Leadership Lessons with… Victoria Bacon, Director of Communications at Smart Energy GB

Leadership Lessons with… Victoria Bacon, Director of Communications at Smart Energy GB

Why the “fear factor” isn’t always an effective communication tactic in driving behaviour change, and what to look for if you want a career in purpose-driven comms. We recently spoke with Victoria Bacon, Director of Communications at Smart Energy GB about her drivers, and how she’s leading the next generation of communicators.

Take a look.

How did you get into communications, and what initially drew you to the field?

From a very young age, I was interested in news, politics and the media – so I considered journalism at first. When I looked into it, Communications and Public Relations appealed much more because you get to be at the heart of the business and influencing action, not just reporting on it. 

I started out in a Consultancy as a graduate trainee, which was fantastic. I spent time in different disciplines, like Public Affairs, Corporate Communications, and Consumer Campaigning Communications. And I realised how interested I was in the corporate and ‘campaigning’ side of the sector. And went from there! 

What personal attributes do you think have helped you succeed?

Tenacity and proactivity are very important in communications. Often you’re dealing with a lot of different stakeholders who all see things in slightly different ways which you have to understand and influence. So EQ is essential, but you also need tenacity to deal with the knock backs and help you get back out there. 

A can-do attitude is really important, as is being visible and vocal.  While it’s really important to listen, if you have a strong and well-informed opinion, speak up, get involved, even if you feel like you’re less experienced than others. I give that advice to any young person coming into the field.

I’ve always been wary of getting too “comfortable”. I’ve taken on new challenges throughout my career and pushed myself out of my comfort zone, which really helps to develop creativity and learn new things from different people and different roles.

What do you think are the key qualities needed from leaders in sustainability in 2024 and beyond?

There’s a huge amount that still needs to be done to help reach our sustainability goals but it’s so important that as leaders we take people with us because individual behaviour change will be critical to success. 

There are still a lot of people who are unsure about what sustainability or net zero actually means, and what it means for them: What does it mean for me, my family and my community? What do I need to do? How do I engage with this??  

Quite rightly we’re in a hurry to make progress and achieve our Net Zero goals, but we need to remember to actively listen and engage with people when they’re asking questions.  We also need to remember that not everyone processes things in the same way, so we need to understand our different audiences and ensure we’re developing the right strategies to speak to them.

What are some of the biggest challenges you’re facing in your role as a leader in sustainability comms?

A lot of the wider narrative that has come out so far about Net Zero has focused on the sense of urgency and the ‘fear factor’. Creating a sense of urgency has a role to play, but too much of a focus on this without proper education can make the problem feel overwhelming, which can result in people feeling disengaged or even hostile.  

We need to do more to engage in conversations and to focus on the possibilities and the personal and national benefits that come from taking action on sustainability – not just the scary stories of what happens when we don’t take action. I think that’s where the real opportunity is.

And how has your leadership approach adapted to the uncertainties brought about by recent global events, the pandemic, cost of living crisis and so on?

It’s been an unsettling and uncertain time for everyone. 

From a team perspective, the pandemic has made everyone more attuned to important issues like mental health and wellbeing at work.  And hybrid working also means we’re all spending less face-to-face time with each other, as individuals and as teams, so that creates a different dynamic.  

For me it’s important to make sure that I’m still putting in time with colleagues and my team, even if I’m not seeing them face-to-face as much. 

In communications, there have been other important trends like the changing nature of news and the way it’s consumed: fake news, AI, culture wars to name but three! Some of these are circumstantial but others are here to stay so we’ll need to adapt for the long term.  

How do you see the field evolving in the next 5-10 years, particularly as public awareness of environmental and social issues continue to grow?

I’m an optimist so although our sustainability journey is still in the foothills, I believe we’ve made incredible progress in a very short period of time and there are great opportunities ahead of us. 

For example, conversations and behaviour change around eating meat have moved on massively in just a few years, where it’s now pretty widely understood that if we all individually eat even a bit less meat, this can have a really positive impact on the planet. Energy efficiency and home-grown energy are now family and community talking points that were barely mentioned a few years ago.

There’s a real opportunity in the next 5-10 years as communicators to guide that narrative, and there’s certainly an appetite and an interest among consumers to learn more and do more. 

Do you have any advice for someone looking to pivot from traditional comms, into more sustainability or purpose-driven work?

Most organisations have a purpose beyond profit, so there isn’t really a clear distinction in my view, but it’s important you do your research rather than judging an organisation at face value and understand what your transferable skills are.

A lot of sustainability communications is linked to other areas like behavioural insights and behaviour change, so that might be an area to explore further. Keep an open mind about what types of organisations you might consider working for. Understand the values of that company or organisation – not just what they put in their mission statement or value statement, but who is on the leadership team and Board, what is the working culture and what are you going to learn in the role.