Hidden decision making
Weak leaders in powerful positions
Huge retreat from equity and justice-informed conservation in recent years
Frequent mishandling of legally serious matters: compensation, family leave, harassment, discipline.
Over the last ~3 years, this organization has fired or chased away *dozens* of talented, passionate experts who were doing impactful conservation work. Over the same time, the upper ranks became stuffed with highly paid VPs and C-suite executives that all seem to think the same way. Decision making by these leaders is usually completely hidden or minimally and defensively explained. Example: OC went big on community-based conservation and frontline community engagement in 2020-2021. When politics and funding shifted, the organization retreated completely. Leadership reassigned community-facing staff to “equivalent” roles in a non-transparent, top-down sweep. And people either got with the program or got out.
First and second-line managers take their leadership roles very seriously. But that commitment to good management does not extend up beyond directors. VPs and C-suiters appear to be navigating mostly on vibes or the reputation they gained somewhere else. Staff have been promised for years -- maybe the entire tenure of the current CEO?--that leadership will have 360-degree reviews but it never gets done. Being friends with important people like the CEO or famous politicals is still a great predictor of job security.
The mission and vision? Fine, but you should know that there’s not a lot of transformative conservation happening here. An organization like this with a long, good reputation and deep knowledge of effective policy advocacy, staffed by so many passionate people, could be doing so much more.