Key Career Trait 15: SUSTAINABILITY
- Erica Hughey
- Jun 20
- 4 min read
This inherent soft skill is all about having the ability adapt effortlessly to changes and having compassion as a talent. This is a modest, unassuming, nonjudgmental nature views everyone as one and interconnected and is committed to improving the experiences of all. This energy welcomes diversity and leads with kindness, equality and fairness. You are the free spirit in the office who speaks to everyone whether they are the front door greeter or the chief financial officer.
This is also about having the insight to leveraging diversity to evolve the organization and foster shared and logical growth that produces sustainable success, achieving business goals. You have the ability to lead others out of their habitual patterns and inspire them to adopt new, healthier habits. Your flexibility and rhythm allow you to complete tasks calmly and focused, but also to react quickly and brilliantly when unexpected problems arise. This adaptability impresses your team and ensures that you remain effective in any situation. You are able to dive into new projects or challenges effortlessly, even if they lie outside your usual scope. Your ability to integrate into any new situation without holding on to old patterns creates trust and respect from your colleagues.
In a work environment dominated by fixed routines and procedures, you quickly feel restricted and prefer to shape a dynamic, varied workday. Your desire for variety and change makes it easy for you to familiarize yourself with new areas of responsibility and bring your commitment to them. You need the opportunity to experience different work rhythms to truly be productive and creative. This flexibility not only promotes your own development but also helps your team adapt to new ways of working and accept change more easily. You are motivated by diversity and the ability to adjust your work style, consistently bringing fresh perspectives.
However, if you become too driven by the need for change, it may lead to restlessness. You could risk constantly seeking new extremes without focusing on a particular area of work. In such moments, it is important to be patient with the process and focus on achieving your goals in the long term. Your ability to accept changes and go with the flow is crucial, but it’s just as important not to constantly chase the next adventure. With the right balance of adaptability and perseverance, you will learn how to use change strategically to make progress while maintaining focus.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:
Aligning with this trait allows you transform yourself or anything else that you are working on from dull to magnetic. By stepping out of your comfort zone, thinking outside of the box and holding space for others to do the same, it allows to collective progress and expansion through an experience as a team. When you're not operating as your best self, and feeling low or empty, you may find yourself giving up or resigning to the circumstances. Or on the other hand, you may cause unnecessary drama so you won't feel empty trying to create the exhilaration of a roller coaster. Here are stages to find balance and development the skill to create and maintain sustainability:
STAGE 1: DUTY - The ability to confront any challenge without expectations. Accepting the diversity of skills, talents, attributes, expressions, etc., is essential to cultivate a productive team and work culture and your own individual development.
STAGE 2: INFLUENCE - Once you develop the strength to accept and appreciate you own particular work or leadership style as natural and correct for you, it will have a profound effect on others. Although you may not be aware of your diverse traits, other's likely are because your body language signals that you are different, unique and rare. Use your inherent permission to contribute to the team or project in your natural state.
STAGE 3: EGO INFLATION - Here is an unwavering commitment to finish what you started, trusting that transformation process and pressing on. Sometimes extreme measures are called for to take a stand but there may be pressure to conform and be inauthentic and insincere as society isn't a fan of diverse extremes.
STAGE 4: CENTERING - You'll want to get comfortable being uncomfortable so you begin to trust your own truth and not feel like a wallflower due to your uniqueness. There is a specific trajectory that you are on and only certain coworkers or customers will understand, align with or accept your diversity. Don't change, stay centered with your inner guidance, those are your people. They will not only vibe with you because you are different but especially because you embrace and accept yourself.
STAGE 5: SENSITIVITY - Being able to sense when leverage diversity to balance the workplace and team and adjust to meet the requirements of a changing business environment. This is reading the room and acting accordingly towards the goal. Here others expect that you are attuned to the needs of those who have extreme input and are able to guide other through turbulent flow of project and change management for success.
STAGE 6: RESPECT - Re-spect... looking back, rechecking and re-examining yourself and the circumstances in a modest but strong manner. Gain lasting respect via self-acceptance and setting an example by taking responsibility for the circumstances and taking charge with humility.
Satori Synergy offers data-driven, transformative career coaching and team building to change-ready professionals and organizations to cultivate successful work cultures and satisfying careers aligned with individual natural traits and strengths. Erica Hughey, The Career Engineer, trained at the Human Design Business Institute, uses your Career Design Blueprint as an objective, individualized tool for tailored professional development, leadership training, talent management, and change management. She incorporates her knowledge in social intelligence, emotional intelligence and corporate cultural intelligence provides you with a holistic analysis and comprehensive consulting and coaching experience.
Get started by reading your personalized SOP, a Career Design Report or schedule an expert Career Design Analysis session to discover and discuss your prominent leadership traits. You'll learn how to leverage your innate skills to transform yourself and your work environment solving for communications issues by using your specific interaction strategies and authentic decision making.
