Leadership

Success demands visionary leadership.

We are passionate advocates of mission-based organizations and the people who lead them. Over 20 years and 150 partnerships, we’ve developed unique insights that enable us to identify leaders with the exceptional ability to harness the inherent passion of an organization—and foster future growth.

This experience informs the development of robust leadership succession strategies, and it allows us to bring a diverse group of candidates to the table with just the right mix of talent, experience, perspective, and cultural understanding of the world of conservation.

Executive Search

When it comes to an executive search, we commit not just to filling a vacancy but to identifying an individual whose particular leadership skills and style align with and strengthen the vision, mission, and culture of your organization.

Before we begin any search, we get to know the field and the players. No two organizations are exactly alike, so we invest in building a comprehensive understanding of your challenges, opportunities, strategy, and people. This process is rigorous and efficient, uniquely informing our ability to identify exceptional talent amid a very large and diverse pool of candidates. We work closely with key leadership to help assess, evaluate, and recruit not only the most qualified leader but one who we know can best succeed within your organization and community.

Succession Planning

The retirement, resignation, or unexpected departure of a key executive can send an ill-prepared organization into a tailspin. We help businesses proactively plan for, identify, and prepare the next generation of leaders long before their predecessors make their exit. Our in-depth discovery process includes interviews with key stakeholders throughout your organization, including executives and board members. We then develop a succession plan tailored to the unique needs of your business and designed from the ground up to support the continuity of your vision.

This process involves identifying and grooming future leaders internally—but if the consensus is that fresh ideas and new perspectives are needed, we broaden our search, building relationships with prospective successors outside the organization as well.

Diversity Strategy

Inclusive, transparent, flexible, and forward-thinking. These are our guiding principles and the core values that drive our commitment to promote the many dimensions and intersections of diversity in leadership. Our work in this area is predicated on the belief that addressing complex problems requires the voices of people with varied experiences and insights. We believe that promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility will help us achieve a more just future for all.

In service of this work, we have several programs and initiatives that we are proud to champion and support. Our work with women in leadership motivates and elevates the next generation of women leaders and includes dedicated conferences, networking events, and mentorship programs. We also facilitate opportunities for women in executive-level roles to connect with rising women leaders while they are still in the early stages of their careers. We are also proud to sponsor and partner with the Association of Minority Zoo and Aquarium Professionals in its mission to increase minority representation in all disciplines and at all levels in zoos, aquariums, and exotic wildlife facilities. And our podcast, Speechless, is based on the premise that no one person holds all the answers to this work; instead, we convene and facilitate the conversations that advance our journey together toward justice.

Effective leadership isn’t generic. To achieve great performance, companies need a leadership profile that reflects their unique context, strategy, business model, and culture—the company’s unique behavioral signature.

Harvard Business Review

Dr. Frederick Lahodny

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