What is a ”DEBRIEF”? And why should every leader start using it immediately?
July 28, 2025Combat Ready is now the patron of the Asian small-clawed otter at Tallinn Zoo!
Our mission goes beyond teaching proven leadership principles and training teams on the battlefield.
Combat Ready believes that taking ownership also means helping those who cannot speak for themselves – such as endangered species in the wild.
That’s why we decided to support the Tallinn Zoo and the Asian small-clawed otter that lives there. We want to help the zoo’s efforts to conserve different animal species, helping to preserve and carry on the mission of protecting our diverse and fragile natural world.
Asian small-clawed otters and the laws of combat
Asian small-clawed otters are small, but exceptionally tough! They live in (family) groups, where each member plays an important role in making the team work.
When our Marketing Specialist Mia went to the zoo to see the small-clawed otters, it became clear that their behavior and actions surprisingly reflect the same principles that we pass on in our daily training of leaders and teams:
📍 Cover and move – every member of the otter family supports others to keep moving forward.
📍 Simple – their decisions and actions are straightforward, without fuss. They just act!
📍 Prioritize and execute – if the otter’s prey shell is too hard (problem), they leave it in the sun to soften (solution), so it’s easier to bite the shell off later (result).
📍 Decentralized command – older offspring help their younger sisters/brothers, the division of responsibility is natural in the otter family.
And, of course, they do it all very playfully, being very social and play-loving predators by nature.
Why is this important?
According to the Tallinn Zoo, Asian small-clawed otters are rapidly declining.
This is due to human-induced threats: wetland destruction, over-hunting for fur, use in Chinese medicine, and trapping pups for the pet trade.
Becoming a patron is our way of saying: we will not remain as an observant on this matter.
Combat Ready believes that taking ownership means making choices – not for the actions of others, but for your own actions.
We cannot take ownership for over-hunting or wetland destruction, or change all the world’s systems. But we can decide whether to look the other way or tackle the problem head on. Whether we contribute or remain bystanders. Whether we lead by example or not.
Big change starts with small steps – and that’s why this is our way of saying: this is an important issue, and our choice is to contribute, even in a small step that contributes to the bigger picture.
Your chance to see and experience
2023. In 2023, more than 366,000 people visited Tallinn Zoo (source: Tallinn.ee) – meaning tens and hundreds of thousands of people are exposed to the message of species conservation and the importance of caring for nature. This is important and great!
It is important for us that Combat Ready is part of this change. The same logic that applies to leadership applies to stewardship: it all starts with leading by example.
Have you ever been to the Tallinn Zoo to see Asian small-clawed otters? If not, it’s an experience that will make you both smile and hopefully think about what really matters.
With a Tallinn Zoo ticket, you contribute to the conservation of endangered species.
From 2020, visitors to Tallinn Zoo will be able to support the conservation of the endangered Sumatran rhinoceros and the manuli, a small cats’ species in the wild, by purchasing a ticket. The money raised from visitors will be donated to Save the Rhino, Pallas’s Cat International Conservation Alliance and Snow Leopard Trust.
