Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tony Gilbert. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Tony thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
The International SeaKeepers Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Our mission is to facilitate marine research, conservation efforts, and education by linking the yachting and boating community with the scientific and academic communities. In practice, this means that scientists can get out on the water to conduct the field research that is needed to learn more about the current state of our marine ecosystems and what we can do to help protect or restore it. Additionally, we allow the yachting and boating community to be a part of research projects that don’t require a scientist to be on board. This can include submitting bathymetric data from their own depth sounders, or deploying sensor buoys. This mission is meaningful to me because of the impact I know this research and knowledge will have on the health of our oceans and our planet. Generations to come will use this data to enact policies, or simply make changes in their everyday lives or in the market place so that they will have a planet that can sustain life as we know it.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
As a law school graduate, I was contacted by our then Chairman to help out with an administrative project. It was a two-and-a-half-week project, at the end of which I expressed my willingness to help out with anything else. Almost six years later, I worked myself up to CPO (Chief Programs Officer). In that role, I, along with my amazing team, have helped facilitate scientific expeditions, citizen science initiatives, educational outreach, and community engagement activities, all with the aim of either researching ways to protect and restore our marine ecosystems, or educating our youth and the public about ecological issues. I’m incredibly proud of the work we’ve done in all facets of our programs. What was once a small team of about three people in our headquarters has grown to a full team, as well as hubs in Asia, the UK, and the South Pacific.
Any advice for managing a team?
My team is everything. I use to say “I wish there were three of me” because I felt I was needed in multiple places at once, or just spread thin, trying to keep up with the demands of the work. Now, I can confidently say that I have an amazing team that I can delegate certain responsibilities to and I can trust that they’ll get the job done. Beyond delegation, i’ve seen which strengths and skills each team member brings to the table, and found the best ways to utilized those strengths. It’s obvious that no one person can do it all alone, so if you find the right team, make sure you’re there to support them in whatever is needed. Don’t micromanage. Micromanaging will make your team members feel like they are merely there to do your bidding or follow orders. I like to encourage a work environment where people can be as creative as they want to be, bring those ideas to the table, and then we can discuss whether it’s the right course of action or not. I try to be as democratic as possible, and really listen to my team’s suggestions and needs. lastly, to use a sports metaphor, I try to be more of a quarterback than a coach. I’m on the field, working with my team, rather than giving orders from the sidelines, which hopefully translates as “we’re in this together.” I also try to be as light and jovial as is appropriate for a work setting, which hopefully keeps people at ease and generally happy at work.
We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.
We don’t have clients per se, being a non-profit. I joke that it’s basically my job to ask people for favors. I assure you, though, that no one is going to want to give of their time, effort, and money if they don’t think of you as a friend or colleague they respect. For this reason, it’s very important to keep in touch with anyone that’s ever helped the organization, and just see how they’re doing. It sounds like a simplistic answer, but it’s the truth. People have to want to deal with me, rather than simply put up with me. If i can get them to see me as a friend, then they’ll be a friend to the organization and the mission.
Contact Info:
- Website: seakeepers.org
- Instagram: @seakeepers
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seakeepers
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-international-seakeepers-society/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwF6xPMVim7Vn1D2NjsXnFA