Helping business to
serve shareholders AND society
SIMULTANEOUSLY
-by Wayne Dunn
CSR Skills:
What you need and why
www.csrtraininginstitute.com/knowledge-centre

CSR Skills:
What you need and why
What skills and attributes are most helpful for someone working in (or
wanting to work in) the growing field of corporate social responsibility?
I’m asked this question often so thought I would share some thoughts
in a post.
As always, these are my thoughts. Don’t expect them to be
comprehensive and do expect some to be surprising and maybe even
controversial.
Some might suggest that there is another set of more traditional skills
that are important. I wouldn’t disagree, but would argue vehemently
that the skills below are as or more important.
For all my writings, teachings and doings the whole idea (always) is
to facilitate change by conveying information and stimulating thinking
and doing.
You have more answers inside you than you realize. And you won’t
find them if you just read, nod and agree. Think. If you agree, why?
If you disagree, why? And, most importantly, what will you do
differently?
Most of the skills below are not just good for CSR. They apply across
business and in life generally.
CSR is all about value (so is business!). Always. Knowing how to
think about value in all its dimensions is key. Understanding and
differentiating value will help you to create value-alignment across
interests.
Click here for slides and video on stakeholder engagement from a
recent CSR Masterclass
1. Value-think
Page 02

CSR Skills:
What you need and why
CSR is all about stakeholders (so is business!). Always. Knowing how
to identify stakeholders and think about their interests (value) in all
its dimensions is key. Understanding and differentiating stakeholders
and their value will help you to create value-alignment across interests.
Click here for slides and video on stakeholder engagement from a
recent CSR Masterclass
CSR is all about meeting the interests (value) of others, in a way that
also meets the interests of your business and/or project. This skill is
sort of like strategic empathy, knowing how to understand the position
and interests of key stakeholders (the what’s in it for them part) and
being creative in looking at ways that your business/project can help
them and serve your own interests at the same time.
Communication is a critical skill for CSR (and so many other areas).
Clear, concise, other-interest focused (and interesting!) communications
can be invaluable in developing, implementing and managing CSR
projects. This applies to speaking, writing, social media and all other
forms of communications.
*other-interest focused – make sure to practice communication that
connects with the interests of those you are communicating with.
Communicate about the self-interest of others and their ears will perk
up and their minds will engage. Communicate about your interests
and their minds will likely wander to their own interests.
Ask yourself, ‘why would they listen/read/engage your
communication’. If you don’t have a clear answer your communication
is likely ineffective.
CSR is all business, so you need to Know Business to be effective.
Too often CSR is done as no-business and all philanthropy. Not good.
In the same way as you need to be able to understand and meet the
needs of stakeholders, you also need to know how to understand and
meet the needs of your business or project.
And, while you are at it
2. Stakeholder-think
3. Alignment-think
4. Communication
5. Know business
Page 03

CSR Skills:
What you need and why
Know how to communicate to your internal colleagues and stakeholders
(and then do it!). If you can’t make a strong internal business case for
your CSR plan and project how do you expect to develop a strong
internal support base.
And, if you don’t have a strong internal support base be prepared to
be isolated, marginalized and the first funding to be cut when things
get tough.
Build your business case and learn how to communicate it to key
internal stakeholders and constituents. You must be able to clearly
define and communicate the internal business case (often by
department – e.g., what’s in it for Human Resources? For Finance?
For operations?, etc.).
If you can’t, then you either haven’t thought about it hard enough, or
you are pursuing sub-optimal projects and priorities. In either case
you are not effectively optimizing value.
CSR is about creating and increasing value, not simply redistributing
value. One of the most valuable skills you can develop is to learn to
systematically think beyond zero-sum.
Learn how to win by helping others to win too.
Innovation is critical. Put on a value lens and learn to think inside,
outside and around the box. Ask yourself questions that start with;
What if? Would this? What about? Could we?
Better than asking yourself, surround yourself with colleagues and
stakeholders who can ask you those questions, and be open enough
to hear them and know that these questions may help to unlock new
value.
Creative alignment and value creation is often found through
innovation.
6. Know business-
speak
7. Zero-sum Be Gone
8. Innovation
Page 04

CSR Skills:
What you need and why
What are the pain points? What does that have to do with CSR?
Pain points are just that. It is what keeps your CEO awake at night.
Threats, weaknesses, obstacles, challenges, the sorts of things that
business has to address to survive and thrive.
CSR should be one of your business’s strategic tools for addressing
pain points. Not that CSR will solve all pain points, but that it may
solve some.
A key skill for a successful CSR practitioner is to know and understand
the pain points that are keeping your C-Suite team awake at nights,
and to think strategically about how CSR may help address some of
them.
And then have the communication and know-business skills to be able
to use CSR to address key pain points.
I did a keynote at the CSR Saudi Arabia Summit recently that discusses
CSR and Pain Points as part of integrating societal value in your core
business. You can see the slides here
There are many other skills that will help you to break into CSR work
or to be better at it. You can find many lists (much more traditional
than my nine-point list).
But, I think you will do well to think about and try and master these
nine. They will help to make you more effective and more valuable,
at CSR and in other areas.
9. Think Pain Points
Page 05

