Capacity – What's needed to implement your strategies?
Capacity – What's needed to implement your strategies?
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Over a period of two decades, The Nature Conservancy evaluated the key elements of success for landscape-scale conservation projects, which were boiled down for CAP into five key factors. The factors collectively represent the capacity to implement the conservation strategies.
turboCAP has 3 steps to assess capacity:
1. Review the descriptions and rating scale for each of the five Key Capacity Factors, and rate your project’s current capacity for each factor.
· Project Leader
· Multidisciplinary Team
· Institutional Leadership
· Funding
· Community and Constituency Support
2. Discuss your findings, and decide which capacity factors most need attention (e.g., Low or Medium ratings).
3. Develop Strategies to build capacity, using the exact same approach that you used to develop your conservation strategies;
- Objective – specific, measureable, time-based
- Strategic Actions – what’s needed to achieve the objective
- Action Steps
Capacity Simplified. For a slightly different perspective, simply consider three different “triads” of key success factors that have been advanced by some veteran CAP coaches:
o Focus of purpose; continuity of effort; and good project leadership
o The right person, a good plan, and some “walking around” money [to get a project started]
o A good project manager & team, a conservation plan, and a supportive community & stakeholder groups
- Rating Multiple Elements. The ratings for each capacity factor usually involve consideration of several elements. Sometimes the four-part rating scale will not capture the nuances of your current situation. Don’t fret; it’s the discussion that matters.
- Core Competencies for Project Leaders. In the 1990s The Nature Conservancy undertook an assessment of the core competencies required for community-based, landscape-scale project leaders, The findings are summarized below.
Competencies for Community-Based Project Leaders
Competencies for Community-Based Project Leaders
A talented project leader is perhaps the single most important factor in achieving successful landscape-scale conservation. The talents summarized below and are extracted from a Nature Conservancy assessment of competencies for locally-based conservation leaders.
Values. Integrity beyond reproach; innovation and excellence; commitment to people; commitment to the future.
Composure. Cool under pressure; can handle stress; is not knocked off balance by the unexpected; doesn’t show frustration when resisted or blocked.
Dealing with Ambiguity. Can effectively cope with change; shifts gears; can decide and act without having the total picture; can comfortably handle risk and uncertainty.
Drive for Results. Bottom-line oriented; steadfastly pushes self and others for results; takes initiative to make concrete results happen – a deal maker.
Interpersonal Savvy. Relates well to all kinds of people; builds constructive and effective relationships; uses diplomacy and tact.
Learning on the Fly. Learns quickly when facing new problems; open to change; analyzes successes and failures for clues to improvement; tries to find solutions.
Partnering. Understands how to build a partnership for clearly defined results; active listener; collaborative; recognizes value of distinct strengths; shares credit.
Patience. Tolerant with people; tries to understand the people and the data before making judgments and acting; sensitive to due process and proper pacing.
Perseverance. Pursues everything with energy, drive, and a need to finish; seldom gives up before finishing, especially in the fact of resistance or setbacks.
Political Savvy. Can maneuver through complex political situations; anticipates where the land mines are and plans approach accordingly; is a “maze-bright” person.
Sizing up People. Good judge of talent; can articulate people’s strengths and limitations and project what they’re likely to do in various situations.
Strategic Thinking. Can craft competitive and breakthrough strategies; can hold on to a vision; puts the trivial aside and focuses on the critical.
In short, the job requires a person with commitment and caring; driven to results, but patient and persistent; both smart and street-smart; an “institutional deal-maker,” a head for critical thinking and a bias for action. The conservation movement is fortunate to have secured a growing cadre of locally-based conservation program leaders who’ve demonstrated that the vast majority of these talents can indeed reside in mortal human beings.
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