Nowadays, the urgency of the ecological transition is on everyone’s agenda. And yet, its implementation comes up against mentalities that have not yet changed much. The CEO of the BASF chemical group, Martin Brudermüller, provides a good summary of the current situation: “People like to keep repeating what they know how to do and what has proven to work. That’s what makes it so difficult to accelerate the pace.”

Bain surveyed nearly 5,000 people in nine different economic sectors: although two-thirds of respondents consider that they will need to develop new competencies, less than half of non-managers are offered the possibility of developing these new competencies… A subject that needs urgent attention!

The reality is that we do not yet know precisely which technical skills will be necessary. We will have to innovate, to proceed by trial-and-error. Bain’s partners underline that the key lies in a change of attitude in order to spread a “growth mindset”. Considering that we can and must constantly develop ourselves, opening our minds to change, learning from others and, ultimately, learning to learn: this is what will make the difference in meeting the challenges of the ecological transition.

Source: A Talent Strategy for Sustainability: Skills Matter, but Mindset Is Everything, Sarah Elk, Julie Coffman, Tracy Thurkow, John Hazan, Bain & Company, November 2023.