A passionate pursuit

That's one feather in the cap of Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC), a private, non-profit charitable organization that conserves, restores and manages wetlands and associated habitats for North America's waterfowl.

"Ducks Unlimited was started during the Dust Bowl back in the 1930s by people who were passionate about waterfowl and waterfowl hunting," explains DUC chief executive officer Jeff Nelson. "Since then we have evolved into a wetlands conservation organization whose work has many societal benefits such as improved water quality, flood control, green space and environmental sustainability. But one thing that hasn't changed is that the people who work here and who support us continue to be deeply passionate about conserving wetland habitat."

With its national head office located at the Oak Hammock Marsh Conservation Centre near Stonewall and satellite offices spread across every province and territory, DUC employs over 425 full-time people and relies on the grassroots support of 7,400 fiercely loyal volunteers.

"We have the advantage of being a passion-driven organization," Nelson says. "We're all here because we want to make the world better for future generations."

Q: What do you see as the advantages of leading a passion-driven organization?

A: I've been involved with DUC and DU Inc. for 27 years now, and in both Canada and the U.S., it is a culture of very passionate people. There's probably some public perception that we're passionate about hunting, but it extends far beyond that into a passion for conservation. In fact, most people who hunt waterfowl are as much conservationists as hunters and they look to us to continue the legacy because it means a lot to them.

As an employer, this passion also makes DUC a great place to work. I know of people who left the organization but quickly came back after discovering that they couldn't get the same satisfaction working elsewhere. They simply missed having that sense of purpose. It's also a big plus to come to work at Oak Hammock Marsh every day because it creates a relaxed and informal environment. We get a lot done, but at the same time, there's also a lot of fun to be had.

Q: What about employees who don't share the same sense of passion about what you do?

A: We are careful when hiring new people because our culture tends to be hard on those who do not share that passion. Our turnover rate is under 7.6 per cent, below the average observed by the Conference Board of Canada, and those who leave often don't share a passion for what we're doing. So we are doing more work to understand who will best fit into our culture without minimizing the need for diversity. At the same time, we are creating ways to instil that purpose in our people. For example, we created a course called Ducks 101 which gets non-conservation trained employees out of the office and into the field to show them what we do and why we do it. That makes them even more passionate and knowledgeable about the reason we are here.

Q: You mentioned diversity. Why is diversity important in a passion-driven organization?

A: While passion comes with our shared commitment to conservation, I'm also aware of the need for diversity. By that, I mean a diversity of experience. Often, when you have everyone thinking the exact same way it's hard to get anywhere because of groupthink. It's important to have people at the table with differing perspectives. For instance, on our science and research side, we have people with PhDs who typically prefer to base decisions on an abundance of information. But if we bring in someone with a political or sales background, they will likely see the issue in an entirely different way. That blend of perspectives is where we tend to get the "Aha!" ideas from.

Another consideration is our male-to-female employee ratio. Ducks Unlimited has a male-dominated history, and yet we now have a workforce that is made up of 40 per cent women. That's not by any conscious decision or practice, it's just that women are increasingly interested and involved in conservation. In fact, university conservation programs now typically enrol more women than men. We have certainly found that women's perspectives are one way to bring diversity of thought into our organization.

Q: On the people front, what are some of the challenges you are facing?

A: One of the things that our organization is focused on is doing a better job with succession planning. The need for succession planning has never been a big part of our culture and that needs to change. Right now, we're trying to move some of the pieces around in terms of getting people ready for eventual leadership positions through training and by giving them opportunities to take on greater responsibility. Among our staff, 48 per cent have been with us over 10 years, so we have a large number of long-term employees. With a large wave of retirements coming up in the next few years, it's important to create a culture where we think about the future today rather than say, "Oh well, that'll be somebody else's problem after I go."

As a volunteer organization, our succession planning must include them as well as our staff if we wish to be successful in the longer term. To avoid an aging volunteer corps we must make sure to get people in their 20s, 30s and 40s involved. The last thing we want is to depend too heavily on long-term volunteers until they retire or are too tired, putting the organization at risk of becoming irrelevant to the next generation.

Q: As you focus on succession planning, what are you looking for in future leaders?

A: I am a big fan of Jim Collins' book Good to Great. In fact, when I first got here, I gave the book to my executive team and encouraged them to read it as well. What I'm ultimately looking for is what Collins calls Level 5 leadership, that sort of high-energy but low-ego kind of team player. Someone who demonstrates a passion for what we are doing. Someone who can challenge an idea, get into a spirited debate, but at the end of the day when we all decide what needs to be done, they can go out and make things happen. That's the kind of Level 5 leaders I want running this organization. Particularly because we have such a large number of volunteers, our leaders need to be able to relate to and engage people of all different backgrounds and perspectives and have them take ownership rather than imposing top-down decisions on others.

Q: What mentors have most influenced your leadership style?

A: Other than my parents, who instilled values like integrity, honesty and treating people fairly, I would say that I most admire a fellow by the name of Dr. Alan Wentz (Senior Group Manager for Conservation Programs at DU Inc. in the United States), a longtime colleague and my previous supervisor. Alan was very clear on where we were going and yet, didn't make decisions for you. He would offer his opinion if you asked for it, but if you called him thinking that he was going to tell you what to do, it wasn't going to happen. He wanted you to make your own decisions and when you made them, he supported you. Of course, if you were about to step off a cliff he'd say so, but he was very good at not telling you exactly what to do or overruling you. That's also important. If you override your people and tell them what to do, you'll end up with a lot of employees who can't, or won't, make decisions on their own. You'll soon be in charge of everything.

-- With reporting by Barbara Chabai

John McFerran, PhD, CMC, F. CHRP, is founder and president of People First HR Services Ltd. For more information, visit www.peoplefirsthr.com

View From the Top

The heads of some of Manitoba's most successful companies talk about their business and people challenges.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition October 3, 2009 G1