Values-Based Leadership When the Ground Feels Unsteady
I started my company to work alongside people who are too often left out of outdoor spaces—people with disabilities and others who have been told, directly or indirectly, that nature wasn’t designed for them. That purpose hasn’t changed. But the world around it has.
Right now, leadership feels heavier. Public conversations about who belongs and who owns this country are loud, polarizing, and often violent. When your work intentionally centers people with the least power, those conversations are not theoretical. They affect funding, policy, partnerships, and daily interactions. They raise the stakes of every decision.
I’ll be honest—there are moments when I struggle. Not because I question the mission, but because the pressure to respond quickly can pull you away from responding thoughtfully. In those moments, I don’t rely on instinct alone. I rely on values—and the systems built around them.
The values that guide our work
My company is grounded in four core values: inclusion in nature, excellence, self-efficacy, and joy. These values function as decision-making tools, not just ideals.
Inclusion in nature asks who is missing and what barriers are in the way.
Excellence ensures accessibility is done well, with accountability and respect.
Self-efficacy keeps the focus on independence and agency, not dependency.
Joy reminds us that access is not just about removing barriers, but about belonging and meaning.
Alongside these are my personal values: justice, reliability, and independence. Justice keeps fairness at the center, even when it’s uncomfortable. Reliability reflects a commitment to trust, especially with communities that have been excluded before. Independence grounds how I lead—through critical thinking, transparency, and steadiness.
Leaning on systems when decisions get hard
Values-based leadership doesn’t mean every decision is obvious. It means you’ve built systems that help you pause when emotions run high.
I often ask:
Does this decision reduce barriers or reinforce them?
Who benefits, and who might be harmed?
Are we acting from urgency or from alignment?
Would this choice still feel right in a different political moment?
When the world feels unstable, these questions matter. They help ensure decisions are rooted in purpose, not fear.
Moving forward with steadiness
Values-based leadership is not about perfection. It’s about consistency—returning to your values even when external pressure makes it harder to do so.
For me, that means continuing to choose inclusion, excellence, self-efficacy, and joy, guided by justice, reliability, and independence. Especially now.
Because when times are tough, values are not abstract. They are the systems that keep us grounded—and the way we ensure we’re making the right decisions for the right reasons.