What do you do if your sustainability career is stagnant despite positive performance evaluations?

1 Assess your situation

The first step is to take a honest look at your current situation and identify the root causes of your stagnation. Ask yourself some questions, such as: What are your career aspirations and expectations? How do they align with your organization's vision and values? How are you communicating your achievements and contributions to your managers and peers? How are you leveraging your strengths and addressing your weaknesses? How are you learning new skills and staying updated on the latest trends and best practices in sustainability? How are you expanding your network and building relationships with key stakeholders? How are you balancing your workload and managing your stress levels? By answering these questions, you can gain more clarity and insight into your career situation and identify the gaps and opportunities for improvement.

2 Seek feedback and guidance

The next step is to seek feedback and guidance from others who can help you grow and advance in your sustainability career. These can include your managers, mentors, coaches, colleagues, clients, or other professionals in your field. Ask them for honest and constructive feedback on your performance, skills, potential, and goals. Listen to their perspectives and suggestions, and thank them for their support. You can also ask them for guidance on how to overcome your challenges, how to access new opportunities, how to develop new skills, or how to navigate the organizational culture and politics. You can also seek feedback and guidance from yourself, by conducting a self-evaluation or a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) of your career.

3 Take action and initiative

The final step is to take action and initiative to create positive changes in your sustainability career. Based on the feedback and guidance you received, set realistic and specific goals for your career development, and create a plan to achieve them. Identify the actions and steps you need to take, the resources and support you need to access, and the timeline and milestones you need to follow. Then, start implementing your plan, and track your progress and results. Along the way, communicate your goals and achievements to your managers and peers, and showcase your value and impact. Seek new challenges and responsibilities that align with your interests and aspirations, and demonstrate your initiative and leadership. Learn new skills and knowledge that can enhance your sustainability expertise and credibility, and apply them to your projects and tasks. Network and connect with other sustainability professionals who can inspire you, mentor you, or collaborate with you.