Building a resilient and agile organization
Conservation organizations are no strangers to navigating unexpected crises - they’ve had to become experts at it. From the rhino and elephant poaching crisis (2012–2014) to COVID-19, and from extreme droughts and floods to locust invasions, they have continually adapted to protect both nature and the communities that depend on it. Alongside these challenges are the localized issues that can quickly escalate into crises. Only the most resilient survive.
In this Reader, we speak with Angus Middleton, the Executive Director of the Namibia Nature Foundation (NNF), a people-centric conservation and sustainable development NGO with a strong focus on community-based natural resource management. We also speak with Sam Shaba, the Chief Executive Officer of Honeyguide. The Honeyguide team runs highly impactful community-based conservation initiatives across Tanzania. They have faced several crises, including the withdrawal of major donor funding several years ago, which almost crippled the organization.
We asked Angus and Sam to share some top tips that any team, large or small, can adopt to remain agile, relevant, and incredibly resilient.
Note: This Reader is longer than usual, but the content here is so valuable, especially in light of the US foreign funding crisis, that we decided to include it all. We hope you find it helpful.
What makes resilient organizations and how they respond during difficult times →
In your experience, what are the key characteristics of resilient conservation organizations, and how can they be cultivated from within?
Angus
The first thing to recognize is that any organization - big or small, broad-based or not - can be either resilient or prone to failure. I believe that resilience is built primarily on three pillars:
Diversity
Diversity within the organization is key, and this encompasses everything: age, gender, education, expertise, skills, background, ethnicity, and more. In our team, for instance, we have environmental scientists, finance professionals, social scientists, young people, team members with more experience etc. The more diverse an organization is, the more varied the views, perspectives, and opportunities for engagement, problem-solving, and growth.
Additionally, we must remember that in conservation, especially in donor-funded organizations, people give to people. If your organization reflects diversity, you have more opportunities to attract and connect with different kinds of people and raise diverse funding as well.
Depth
The depth you foster within your team is also critical. This means adopting a ‘whole-team approach’ rather than relying solely on the leader or a single fundraiser to manage fundraising or major stakeholder relationships. You need to ask yourself, "What happens when you’re not there?" This applies to smaller teams as well. You should try to connect a diverse group of people from your team with your funders, for example. Some may want to speak to young people, others may want to talk to scientists, and some may prefer to engage with local communities. If you cultivate this depth across your team, you can help foster these relationships accordingly.
Networks
Finally, networks are essential. In conservation, we often collaborate on programs, solve problems together, and learn from each other. For example, NNF has benefited from being part of the Maliasili partners network, where we’ve gotten to know other organizations, learned from their successes and mistakes, and observed how they build resilience during times of crisis. We’ve been able to share our own experiences as well.
These three key pillars, in my opinion, are what help to build a resilient organization, underpinned by good communication and trust.
What are some unexpected factors or events that have tested your organization’s resilience, and how did your team respond?
Angus
As national NGOs, we constantly face unexpected challenges - often multiple at once. The intensity and severity may change, but the major ones could include the withdrawal of major donors, souring of important relationships (such as with partners, government, or communities), and unprecedented crises like COVID.
Through handling crises, we’ve learned the importance of pausing and creating space for feelings and for people to process and respond in their own way.
This was a lesson during COVID. You need to give space for people to respond on their own before trying to pull everything and everyone together in the same direction. In diverse teams, some people thrive in chaos, while others need structure and reassurance during such moments. You must allow people to find their space and energy, to air their feelings.
As a leader, it's essential to get a "sense check" of what your team needs. Check in with team members in ways that suit them - some may need words of encouragement, while others may prefer to discuss new opportunities. Once you understand where your team stands - whether they are scared, indifferent, focused on opportunities, or trying to ignore the crisis - you can begin to bring them together to find a shared way forward.
There’s no one-size-fits-all team response. However, by pausing and creating that space for people to express themselves, you can then forge a path forward together.
Can you share a time when something didn’t go as planned, and you had to pivot quickly? How did that experience shape your approach to leadership and decision-making?
Sam
In 2017/2018, during the first Trump administration, a significant portion of our US-related funding was unexpectedly stopped. This left us with a 40% gap in our planned budget, and we had to lay off a quarter of our team. It was one of the toughest decisions we’ve had to make.
We pivoted by switching into survival mode, establishing a dedicated fundraising and communications department, and learning many ways to be frugal with every dollar. This experience reinforced our internal financial management tools and the methodologies we use to build governance and management capacity with the communities we work with. We also emerged from this experience with new and much better philanthropic funders who trusted us enough to fund our strategy rather than isolated projects.
How do you and your team approach decision-making when faced with uncertainty, and what factors or perspectives guide your choices in these moments?
Sam
When faced with uncertainty, our approach to decision-making is guided by transparency, prioritization, and adaptability. Let me explain a bit more.
