The nature of us as a team.
Together we are purposeful, willing to learn and grow, collaborative and inclusive (seat at the table, Jere’s path?). As individuals and as a team we have a common set of deep beliefs that connect us through our commitment and passion for our work. We value each other’s vulnerability, authenticity, kindness, and love. We care about each other and feel connected by a bond of loyalty and ‘family’ and can envisage ‘growing old together’.
Our working culture.
We bring our whole selves, and our can-do attitudes, enabled by openness to each other, being ‘challenged’, encouraging bravery and risk-taking. We value and prioritize our own and each other’s wellbeing and appreciate our journey (and each other’s individual journey’s) and understand and value our Maasai / western partnership. We care deeply about the impact of what we say and what we do and are mindful in our relationships and interactions with those around us.
Our profile.
We have a strong recognizable and attractive brand with great images and stories which build on our successes and what makes us strong. We’ve visibly made an impact and are trusted to keep going. The Lion Guardians and Steph / Leela ‘brand’ brings credibility, communicating truth with confidence and integrity. As the face of Lion / Wildlife Guardians, Leela and Steph represent and lead with personality and charisma blending authenticity, vulnerability, and character.
Credibility.
We have a strong professional reputation for cutting edge innovation based on solid science and practical reality. We have been recognised for harnessing continuous input of local knowledge, and sharing knowledge and data which is confidently used by others because of our history, verified track record, and measurable impact on lion density.
Our evolution.
Where we have come from makes us who we are and is what propels us to think bigger through Wildlife Guardians. Our ambition for this next stage is found on 18 years on the ground in Amboseli - learning from all directions, co-creating and adapting through cycles of maintaining our relevance and impact. Our ‘grounded truth’ is ‘locally led’, ‘learning’, and contextually ‘appropriate’ interventions. Our experiences and intuitive journey provides us with a perspective into the future which drives this effort to use Wildlife Guardians as the channel of what can come next.
Financial position.
In parallel with building our brand we have built up our endowment / investments to safeguard as much as possible the sustainability of the work in Amboseli, and trust with our donors based on careful stewardship towards our LG / WG mission and supported by a strong audit and governance framework.
Expertise.
As a team we have recognised specialist knowledge and proven expertise relevant to the areas we want to pursue through WG: Lions, conflict, coexistence, integrating local indigenous knowledge, conservation leadership, conservation localization (institutional arrangements for community conservation leadership development), mentoring, coaching, and facilitation. Our professional profile is reinforced through building a reputation as globally renowned leaders who speak powerful truths and harness relationships and combined knowledge to solve the most challenging problems.
Relationships.
We would not be where we are today without our wide and diverse network of supporters, advocates and friends. Our strong trusting and committed donor base and the support and influence of our WG board, enables us to further engage in influential spaces, continue to make resonant connections, build alliances, and strengthen our networks (PRIDE alliance). Our convening power as LG, WG and as individuals is what we believe is central to realising this next phase of our contribution and efforts.
Our Niche.
The most valuable aspect we are building on is the power and potential of all of our ‘nuggets’ combined. We bridge local to global; maintaining the relevance of our interventions through pioneering approach (“doing digital” approaches and methodologies), enabled by diverse perspectives, cross-sector knowledge, and our flexibility in search of new ways we, as a team, can maximize sustainable impact. Our intention is to mobilise this sweet spot through Wildlife Guardians.
