To achieve a renewed paradigm of leadership, a culture of continuous and comprehensive leadership development must be evident internally and externally to the organization. Conservation professionals covet careers in the Refuge System because of its mission and the quality of its leadership, and organizational excellence allows efficient and effective achievement of conservation through streamlined business practices, integrated information sharing and high performance. As supervisors and managers maintain a focus on employees and cultivating leadership, the Service will be the premier conservation organization in the world and the benchmark by which other land management organizations measure success.

Despite best efforts to anticipate and embrace change, today’s Refuge System workforce – and certainly the workforce of America – is constantly evolving ahead of the curve of progress. These and other dynamic conditions make leadership development a constant and critical factor in the success of the National Wildlife Refuge System.

Strong leadership is necessary to achieve organizational excellence and excellent organizations continually strive to develop strong leadership skills in all its members. Strong leaders foster a culture of transparency and thrive in the face of uncertainty. Leaders in the future will look at change as an opportunity rather than a threat. They will accept and embrace evolving conditions and will use communication to effectively lead others through difficult times. They will be best characterized as doing the right things in an environment of constant change.

The focus must remain not just on the organization but also on the partnerships and alliances around it. Current and future networks of partnerships will rely heavily on new communication technologies and innovative approaches to share information and promote participation. Over the course of the last 20 years, the Service has continually moved into a broader and more collaborative vision of wildlife conservation, understanding that the agency is an integral part of an interconnected, and even global, web of conservation partners. Ultimately, no single group, agency, country or the Service can achieve wildlife conservation in isolation.

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