Social Impact Heroes Helping Our Planet: Why & How Dereck Joubert Of Great Plains Is Helping To Change Our World
An Interview With Martita Mestey
Failure is a judgment someone else imposes on you. Judge your own successes and failures and celebrate both.
As apart of my series about “individuals and organizations making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dereck Joubert, CEO and co-founder of Great Plains.
Together, Dereck and Beverly Joubert have created, designed and operated sixteen stunning owned, and partner safari properties in Kenya, Botswana and Zimbabwe and the company’s charity, The Great Plains Foundation, which strives to preserve and protect landscapes, wildlife, and the communities who rely on them in Africa. With more than 40 produced films, 12 published books and many scientific papers; they are also the founders of the Big Cats Initiative, Project Ranger and their charity Great Plains Foundation.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?
Born in South Africa and we met in high school there before university, then moving to Botswana on the greatest adventure of our lives, and never came back. Studied lions for a few years before turning to film.
You are currently leading a social impact organization that is making a difference for our planet. Can you tell us a bit about what you and your organization are trying to change in our world today?
You’re right, we wake up every day and challenge ourselves to change the world. Every meeting we have with our team is about how we do that. So, I think the fundamental issues for the conservation of the planet are threefold, ignorance, necessity and greed. If someone doesn’t know it is bad to destroy the planet, litter, pollute, or poach then we must educate and enlighten them. If they cannot find enough food to secure tomorrow’s meal, they will find it in the wild and poach it. It is our duty to create benefits and share them, and steadily erode poverty. But if someone knows it is bad to kill a rhino and doesn’t need the resources of a pristine world to feed themselves, but still kill, it’s because they are uncaring and even evil, with criminality that needs to be tackled harshly. So, our work touches education, directly or via our films, providing increased wealth to rural communities via our inclusion of those people in a meaningful way, into our businesses and in developing skills and grants to stimulate enterprise. Lastly, we are involved in anti-poaching, illegal wildlife monitoring, and prevention throughout Africa, to root out the criminals who operate in highly organized transnational trade.
Can you tell us the backstory about what inspired you to originally feel passionate about this cause?
We went into the wild in Africa and feel in love with the pristine nature of Botswana in particular. Through our films for National Geographic, we started to tell stories that celebrated this beauty and wonder. Soon we saw fractures and started doing films and books on that aspect and that propelled us into advocacy for nature. But that passion was born from being in awe of the complexity and absolute purity of how these ecosystems work, without our help or interference. This evolved into a passion to understand everything, scientifically so we could build the blocks of knowledge and further unveil Nature’s secrets.
Many of us have ideas, dreams, and passions, but never manifest them. They don’t get up and just do it. But you did. Was there an “Aha Moment” that made you decide that you were actually going to step up and do it? What was that final trigger?
Perhaps but it is a series of decisions that we keep making. As explorers, I believe that the words, ‘no,’ ‘impossible’ ‘not viable’ or even ‘this is a very bad idea’ are just challenges for us. We seem to be taking on ever more audacious projects, with the same motivation. It starts with an idea, and quickly to a solution that has at least a decent chance of failing. If it is too safe it is dull. One example came after a film we did where we followed a young leopard cub for 4 years., and then found out that during that time with her, 10,000 other leopards had been legally sanctioned to be hunted and killed in the world. So, we started the Big Cats Initiative to do something about that (and funded over 150 projects in 27 countries.) But I think it starts by saying ‘yes’ not no, and ‘actually, it is possible, not impossible.’
Many people don’t know the steps to take to start a new organization. What are some of the things or steps you took to get your project started?
Just say yes. Dream it and then make it happen. Of course, one has to do the due diligence and get organized but, in some ways, the most important step we take is in asking ourselves, (or our team) who we might possibly offend by doing what we are planning. If the intention is pure and right, it’s nice to know where the flak will come from, but it doesn’t mean we don’t go ahead. If however, the idea is to inflate our egos, or reputations, etc. only, then the fundamentals are wrong, and we stop. A decision to go forward is 90% of the battle and it is a battle between good intentions, purity of soul, and ego. We always let it go if it’s about ego. So, we do a deep philosophical dive before moving forward, but we do it quickly.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?
