07/01/2025

Protect the Newcomers

What elephants can teach us about leadership in nonprofits

In the wild, elephants have long captured the imagination of researchers and observers with their deep intelligence, emotional complexity, and fierce loyalty to one another. One of the most striking behaviors seen in elephant herds is the formation of an alert circle—when danger looms, the older elephants form a protective barrier around the youngest members of the herd, shielding them while assessing the threat and planning their response. The message is clear: The newest members matter, and the collective survival of the herd depends on their protection.

There’s something profoundly instructive in this behavior for the world of nonprofit and association leadership. Unlike in the for-profit sector, where it’s common to see the newest team members let go at the first sign of instability or downturn, nonprofits should take a different cue. The newcomers—those newest by tenure—hold fresh insights, represent the evolving needs of the communities we serve and are essential to sustaining and growing leadership pipelines. They’re not expendable. They’re the future.

And yet, far too often, we fail them.

Please select this link to read the complete article from ASAE’s Center for Association Leadership.