The Blue Economy is now recognized as a strategic lever for combining economic development, social inclusion and preservation of the marine environment. This model, which encompasses sectors ranging from fishing to marine renewable energy, is of crucial importance for coastal countries facing major environmental and climatic challenges.
However, to achieve its ambitious goals, greater commitment and collaboration from local, regional and international stakeholders is required. In this context, Connection Leadership has developed the “Leadership for Results” program.
The Blue Economy encompasses all economic activities linked to the oceans, seas and coastal zones. It includes traditional sectors such as fishing, maritime transport and coastal tourism, as well as emerging industries such as marine renewable energy, sustainable aquaculture and the marine bioeconomy, which uses marine resources to produce medicines, biofuels and other innovations. This concept aims to reconcile economic growth, social well-being and preservation of the marine environment, by promoting sustainable practices.
There are many pressing issues at stake:
From May 28 to 31, Betsy Parayil and Stefan de Lavergne co-hosted a 4-day seminar on leadership for Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) in Togo.
In response to these pressing challenges, the World Bank is funding ambitious projects under the WACA (West African Coastal Areas) program. This initiative, which mobilizes up to $150 million per country in the form of grants or loans, unites nine West African nations around a common objective: to strengthen coastal resilience in the face of the impacts of climate change. However, despite this substantial funding, projects are often hampered by operational delays, divergent interests and the absence of a shared strategic vision.
To address these issues, Connection Leadership has developed Leadership for Results, a program designed in collaboration with the World Bank and already implemented in Mauritania and Togo. The program aims to strengthen collaboration and advocacy for coastal resilience, and to co-create concrete action plans linked to the challenges identified by stakeholders. Aimed at a varied audience – project management units, executive managers, ministerial representatives, technical experts and members of inter-institutional committees – it fosters effective coordination and collective mobilization despite sometimes conflicting interests.
The three-stage Leadership for Results approach combines a three-day face-to-face bootcamp to define impactful action plans, followed by six online coaching sessions to consolidate these actions in conjunction with a PMO, and a final session to assess the results obtained and perpetuate new modes of collaboration. This program, which can be adapted to the cultural and operational needs identified in the field, stands out for its measurable impact: it equips local players to overcome blockages and accelerate ongoing projects, while creating the foundations for sustainable, inclusive autonomy.
During the workshops, a first step was to map the brakes: lack of coordination and follow-up, lack of realistic planning, tight deadlines, lack of stakeholder involvement and insufficient circulation of information… These challenges are often compounded by diverging priorities among partners and low team motivation. As in other transformation programs, essential skills training such as negotiation, consensus building or managing complex situations are essential to unlocking projects that have stalled. Developing these capacities has therefore been a priority to provide momentum and ensure the success of these initiatives.
Bringing together all actors around a shared vision, respecting the diversity of interests, is central. Each stakeholder can pursue its own goals, while contributing to a common future. To achieve this, the actors mobilize around their specific role, ensuring that they feel supported and have the necessary resources to contribute to the collective goal.
Frederick Herpers, expert in Blue Economy and MSP, has joined our team to give more impact to this event and engage even more local actors in the sustainable management of their maritime spaces.
One of the strengths of our approach is that we work at different levels: from national to local, from political to operational. Thus, our teams of coach-consultants combine hard skills and soft skills to meet the complex challenges encountered.
In Togo, for example, we used the expertise of a marine spatial planning specialist (MSP). His presentation gave each participant (representatives of the Ministry of the Environment, Fisheries, teachers-researchers, territorial communities, army, navy, ports, cities) a clear and technical vision of the MSP tool, while addressing human and technical issues in a concrete way.
This approach, far from being conceptual, has helped to gain understanding of the subject and develop real trust within the group.
The approach is therefore not simply focused on training, but offers real coaching on concrete topics. Each session allows participants to leave with practical tools and a set of actions to be implemented in the coming months.
One of the key objectives of our approach is to promote autonomy and sustainability within teams. At the end of the program, participants leave not only with a renewed vision but also with enhanced skills to help them turn challenges into opportunities.
If previously, each member was limited to his specific role, today, the whole team is responsible: several people are now in charge of different groups of activities, and formally commit themselves to regularly review and relaunch the necessary actions. This new organization allows employees to become more autonomous and more involved in collective success.
The testimonies of the participants at the end of the workshop illustrate this transformation: “I was impressed by the power of listening and sharing in teamwork. I learned the importance of the collective for effectiveness and efficiency in the MSP process. My commitment is to speak with conviction to other stakeholders to make the project in Togo a success!”
Working on complex governance projects? Our Leadership for Results offering helps you to boost your resources and generate concrete results in your projects. Contact us for more information!
Our approach, based on transversality and pragmatism, brings you all the necessary elements to co-construct the transformation of your company. This co-construction is carried out with all levels of the company to improve collective commitment. Our coaching and transformation programs are designed to bring impact and concrete results, ultimately empowering you in your transformation.
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