Well, I think working with a leopard cub, and learning that many other leopards with great individual personalities were being persecuted, led to starting the Big Cats Initiative but then realizing that we can’t save each lion or leopard, one cat a time, so we needed land for as many of them as possible, hence…Great Plains was born, now with 1.5 million acres of protected land. The journey all started with an 8-day-old leopard cub who captured our hearts.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson or takeaway you learned from that?
So we celebrate mistakes and failures, especially if they are too bold. As a result, we don’t consider mistakes embarrassing at all. Mistakes are stepping stones to success. I’d guess multiple camps set up under flowering sausage trees for shade only to have endless battles with baboons, who come to feed on fruit and flowers, and us. These massive sausage pods are like missiles and some rip through the tent at times. And yet next time….we’re drawn to the old sausage trees again. So I guess we didn’t learn a thing.
None of us can be successful without some help along the way. Did you have mentors or cheerleaders who helped you to succeed? Can you tell us a story about their influence?
I went for a run with my father, and we spoke about how my day was going. I said I just met the woman of my dreams. Without slowing, he said, “Well why are you wasting your time running with me?” I turned back and called Beverly. The rest is history.
He was a gentle giant of a man and taught me that strength doesn’t have to be converted into physical violence but is really there to fortify you for that one day you will truly need it. Forty years later I really needed it to fight off a buffalo to save Beverly, a lesson id been in training for decades.
Are there three things the community, society, or politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
1) Be informed.
2) Don’t accept commonly held and over-repeated opinions and confuse them for facts.
3) Do whatever you can to stop the senseless killing of important, sentient fellow beings on the planet. They don’t just deserve protection, they feed our own survival, the robustness of our mental health, spiritual wellbeing, and financial stability. Without them, we will lead an impoverished life on many levels. So, rally and think like a conservationist no matter what your career is.
How would you articulate how a business can become more profitable by being more sustainable and more environmentally conscious? Can you share a story or example?
I run my business like a herd of elephants. I don’t, for example, believe that if an employee is underperforming that you drop them like some kind of ‘player’ in a team. You nurture them, help them, and change their roles but you don’t expel them or leave them behind. So in the elephant world, an injured herd member is not left behind. Nor does the pace really get slowed much. Time is on their side. They gather the struggling individual and help her. Then, perhaps after water or feed the pace is picked up again, as a family. By establishing that as a ‘ground rule’ I think we’ve been able to transfer fear into duty. No one wants to pull the herd back. So everyone tries harder, loyal to us but loyal to everyone. Once one achieves that, helping, sharing values, and direction on environmental awareness or any other value, becomes etched into our common DNA and culture. Business as an elephant herd is a book I am writing, but it extends beyond that simple adjustment of pace. It involves caring, empathy, altruism, dignity, grace, even temperaments, and respect. Get that right, and everything follows, and anything is possible. You also attract really good people who give more of themselves. Our biggest issue is getting people to take time off.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
1. Nothing is impossible.
2. Failure is a judgment someone else imposes on you. Judge your own successes and failures and celebrate both.
3. Think of bold ideas, then rewrite them, bolder.
4. Spend every moment you can with people you love and like. Spend no or as little as possible time with those you don’t. Happiness makes you successful, success doesn’t always make you happy.
5. Never leave something important unsaid.
6. Bonus answer, laugh at yourself at every opportunity.
If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
The environment is an innocent bystander, as if in a drive-by shooting. Presenting it from going into a version of ICU is up to us. It’s not that if we don’t do anything the planet will die. It will. But the rewards from doing something kind and helpful will enrich your life endlessly, whether for the environment or for society.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
There is a huge difference between doing something and doing nothing. If you know it is bad and says or do nothing, you are complicit in an ethical crime. Speak out, make change happen, and don’t be fearful that others will think or say something mean to you. This is your race.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
Leadership is a real issue because it has so many influences and moving parts. The Vice President (Harris) is in that unique position of all VPs in that she is the moral check and balance to the leader, in her role. We’d love to discuss the ethics of our engagement with our planet deeply (over breakfast)
Can I pick two? Mr Putin…’Stop.’
How can our readers follow you online?
https://greatplainsconservation.com/
Great Plains Conservation
www.greatplainsconservation.com
@GreatPlainsConservation
@greatplainsconservation
@GreatPlainsCons
Dereck Instagram: @dereckjoubert
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
Social Impact Heroes Helping Our Planet: Why & How Dereck Joubert Of Great Plains Is Helping To… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.