ABSTRACT
The guiding principle for this book posits that leadership consists of aligning an organization’s resources and actions with its stated intentions. This principle holds for natural resource leaders and managers, who have exceptional opportunities to enjoy fulfilling and rewarding work in the private, government, or NGO sectors. We do, however, operate in complex systems of private and public lands, diverse goods and services, and social and governance demands that make identifying clear intentions and selecting approaches challenging. Leaders must assess their organizational context; develop and pursue a vision; muster resources and people; and employ genuine, fair, and transparent strategies and tactics to achieve organizational goals. Like the famous leaders and my case studies presented here, natural resource practitioners must purposefully apply appropriate leadership skills in their employment and volunteer organizations and must be resilient and persistent to achieve career satisfaction and natural resource management success.
