Be brave: Learning from the experience of think tank leaders

On Think Tanks has embarked on a series of interviews with European think tank leaders to reflect on the changes that have taken place over the last decade and what these mean for the European think tank landscape. 

The podcast series aims to document the experiences, successes, challenges, and strategic decisions of these think tanks. It also seeks to offer advice and lessons learned to colleagues engaged with think tanks across the world.

In the first season we interviewed:

• Sonja Stojanovic-Gajic, former director of the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy
• Péter Krekó, Director of the Political Capital Institute in Hungary
• Vessela Tcherneva, Deputy Director of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR)
• Karolina Wigura, co-founder and board member of Kultura Liberalna 

The conversations explore the changing context in Europe – particularly from the perspective of Southern and Eastern European countries, the changes that think tanks have gone through in response, the trade-offs and strategic choices think tank leaders have had to make and the personal impact these have had on them and their colleagues. 

Goran Buldioski and I, co-hosts of the series, hope their accounts offer current and future think tank leaders insights and inspiration. 

Throughout the first season of the series, some of the main topics raised included:

• The changing political and economic context in Europe, including the rise of illiberal democracy, nationalism, populism, and Euroscepticism.
• The evolving role of think tanks, which are adapting to new realities and playing a more critical role in defending democratic values and promoting evidence-based policy.
• The challenges of maintaining independence and sustainability, including increasing financial challenges, state capture, disinformation campaigns, and a shrinking space for civil society.
• The importance of building relationships and networks to connect with various actors, including policymakers, civil society organizations, media, and the public, to achieve their goals.
• The impact of think tank work on individuals and society, including the personal challenges and rewards of working in a think tank, as well as the broader impact on public discourse and policy.
• The future of think tanks in which they will need to adapt to new technologies, redefine their role in the public sphere, and address the psychological challenges of working in difficult environments.
• The sources of funding for think tanks, the impact of funding on their independence, and the need to diversify funding sources are discussed.
• Strategic choices and adaptations  that think tank leaders have had to make and advice on how to ensure organisations remain relevant and effective in a changing world.
• The role of leadership and the importance of empowering staff, fostering internal deliberation, and building a strong ecosystem are highlighted.
• Impact of disinformation on the political landscape and challenges to overcome.

What has been accomplished?

The discussions have evidenced a general consensus that the state of Europe is less than optimal. The think tank leaders we spoke to identified worrying trends in increasing authoritarianism, illiberalism, populism, state capture and worse.  

Nonetheless, our OTT Talks guests were able to identify important successes, including establishing stable organisations, surviving financially, introducing and defending concepts to the public debate, shaping decisions and contributing to the formation of a community of evidence informed policy entrepreneurs. 

Specific successes mentioned include:

• Establishing stable and sustainable platforms for liberalism, understood as pluralism, with respect for democracy and the rule of law.
• Surviving financially in a context in which funding for civil society across the region has been dwindling and is getting worse – such as after 2015 in Poland when it became impossible to obtain state funding for liberal NGOs.
• Adapting to the external environment.
• Introducing concepts to public debate.
• Warning about the possibility of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, much earlier than Western think tanks and the general public did; and helping European policymakers think through why support for Ukraine needed to be bold at the beginning of the war.
• Shaping foreign policy decisions in Europe through public opinion polls.
• Bringing in new generations on critical issues for the region, mentoring researchers, and seeing them shine.
• Innovation in research and advocacy processes and building relationships across the region.
• Helping other players in the democracy field think big and strategise with other actors.

What could have been done differently? 

Several guests on the OTT Talks podcast series have reflected on their biggest failures and regrets as leaders of think tanks. These include not grasping the depth of political changes, difficulties in communicating with a broader audience, a lack of financial support from the liberal democratic side, and internal management issues.

Some of the regrets mentioned include:

• Not grasping quickly enough that populism is not just an episode but a symptom of a deeper change transforming political reality. There should have been an earlier understanding that central notions of political thinking were being transformed by new technologies.
• Struggling with how to communicate with a broader audience, despite the policymaking space closing fast.
• A lack of eagerness from the liberal democratic side to financially support its own civil societies institutions, especially when compared to the populist side; and a failure to make the case for it!
• Returning to business as usual too quickly after the first Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2014. There should have been more attention paid to possible scenarios.
• Making some internal management decisions too late, such as not finding resources for additional research posts or downsizing the think tank and instead decreasing all salaries, which eventually led to the loss of valuable staff.
• Jumping into too many areas to help, which overstretched the organisation.
• Not finding someone to do more operational management and being in too many roles.
• Taking too long to accept that sometimes people like clarity and authority and not just participatory consultations. There was difficulty in setting boundaries, both personally and for the team.
• Neglecting private life due to work spilling over into it.

What has been the toll of all this?

