Podcasts

Season 3 | Young Professionals in Forestry and Natural Resources | Episode 17

#52 | Trust is the currency of leadership

November 30, 2017 | Nathan Lojewski

Nathan Lojewski is the forestry manager for Chugachmiut, a non-profit organization that provides technical assistance to the seven Native tribes in the Chugach Region of Alaska. Nathan joined the Peace Corps after earning his undergraduate degree from Northern Arizona University (NAU) and returned to NAU for his masters after his service to remote villagers in The Gambia, Africa. In this episode, Nathan discusses his Peace Corps experience, how he builds trust as an outsider, and what makes a person really thrive in a leadership role.

Key Takeaways:

[:45] A quick intro about Nathan’s background.

[2:15] How did Nathan first get started in forestry?

[5:35] What was it like volunteering for the Peace Corps?

[7:20] How did Nathan learn the language while in The Gambia?

[8:35] Nathan discusses what his time was like in The Gambia and how he helped improve the villager’s lives.

[13:50] How did Nathan build trust as a foreigner and a stranger in this village?

[17:30] Nathan discusses another fun project he did for this village where he taught a woman how to write.

[22:00] Did Nathan have culture shock when he came back to the U.S.?

[23:55] What does Nathan do for Chugachmiut today?

[31:10] What has Nathan learned along the way about leadership?

[35:15] What’s the difference between being an informal leader vs. a formal leader?

[41:05] What advice does Nathan have for young professionals?

[44:05] When Nathan first joined the profession and SAF, he did not understand how valuable networking was for him.

[48:40] Nathan highly recommends that you watch Only the Brave.

Mentioned in This Episode:
www.Chugachmiut.org
Nathan on LinkedIn
Only the Brave — Movie
www.LeadershipNature.com