The Hidden Cost of Funding (Lesson from COP26)
Here's a story about power, distraction, and a $1.7B lesson I learned in 2021
I was sitting in a packed conference room at COP26, surrounded by Indigenous leaders who had spent decades fighting for recognition of their rights in climate action.
The room buzzed with possibility.
Then, Alok Sharma made his announcement: $1.7 billion in funding for Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
What happened next changed how I understand power forever.
Dynamics Shift (When Most Miss This)
The energy in the room didn't disappear—it redirected.
Like a river changing course, I watched as:
Conversations about land rights grew quiet
Questions about decision-making power were replaced by funding procedures
Discussions about self-determination transformed into talks about grant requirements
But here's what's fascinating:
The most dangerous distraction is the one that looks like an opportunity.
Ancient Wisdom for Modern Power Moves
That evening, over tea, an elder shared wisdom passed down from her grandmother:
"When hunting and you spot a small deer, pause and look around. Often, that's when you notice the larger prey has been watching you all along."
She wasn't talking about hunting.
She was talking about power.
The Hidden Pattern Behind Every COP
This pattern keeps repeating in every major climate conference:
Sharm el-Sheikh
Bonn
Dubai
Money enters the room, and suddenly the conversation shifts from power to process.
The ancient strategist Sun Tzu wrote that supreme excellence consists of breaking resistance without fighting.
This is how modern power works:
It doesn't oppose you directly. It redirects your attention.
The True Price of Chasing Grant Money
Every hour spent on funding applications is an hour not spent protecting sovereignty.
Every meeting about grant requirements is a meeting not held about self-determination.
The most thoughtful Indigenous leaders I know have learned to ask:
How does this money serve our larger vision?
What other movements of power might we be missing?
Whose decisions are being made while we focus here?
What rights are we leaving undefended while we chase funding?
5 Moves Smart Leaders Use to Protect Their Vision
Here's what I've learned about effective leadership in these spaces:
Before any funding discussion, clarify your non-negotiables
Track the conversations that grow quiet when money enters the room
Notice which rights discussions get replaced by process discussions
Map out what power moves might be happening while attention is elsewhere
Calculate the real cost of every hour spent on funding administration
The 3-Step Framework for Maintaining Control
Smart leaders use a three-step approach:
1. Maintain Parallel Tracks
Keep rights discussions active alongside funding discussions
Assign different teams to handle grants vs. advocacy
Never let funding conversations dominate strategic meetings
2. Set Clear Boundaries
Establish what rights and principles are not up for negotiation
Define success beyond financial metrics
Create separate spaces for funding and rights discussions
3. Stay Vigilant
Regularly audit where time and energy are being spent
Track which conversations are fading
Monitor what external actors gain from your redirected attention
The Million-Dollar Question Nobody's Asking
The most powerful moves often happen in the shadows of opportunity.
When someone offers you resources, ask yourself:
What else is moving in the background?
What conversations are being redirected?
What power dynamics are being obscured?
Sometimes the biggest wins don't come from getting the money.
They come from not being distracted by it.
The Game-Changing Truth About Modern Power
Power rarely works through direct opposition anymore.
It works through distraction.
And the most effective distractions always look like opportunities.
That’s it for today.