Below are some recent articles and publications on Corporate Social
Responsibility and stakeholder engagement that you may find interesting.
Mining Schools Hi Tech in CSR
CSR SWOT
discover risk, value and more
Eleven strategies
for maximizing value from CSR
CSR in Budget Crunch Times
12 strategies for success
Multi-sector CSR Partnerships
Natural Partnerships – Unnatu-
ral Partners
From Pariah to Exemplar
Applying the 6 best practices
Engaging Internal Stakeholders
Seven proven strategies
CSR Communications
Eleven mistakes to avoid
Stakeholder Engagement
Six best practices
Creating a CSR Program
in eight self-serving steps
Let’s be honest:
Internal CSR Communication
Sucks!
CSR Metrics:
You can’t measure temperature
with a speedometer
Stakeholder Engagement
Five common mistakes
CSR Value Continuum
A unique perspective on Shared
Value
Smarter CSR Budgets
8 steps to connect budget to
value
28 Expert tips
On stakeholder engagement
Don’t be an Altruistic Angel
Be transparent about what’s in it
for you
13 Mistakes that prevent & destroy
Multi-sector CSR partnerships
NHL Sustainability Report
Good but incomplete.
Four Strategies for
Local Content Success

Professor Dunn brings a practical and realistic approach to CSR, blending theory and
practice to develop realistic models and approaches to address real-world challenges
Dr. Ellis Armstrong
Former CFO, BP Exploration
…coherent, thoughtful, stimulating and insightful… state of the art! The network of
participants from the public, private and civil society sectors was incredible, some of
the leading experts in the field.
Kojo Busia, Ph. D.
Snr. Mineral Sector Governance Advisor
United Nations Economic Commission for Africa/UNECA
…pragmatic blend of theory and practice, very applicable to helping organizations
meet real-world challenges.
Frank McShane
Manager, Corporate Responsibility Policy and Ethics, Talisman Energy
… readily available to provide support to organizations like Amref that are seeking
partnerships, and looking to bring about positive change in a collaborative and concrete
way. Wayne and the CSR Training Institute helped us to identify and connect with
potential partners and are always available. The training, the expertise, the network
and the overall support are world-class.
Onome Ako
Director of Strategic Partnerships, Amref Health Africa
“The program enhanced the CSR knowledge and strategic skills of our Kosmos Energy
Ghana team, and offered the participants a platform for networking with professionals
from other organizations across Africa and Ghana.”
Reg Manhas
Sr VP Kosmos Energy
Very much helpful Wayne; some of the tips and questions you gave will be an extremely
helpful guide in the process of developing a CSR Strategy for my company.
Emmanuel Aubynn
Regional Social Responsibility Manager, Newmont Africa
The CSR Program was excellent. A key aspect of my work is to encourage and support
private sector development that contributes to Ghana’s overall socio-economic
growth. The learning that I and my staff take away from attending this program will
help us immensely with this responsibility. I highly recommend this program.
Hon. Rashid Pelpuo (MP)
Minister of State for Private Sector Development and Public Private Partnerships
(Ghana)
New and exciting insights into the theory and practice of CSR… great faculty and
participants, very diversified. An excellent learning experience, very practical and
useful. I’m very happy I was able to participate in it.
Hon InusahFuseini (MP)
Minister of Lands and Natural Resources (Ghana)
WHAT OTHERS SAY ABOUT OUR WORK

Should Business Serve
Helping business to serve society and
shareholders, SIMULTANEOUSLY.
Should Business Serve
WAYNE DUNN, PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER
SHAREHOLDERS?
SOCIETY?
IT SHOULD SERVE BOTH.
Wayne Dunn is President & Founder of the CSR Training Institute and
Professor of Practice in CSR at McGill. He’s a Stanford Sloan Fellow
with a M.Sc. in Management from Stanford Business School.
He is a veteran of 20+ years of award winning global CSR and
sustainability work spanning the globe and covering many industries
and sectors including extensive work with Indigenous Peoples in
Canada and globally. His work has won major international awards
and has been used extensively as ‘best-practice’ by industry and
academia.
He’s also worked oil rigs, prospecting, diamond drilling, logging,
commercial fishing, heavy equipment operator, truck driver and
underwater logging, done a couple of start-ups and too many other
things to mention.
Wayne’s career includes big successes, and spectacular failures. He
hopes he’s learned equally from both.
www.csrtraininginstitute.com