Why do VALUES matter in conservation?
I’ve worked for many conservation organisations during my career, and they’ve all had mission, vision and value statements. Based on these, long-term strategies were developed and programmes were created.
The problem was, at the time, I failed to see the relevance of most of it.
I felt so much time was being wasted on these ‘strategic discussions’, when what we needed to be doing was delivering quality projects helping species, sites, habitats and people.
I’d ask myself: ‘Why do we have values as a conservation organisation? What difference do they make?
However, after ten years of running Conservation Careers, I’m starting to see how values are a fundamental aspect of any organisation. Guiding how we get work done, make decisions and interact with others.
Let’s start with what are values.
If a conservation organisation were a person, its values would be its characteristics, behaviours and attitudes. Everyone is different as is every organisation, and things go well when personal and organisational values align.
“In my experience, you start to feel successful when you find that organization that shares your values”, said Paul Hotham, Senior Conservation Director at FFI.
“It’s really important for me that I share FFI values. My job isn’t about money, status or power … I find it highly motivating and satisfying to work and commit to FFI because they have an organizational culture, a way of working and values that I share”.
So…
- As an organisation, your goal is to find staff that align to your values (we can help).
- As an individual, your goal is to find an organisation that shares your values (we can help).
When this matchmaking is done well, it can be a recipe for long-term impact, happiness and commitment.
Paul started working for FFI in 2003, and is still there 21 years later.
How do you identify your values?
A good place to start is to ask yourself: “what does it look like when you’re doing your best work?”
From these success stories, you can explore the way you work, and uncover the underlying values which are driving who you are as a person or an organisation.
When we did this in 2019 for Conservation Careers, our values were quickly identified:
- Open – We build trust through transparency and honesty; we’re open to new ideas.
- Agile – We learn and innovate quickly to achieve our goals and create impact.
- Collaborative – We work with others to reach our goals.
- Optimistic – We assume the best and are hopeful, encouraging and courageous. We’re not afraid of failure.
Recently, I’ve discovered that value misalignments can often be at the core of a conflict, and reflecting on challenges can refine your values further.
As a result, we now have the following value statements to guide everything we do at Conservation Careers:
When we interact…
- We put health and well-being first.
- We’re honest, direct and transparent.
- We’re warm, polite and compassionate.
When we decide…
- We serve our audience first.
- We prioritise sustainable solutions.
- We’re bold and not afraid of failure.
When we work…
- We keep things simple.
- We make priorities and focus.
- We play, learn, and adapt.
I hope you can see how these simple statements are a lens through which to view ANY decision, challenge and opportunity.
Maybe values are important after all.
Nick (Director)