarded, and negative aspects that undermine productivity and employee happiness become entrenched. 

For leaders, it is crucial to identify, hire, and cultivate individuals who are a net positive on a company’s culture as they play a key role in moving the needle on performance. By understanding the company’s culture and using what's in place to encourage repetitive, positive behaviors, great leaders create an environment for growth and success.

2. Commitment To Success

Focusing on your goal is critical to success. Growing up, I learned about success as an athlete playing football. When I was 12, I played on an incredibly cohesive championship team. We executed plays flawlessly. We didn’t need to yell and scream or even talk too much. We each knew what our role was and trusted each other to deliver. Our goal was simple, to win the city championship, and consequently, we were incredibly successful. We kept it simple. We used our talents to the best of our abilities, were unselfish in our actions, and were unified in our goals. 

As we expanded our team to include players from the entire park district, we faced opponents from other cities. Our challenge was to expand the successful culture to more than 30 players. The cohesion was never quite the same.

As I grew, teams were more complicated. Players only wanted to play particular positions. Coaches were focused on internal competition to get their team's best. In many cases, I think cohesion is the better strategy. 

Maybe it is inevitable that the more complex organizations become, the more difficult it is to keep the focus simple. However, my lesson is that the goal must be narrow, the focus simple, and the commitment clear. Success comes from focusing on the next play, the next day, and the win. 

3. A winning culture – break the TAPE

There are many ways to think about the ideas that make up a winning culture. I categorize winning ideas with TAPE (thought, action, passion, and expression).

Coming up with the right list of specific ideas and leadership competencies for each specific organization is fundamental to achieving success. Here are some examples of these ideas: 

• Thought: An entrepreneurial mindset – always finds the optimal creative solution to the problem. Inspires, persistent, fails fast and moves on.
• Action: Instills urgency – sets priorities, is disciplined, persistent, and focused. Models a high clock speed and holds people accountable.
• Passion: Delivers change – fully attuned to what customers want. Coaches others on how to drive change to meet the objectives.
• Expression: Emotional intelligence – self-aware, empathetic, and connects with everyone at a level of feeling and emotion. Anticipates and defuses conflict.   

4. Get the right leaders on board to promote sustainable growth

Building a successful and sustainable business requires more than the right ideas and a culture that supports and nurtures those ideas. The key to achieving this success is hiring the right leaders who understand how to manage with purpose and conviction, trust and loyalty, and a commitment to the win. 

In today’s environmental services market, tremendously passionate individuals are willing to give 100% to the right team. We see it all the time in the eyes of our teams that spend days in the field or have solved an intractable design problem. Leaders understand how to harness these wins to capture the purpose and tie it back to the bigger themes of the mission.

Our businesses are not simply thinking about making the world better; we are doing things to improve the environment. Our teams want to make this connection. 

Leaders must communicate the mission and make decisions based on culture-enhancing principles and team-building values. We can’t let negativity and our desire to expand the team undermine our cohesion. Every important decision needs a culture check. Every critical hire needs a leadership competency and values evaluation.

Businesses can create a strong foundation to support growth and success for years by emphasizing culture and values with a lesser focus on particular achievements. Companies focusing on such characteristics may uncover highly capable and motivated individuals eager to prove themselves. Because of the expanded talent pool, candidates may have the right culture and leadership characteristics but at more reasonable compensation levels. 

Focusing on culture, ideas, and commitment is a strategic advantage, allowing businesses to find the right leaders and avoid the wrong ones. It prevents the two-step forward and one-step-back pattern many firms find hard to break. By keeping it simple and focusing on the win, environmental firms can drive their organizations forward with the right people on the bus.

Chris Swan, Managing Director & Global Practice Leader: Construction, Design & Environment, TRANSEARCH International

Chris is a Managing Director with TRANSEARCH International, co-founder of the Chicago office, and Global Practice Leader for Design, Construction, Technology and Environmental. For a quarter of a century, Chris has built TRANSEARCH into a global search leader in the environmental industry, including some prominent CEO & Board placements. He has helped industry leaders understand the motivations, passions, and thought processes of the leaders they hope to attract. Allowing for excellent decisions that deliver outstanding leaders who fit the client’s cultural, team, performance and leadership profiles, thus maximizing success. 

Chris has an MBA from the Liautaud School of Business at the University of Illinois-Chicago, and he earned his Bachelor’s degree from Drake University in Economics. His specialties include; Global Executive Search, Human Resources Management, Talent Scouting, Executive Appraisal, Generalist, Succession Planning, Personality Assessment, and Investment Sourcing.