Executive Director of The Wild Animal Sanctuary
Pat Craig, Founder and Executive Director of The Wild Animal Sanctuary, shares his incredible journey from becoming the youngest person licensed in the industry to leading the largest carnivore sanctuary in the world.
He talks about the importance of telling your story authentically, how connecting with the right audience can advance your mission, and how taking a different perspective can solve your problem.
Pat Craig
Executive Director of The Wild Animal Sanctuary
“Even if you pass all the laws in the world, people still break the law…But for us, it’s really about trying to change the social consciousness about how people value animals in general.”
Find the right audience for your story.
Not everyone is going to care about your business or organization, no matter how meaningful the work you do is. Seek out your niche audience, those are the people you’ll be able to move to support your mission.
Look at your problem from a different perspective.
Sometimes it takes approaching a problem from a different perspective to find your solution. In Pat’s case, he was several feet up in the air working on a habitat when he realized a solution that solved the problem of how to bring in the public without impacting the animals. It made all the difference in being able to expand their reach and further their mission.
Hire people who care.
Sometimes the most important thing isn’t the perfect degree or experience – it’s about people who have a burning passion for the mission. Find those people. Hire them — job duties can be taught.
Approach everything with empathy.
Whether you’re dealing with humans or animals, leaders can use empathy to understand what works for one doesn’t necessarily work for another. For Pat, he personally meets every single animal they rescue to learn what that animal needs, because how they treat one tiger may not be what will work best for another.
About The Host
As the President of Gravity Group, Steve is passionate about helping brands reach their goals through honest, creative marketing and powerful brand stories.
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