In the corporate jungle, when trying to sell a new program and make changes in culture, meetings are often tense or inconclusive. Finesse is required to facilitate such situations to make progress while satisfying stakeholders.

The other night I witnessed a skilled leader -- Flip Stander -- who negotiated a settlement with stakeholders who were justifiably concerned that the program he was advocating could cause severe financial hardship. In the end, the stakeholders themselves saved the program. I was so impressed with Flip Stander's techniques that I wanted to learn more about what made them effective and how to use them more broadly to accelerate green programs in the corporate setting.

Dr. Stander is founder of the Desert Lion Conservation Project. His program supports the restoration of lions in the desert region of Namibia who were on the brink of extinction. The restoration program started with a few surviving lions in an isolated and small refuge. To fully recover, it would be necessary for the lions to extend their range, often in conflict with farming communities.

The Desert Lion Conservation Project faced the same challenges as many corporate green programs, where sponsors and stakeholders are sympathetic and support green goals but often delay in expanding the program since the program is deemed too risky, too ambitious or too low of a priority.

After making a big pitch that recommends a new green program, many of us have heard that the proposed technology and methods are too risky, we don't have the skills, we tried something similar a few years ago and it failed, the company is already doing better than its peers and that is sufficient for now or given the poor economy, this is just not an area of focus.

Stander's stakeholders -- the villagers near the refuge -- appreciated nature, but when asked to support the reintroduction of the lions, believed it was:

• Too risky: The livestock was their livelihood and losses were not covered by insurance. Lions had destroyed their valuable property before and were hunted aggressively by farmers during an extended drought in the 1980s, when wild food sources were scarce and domesticated animals became attractive prey. (Surprisingly they did not fear personal injury.)

• Too ambitious: Lions already had a refuge and that should be sufficient.

• Too low of a priority: As subsistence farmers, they had bigger issues to worry about than the fate of a few lions.

Conflict & Resolution

When the lions started to recover, a juvenile lioness migrated to a nearby valley which was home to a few villages. She killed several cows and the villagers insisted that the lioness be returned to the refuge. Confined to the refuge, the lions would have no chance to rebound and would remain at best a few specimens -- as if they were in a zoo.

Instead of moving the lioness back to the refuge, Stander sedated the lioness and brought her into the village. As the villagers gathered to discuss the lioness' fate, some thought relocating the lioness was unsatisfactory; they argued that she should be killed.

Stander acted quickly to this threat and placed a knife by the lion's supine body and then told the villagers that the lioness's fate was in their hands. Stander backed away and let the villagers decide.

After intense debate, the villagers recommended a third way. The lioness could live and remain in the valley, if she was monitored and the villagers informed of her whereabouts.

A radio collar was placed on her and Dr. Stander's became her parole officer. With abundant game, the lioness went on to produce many offspring. The lions never resorted to killing the villagers' property.

Analysis & Application

Most of us when confronted with a similar challenge would put together an exhaustive and exhausting presentation to justify the program. Stander could have rushed into the village and called a meeting and proceeded with his best sales pitch to avert the relocation, but his approach was different.

Prior to the showdown over the lioness, Stander and his goals were well known to the individuals in the village. He had listened with respect to their concerns. Stander also won over a few villagers to the cause, who would have more credibility pleading the lions' case.

Stander did the unexpected and brought the sedated lioness into the village. Here she was up close. Her grace and beauty could be admired and not just feared. Stander transformed the lioness from an abstract property-destroying-monster to a sympathetic natural wonder.

Next Page: Seven lessons Stander's experience offers for green business