Throughout the interviews we reflected on the personal impact that working in a think tank in the context of worsening political and financial circumstances had on them as leaders and on their colleagues. Our guests were gratefully candid about this. 

• Questioning the value of the work: When values are challenged and one’s work seems to serve only a minority, it can lead to questioning the importance and value of the work. During the hardest moments, some leaders felt alone; misunderstood by even their closest friends and family members. 
• Psychological challenges: The psychological challenges in think tank work and in the NGO sector can be significant. The pressure to deliver the mission, individual projects, care for a workforce, an institution and its legacy, financial worries, and more, in a context of increasing intimidation and disinformation,can combine into a potentially toxic mix.
• Neglect of private life: Balancing work and personal life is difficult; typically leading to neglect of private life. This is much harder when the public debate becomes increasingly aggressive and thinktankers, especially women, are personally attacked by their work and opinions. 
• Being targeted by disinformation: Being the target of disinformation campaigns can be difficult.

A clear message came across loud and clear across the interviews: Witnessing democracy decline can take an emotional toll.

What have been the personal gains?

Of course, they would not do it if it did not offer positive rewards. The think tank leaders we have interviewed have identified the following reasons for doing what they do – even against the odds!

• Development of understanding of freedom: Co-creating and developing ideas and inserting them into political debate can be a fulfilling experience of political freedom.
• Connecting Vita Activa and Vita Contemplativa: Combining working with people, communicating, and empowering them while also spending time thinking, reading, and writing is a great privilege.
• Working with amazing people: Think tanking allows for working with amazing people and amazing brains, which is one of the big virtues of this environment.
• Helping others: Being in a better position to help others, offering perspective, reflection, and strategy, can be very rewarding.
• Seeing new generations shine: Mentoring researchers and seeing them excel is fulfilling.
• Innovation in research and processes: Enjoying innovation in research and advocacy processes, and forging relationships.
• Playing against more powerful actors: Finding ways to leverage limited resources, technical knowledge, and credibility against more powerful actors is satisfying.
• Pride in creating community: Creating things like a summer university or an alumni network can provide a sense of accomplishment.
• A sense of purpose: Living in times that provide a purpose can be very gratifying.
• Positive feedback: Receiving positive feedback and praise, even from opponents, can be encouraging.
• Friendships: Creating think tanks is about friendships and relationships, including intergenerational and cross-ideological ones.

What advice do they have for future think tank leaders?

With this in mind, the leaders offered various pieces of advice for future think tank leaders, emphasising adaptability, resilience, and a clear understanding of the evolving landscape. This advice includes adapting to change, communicating effectively, securing diverse funding, collaborating and building networks, and prioritising persona well-being.

Their recommendations to aspiring leaders include:

• Adapt to the changing context. Recognising and responding to the changing landscape is essential. Remaining relevant requires understanding that shifts can occur rapidly and unexpectedly.
• Communicate effectively. It is important to improve communication strategies to connect with a broader audience and mobilise support for liberal democratic values.
• Ensure financial sustainability and independence. Diversifying funding sources is crucial for maintaining independence and stability. Reliance on too few funding sources can compromise a think tank’s autonomy and long term stability.
• Collaborate and build networks. Building strong relationships and networks is essential for success. Think tanks should seek allies at different levels, including insiders, whistleblowers, activists, and international partners.
• Be prepared to challenge conventional thinking. Don’t be afraid to be disruptive and challenge the status quo. Vessela Tcherneva from the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) noted the importance of being on the front foot in times of crisis, rather than sticking to instincts and trying to maintain the status quo.
• Empower and support staff. Creating a supportive and collaborative internal environment is essential for fostering innovation and resilience. Sonia Stojanovic-Gajic reflects on how empowering people from within the organisation to take on management tasks can be more effective than hiring outside professionals.
• Take a broad view. Adopt a broad perspective and include comparisons with domestic and foreign policies because of the extensive domestic environment. Opening up more makes the work more interesting, and if there is just a focus on the domestic political landscape, it becomes deadly boring.
• Maintain Work/Life Balance. Be aware of the personal impact of the work. Recognise the psychological challenges in think tank work, and the NGO sector in general, and address them. Find a sparring partner outside of the system with whom to discuss concerns – boards can be very useful for this.
• Acknowledge the importance of relationships. Recognise that relationships matter, including intergenerational relationships and relationships across ideological divides. The importance of readers of publications and individual donors, who respond to threats, is also critical.
• Be flexible. Acknowledge there is no one path; different think tanks will choose different paths and they will not always deliver as planned. 
• Be serious about supporting or working for think tanks because their task is probably going to be more important than it has been in the last 30 years.
• Be Brave. Be aware that think tanks can be more brave hearts than not.

We will continue interviewing think tank leaders in Europe for the series on Running a think tank in a changing Europe.

Read, watch and listen to more interviews with think tank leaders.