Transparency: We believe in openly sharing what’s happening, even when the path ahead is unclear. By keeping our team and partners informed and actively seeking their counsel, we ensure that decisions are made collectively and with the best available insights. This fosters trust, strengthens collaboration, and allows us to tap into the deep knowledge of those closest to the issues.
Prioritizing what matters most to our long-term vision: In times of uncertainty, we focus on what truly drives impact. We ‘prioritize prioritizing’ by identifying the most critical actions that align with our long-term goals and ensuring that resources are directed toward sustaining our mission. This disciplined approach helps us stay focused and avoid being reactive to short-term pressures.
We strive to be agile: By building flexibility into our plans, allowing us to pivot as new information emerges. We also document key decisions and review them periodically to assess effectiveness, ensuring that we continuously learn and improve.
Leading through a crisis: how you show up really matters →
What do you believe is the most important quality or qualities for leaders in conservation to cultivate, especially when leading through periods of disruption or change?
Angus
During disruption and change, these are the moments when leaders really need to step up. There are many kinds of leadership, and during these times, you should be prepared to deliver various types of leadership and demonstrate strong qualities that your team and organization need. It’s tough, but necessary.
Firstly, having awareness and empathy is essential. As mentioned earlier, different people react differently to challenging times. For example, don’t force people to be optimistic - that change and disruption will bring opportunities. Sometimes, it just doesn’t. You can always make change work, but it’s sometimes not in the way we anticipate. However, having awareness and empathy on how people are affected differently during a crisis allows you to keep the team’s fabric together.
You have to lead from the front, but don’t do it alone. Be at the front, but take the team along with you, or else you’ll quickly burn out. Remember, you don’t have all the answers. Working together with your team during a crisis will also help you build a stronger leadership process.
You must stay calm (or at least appear to be!) and maintain trust. You cannot be chaotic in the process - your team needs to see you as a reliable leader. However, don’t be tempted to sugarcoat things. You must maintain trust; if you try to give people a false sense of security, the trust will dissolve. You can still give people a real sense of security while being honest with them.
What do you believe is a leader's biggest role in helping his/her team and organization remain adaptable and resilient?
Sam
A leader's biggest role in fostering adaptability and resilience is creating an environment where people feel informed, empowered, and supported to navigate change effectively: This starts with transparency - openly sharing challenges, opportunities, and decisions so everyone understands the bigger picture.
Empowering the team to take initiative is equally important, building a culture where people feel trusted to make decisions, experiment with solutions, and learn from setbacks. At the same time, leaders must provide stability by keeping the focus on long-term goals and core values, ensuring that adaptability is guided by a clear vision.
Sustaining teamwork and motivation in moments of uncertainty →
In the face of mounting pressures - financial, political, or environmental - how do you keep your team grounded in your core mission and values?
Angus
I emphasize the power of conversations: A lot of people say that sometimes in our sector, there is "too much conversation and not enough conservation," and I always say, actually, "good conservation needs good conversations." So, I believe that keeping people grounded and focused, especially in diverse teams during a crisis, requires these conversations. You have to find different settings and create spaces where people can express themselves, reflect, and discuss issues openly while keeping them aligned with the organization’s mission and values.
Don’t always try to find immediate answers: It’s equally important not to force an immediate answer, particularly when under pressure. For example, if after the 90-day period, the US government reconsiders their funding freeze, and given their shift away from diversity, equity, and inclusion - which is central to our values - we need internal discussions to decide if we can accept the new conditions their funding comes with, without compromising our principles. We don’t have the answers or conclusions right now, and don’t need to. But these conversations are crucial; they ensure that, when decisions need to be made, we will have had these conversations and a basis to make the decisions.
And this is really what keeps teams grounded: they’re able to talk things through, constantly reflect on each other as a team, on each other’s thoughts, and the overall direction of the organization.
What are some lesser-known or unconventional practices that have helped your team stay adaptable and maintain momentum in a rapidly changing field?
Sam
One practice we've embraced is ensuring that all team members, regardless of their role, have a clear understanding of our broader organizational strategy. This is very much related to Angus’s point above on creating ‘depth’ across the team. This allows everyone to see how their daily efforts contribute to our larger mission, even in the face of rapid change.
Flexible budgeting: Additionally, we develop our work plans and budgets using two scenarios: one for the best-case outcome and another focused on high-priority essentials. These are reviewed quarterly, enabling us to adapt our interventions based on available resources. To enhance transparency, we openly share our work plans and budgets online, along with a real-time cash flow tool that keeps our team informed about our financial status.
How can you ensure your team remains motivated and adaptable during uncertain times?
Angus
Reinforce a sense of purpose, bring a "can-do" spirit and point out the opportunities: As explained above, leadership is critical in moments of crisis. It is a time for leaders to step up and remind their team why their organization exists, and their shared sense of purpose, dispelling feelings of hopelessness and the sense that direction is being lost. It's important to maintain trust within the organization. The organization will be as agile as its leadership is. It’s critical not to try to lead alone, but to do it as a team.
You’re at the front, but it’s the team that will carry you through this, just as you will carry them through it too.