Rewilding requires change

Contribution by Kara Pecknold

In the ever-evolving landscape of leadership development, rewilding is gaining traction. While traditionally associated with ecological restoration, rewilding has profound implications for leadership by offering a fresh perspective on how leaders can navigate complexity, inspire creativity, and foster resilience in today’s uncertain world. It will mean that we are changing some of our skills and some of our behaviours. And we can learn from an unexpected teacher: Nature.

Lettering by Randall Slaughter

Embracing Complexity
One of the key principles of rewilding is allowing ecosystems to self-organize and adapt to changing conditions. For a leader, embracing complexity involves relinquishing control and trusting in the inherent wisdom of individuals and teams to find creative solutions to complex problems. Rewilding leaders understand that ecosystems — whether natural or organizational — are dynamic and interconnected. They cultivate environments that encourage diversity of thought, collaboration, and experimentation, recognizing that innovation often emerges at the intersection of different perspectives and disciplines. By embracing complexity and uncertainty, rewilding leaders can create adaptive organizations that are better equipped to thrive in a rapidly changing world.

Cultivating Resilience
In nature, resilience is the ability of ecosystems to withstand and recover from trauma brought on by wildfires, floods, or droughts. Similarly, in leadership, resilience is the capacity to adapt and bounce back from setbacks, challenges, and failures. This is no small undertaking! Rewilding leaders understand that failure is not only inevitable but also essential for growth and learning. They create cultures that destigmatize failure and encourage experimentation. They recognize the importance of investing in the well-being of their teams. Just as healthy ecosystems are more resilient to external shocks, organizations with a strong sense of purpose, a supportive culture, and robust support systems are better able to weather storms and emerge stronger on the other side. This often requires us to “get into the dirt” of things if we are to sustain ourselves and our teams.

Fostering Connection
At the heart of rewilding is the idea of restoring connection — between species, landscapes, humans and the natural world. For leaders, fostering connection involves building relationships based on trust, empathy, and authenticity. This is not a trivial set of skills to build and should not be left for the ‘feminists’ alone. Rewilding leaders understand that meaningful connections are the foundation of high-performing teams and organizations. They prioritize communication, collaboration, and relationship-building, creating spaces where individuals feel seen, heard, and valued. As leaders, they recognize the importance of connecting with purpose — both personally and collectively. They inspire others by articulating a compelling vision that resonates with people’s values and aspirations, aligning individual efforts with a shared sense of purpose and meaning. They have done the deep work to connect with themselves too.

Nurturing Growth
Just as rewilding involves restoring degraded landscapes to their natural state, rewilding leadership involves nurturing the growth and development, especially in times of challenge or change. Rewilding leaders understand that growth is an ongoing process that requires patience, perseverance, and a willingness to step outside of one’s comfort zone. As leaders, we can create cultures of continuous learning and improvement, providing opportunities for skill-building, feedback, and reflection. Rewilding leaders lead by example, demonstrating vulnerability, humility, and an adaptive mindset.

Rewilding offers a powerful metaphor for leadership in the 21st century — one that emphasizes complexity, resilience, connection, and growth. By embracing nature’s principles, leaders can unlock the full potential of themselves, their teams and organizations, unleashing a new era of wild leadership that is adaptive, innovative, and sustainable. We are living in time where this type of leading is needed and necessary.