Feeling stuck in your sustainability job? 8 steps to regain clarity and momentum in 2026

In the last few months, I’ve had variations of the same conversation with experienced sustainability leaders.

Not with people trying to break into the field. With people who’ve already “made it.” Strong titles. Credible organizations. Real responsibility on paper.

And yet the sentence I keep hearing is this:

“I’m working harder than ever, but I’m further from decisions than I was two years ago.”

In 2026, this is the new version of stuck. Not burnout. Not a loss of purpose. More often, it’s a role that’s been quietly repositioned from strategy to support, without anyone ever naming the shift.

If that’s where you are, the steps below are designed to help you regain clarity, credibility, and momentum in a sustainability and climate landscape that’s changing fast.

What “feeling stuck” really looks like in 2026

Feeling stuck in a sustainability job rarely looks dramatic.

It looks like:

• being busy but not influential
• owning reporting, but not decisions
• being consulted late - if at all
• carrying accountability without authority
• watching sustainability get reframed as “risk management” or “comms support”
• knowing you’re capable of more, but not seeing a clear path

Many professionals tell themselves:

“At least I’m still in the field.”

But staying in the field without traction eventually leads to frustration, resentment, or disengagement.

So let’s get honest about what actually changes momentum.

Step 1: Get precise about why you’re stuck

Before you think about leaving, pivoting, or upskilling, pause.

Most people who feel stuck in a sustainability job are facing one of these realities:

• their role has plateaued
• their scope has narrowed
• their influence has been quietly reduced
• their organization has deprioritized sustainability as a strategic function
• they’ve outgrown a role designed for an earlier phase of the company

These are not the same problem.

And treating them as one leads to reactive decisions.

Clarity starts with precision.

Name the actual constraint you’re working inside.

Step 2: Redefine progress for a changing sustainability market

In early sustainability careers, progress often looks like:

• more responsibility
• more frameworks
• more visibility

In 2026, progress looks different.

It looks like:

• influence over decisions
• proximity to power
• credibility across functions
• trust under pressure

Ask yourself:

• What kind of influence do I want now?
• Where do I want to sit in the organization?
• What trade-offs am I willing or unwilling to make?

If you’re still chasing a version of success you haven’t updated, you’ll keep feeling stuck even when you move.

Step 3: Stop relying on credentials. Start building judgment.

This is uncomfortable, but important.

The sustainability field is saturated with:

• certifications
• reporting standards
• technical expertise

Education still matters.

But it no longer differentiates you.

In 2026, sustainability professionals stall when their value is limited to:

• knowing the rules
• interpreting frameworks
• producing reports

What moves careers forward now is judgment:

• how you prioritize under pressure
• how you handle trade-offs
• how you decide when there is no clean answer

Credentials may get you hired.

Judgment is what earns trust and progression.

Step 4: Learn to build buy-in or accept the ceiling

This is where many sustainability careers quietly cap out.

Not because the work isn’t important, and not because you’re not good at it. But because being technically correct is rarely enough to shift a decision inside a real organization.

You can bring the best-practice answer, the strongest evidence, and the cleanest recommendation and still find yourself sidelined if you haven’t built the conditions for others to move with you.

That’s because sustainability and climate work doesn’t move on logic alone. It moves through priorities, incentives, politics, and timing. In 2026, sustainability professionals are expected to:

• speak the language of finance
• understand operational realities
• anticipate resistance
• sequence change, not force it

If you cannot build buy-in without positional power, your influence will remain fragile.

This isn’t about selling out. It’s about understanding how change actually happens inside organizations.

Step 5: Recognize the identity trap

This is one of the least talked-about reasons people feel stuck in sustainability jobs.

When your:

• values
• identity
• sense of purpose

become fused with your role, movement starts to feel like betrayal.

And it’s rarely betrayal of a company. It’s internal. Leaving can feel like you’re “giving up on impact,” even when you know the role no longer fits. But impact isn’t something you lose because you change jobs. It depends on whether you’re operating in a structure where you can influence decisions and build momentum. If you’re stuck in a role with shrinking leverage, staying doesn’t protect your purpose. It usually limits it.

Step 6: Look sideways not just upwards

Not all momentum is vertical.

Some of the most effective sustainability leaders in 2026:

• built experience in risk, strategy, or operations
• stepped into cross-functional roles
• learned how decisions are actually made

If promotion feels blocked, ask:

Where could I expand my influence without waiting for permission?

Breadth plus judgment now beats narrow expertise.

Step 7: Pressure-test your market relevance in 2026

Here’s a simple test.

If you left your role tomorrow, could you clearly answer:

• What problem do I solve?
• For whom?
• In what context?
• With what evidence?

If that feels hard to articulate, it’s usually not a confidence problem. It’s a positioning problem. And feeling stuck is often the first sign that your value isn’t being expressed clearly enough — internally, externally, or both.

Step 8: Decide — deliberately

Momentum does not come from thinking harder.

It comes from decision.

In 2026, there are three valid paths:

• stay and reshape your role
• broaden influence internally
• transition intentionally

The risky path is drifting while hoping clarity arrives.

It won’t.

Why this matters now

Sustainability roles are maturing.

US organizations are hiring fewer “true believers” and more professionals who can:

• operate inside ambiguity
• manage stakeholders
• carry responsibility
• deliver progress under scrutiny

This is good news - if you adapt.

Dangerous - if you don’t.

If you’re feeling stuck, here’s the reframe

Feeling stuck in your sustainability job doesn’t mean you failed.

More often, it means your capability has outgrown the way your role is currently structured.

The question isn’t:

“Should I leave this job?”

It’s:

“How do I want to operate inside it now?”

That’s not a motivational question.

It’s a strategic one.

And in a maturing sustainability and climate market, answering it clearly is what separates people who stall from people who regain momentum.

If you’re navigating that question right now, you don’t have to do it in isolation.

That’s exactly why I offer Group Career Coaching alongside 1:1 support, for those looking for the best career transition coaches. You’ll get expert-led guidance with bi-weekly Q&As, practical hiring-side insights and support to refine your personal brand, all while staying accountable to a supportive community that’s cheering you on.