“Find your playbook and throw it out. We need a very different mindset.”  

That’s Kristian Teleki’s urgent call to colleagues and fellow leaders. “We’ve got to be challenging each other.”  

As CEO of Fauna & Flora International, Kristian urges a radical shift in how we think, act, and collaborate for action on the climate and biodiversity crises. 

In conversation with Nik Gowing, Kristian is blunt and uncompromising. The need for change is super urgent. 

“We need to build the mind muscle. To think the unthinkable. To be cunning and imaginative.” 

Why? Orthodox thinking is holding back solutions. But the crises are worsening. This is why bold, immediate action is needed.  

And this isn’t just nature, it’s food, health, jobs, and our economic future. 

Kristian’s message often shakes those who hear it. But quietly most express appreciation to him for stepping out of line to say it.. 

He says radical optimism can fuel the shift needed. But optimism without action is empty.  

“The problems are not new; they’ve just gotten worse.” 

But today, we have better tools. What’s needed is mental resilience and the courage to be uncomfortable. 

“This is about action. Action that’s got to be taken now.” And that action must reach beyond familiar spaces. 

“We should be getting into those places where climate and nature aren’t even talked about.” 

Leaders must stand, even alone, to break stale narratives. It means leaving echo chambers behind and finding unlikely allies across sectors.  

“If you can be the lone voice on nature and climate, that voice will open new conversations and actions.” 

Kristian’s vision is bold and practical. No simple answers. Just a demand for new mindsets. 

“The final chapter of this story has not been written.” 

The question is: who will write it? 

Be bold. Be radical. Stretch your thinking. And do it now. The movement to change everything is well underway. 

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