By Bruce MacLellan

When you talk with people in the conservation sector about our priorities, the topic naturally moves quickly to resources and impact. Canada is one of many nations committed to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) to help guide global efforts to halt and reverse the loss of our natural spaces. Much more conservation work must be done if Canada is to fulfill commitments.

Biodiversity pressures are most intense in southern Canada. Because most parts of southern Canada are privately owned, private landowners and community-based land trusts are essential conservation leaders.

We must do more and work faster. It will require us to push ourselves and go beyond comfort zones.

When I started a communications company many years ago, my wife and I had a large mortgage and young children at home. It was uncomfortable to take such a risk, but we believed in the vision for a new company. Five years later, the business had a staff of over 50 people and millions of dollars in revenue. We offered what the market wanted.

Beyond my career, I’ve been volunteering for the conservation cause for decades, including past service as the chair of a small local land trust in Ontario. A few years ago, it was my honour to chair the board of the Nature Conservancy of Canada. Now, I am chair of the board at the Centre for Land Conservation. When meeting with land conservation staff and volunteers from every corner of the country, there are some recurring themes.

One of the topics frequently raised is board recruiting and performance. I hope we can give this area more attention in the coming years. It’s a crucial part of our success, and an area where I think we can do better. There are unique aspects of board governance in conservation, and forward-looking leadership is essential.

I think the traits often overlooked in conservation board recruiting are ambition, entrepreneurship, and visionary thinking. The urgent needs of habitat protection require board members to be fearless champions and ambassadors of their organization. It’s time to be entrepreneurial and advocate with passion.

In the Canadian Land Trust Standards and Practices, Standard 3 is Board Accountability. It stresses the board is responsible for managing risk and as a charity has a heightened duty of care with respect to its charitable property. All of this is true. Understanding the rules that govern the organization and being a careful steward is part of charity governance and conservation.  In my experience, however, managing risk or being prudent isn’t what will save our natural spaces.

Oversight has a role, but foresight should be the goal.

In my career away from conservation, I can assure you that being entrepreneurial and building things can mean being uncomfortable at times. 

We need to recognize that being bold and uncomfortable are essential to successful conservation. Winning customers or building revenue are very similar to fundraising. Recruiting and building teams of volunteers and staff in conservation is very similar to building teams in a high growth business.

A conservation board will often focus on the resources it doesn’t have. Instead, the need is to discuss how to get resources. With confidence in our message, we can shift the focus from scarcity and caution to abundance, capability, and action.

The shift in focus and mindset starts with recruiting. If you want a more ambitious culture, start making it a key criterion for recruiting new directors. Sure, every board needs a range of skills. What is often lacking is the personality of builders and entrepreneurs. There are lots of reasons not to do things, but entrepreneurs see past that and act. They are not afraid of failure, just afraid of not trying.

This more ambitious style of leadership also applies to the board’s relationship with staff. Recruit for performance, set goals and monitor progress. Show your staff a pathway that gives them goals, growth and fulfillment. The board leadership must be disciplined in this duty. We are coaches, supporters and partners.

In conclusion, here are three steps to consider for conservation boards:

1. Recruit carefully and look for the rare talents of vision, ambition, and confidence. Sure, we need an accountant or lawyer, but how many business builders are on your board? Not everyone is suited to this task.
   
   
2. Take staff building seriously. Conservation needs to happen faster. We need to recruit high-performance leaders and recognize their needs and ambitions. The board and staff must be aligned on annual goals, performance assessments, and training. We must build capacity to meet the moment.
   
   
3. It’s been said that a board has three lines of sight: hindsight, oversight, and foresight. Spend more time on the foresight piece. Where are we going? How are we going to get there? Who is going to get us there? A board should be investing 70% of its time on the future of the organization to add value to its ongoing trajectory.

Will this approach make you uncomfortable at times? Yes. Is this work important? Yes.

Nature is depending on us.