The Nature Business School: Top 5 Traits business needs to learn from animals
(c) Copyrighted picture to INSPIRE COE
With all the available academic and pragmatic research around business leadership, nature remains a great contributor to shaping up the business leadership personality and those who are able to critically reflect on animal behavior, are likely to learn behavioral traits that no other academic source can provide.
Here are the top 5 traits I have learnt through dealing with animals:
1. Throw-off weak leadership off your back!
(c) Copyrighted picture to INSPIRE COE
This is probably the most important lesson I have learnt…. I have seen thousands of employees who work without passion, just to make a living .. Thousands of employees who hate every day they have to come to work, and disbelieve in the leadership capability of their bosses or doubt their values .. While those negative feelings are there, employees still go to work to secure financial and social status, so trading passion for material life .. and this is probably the worst trade ever!
Arabian horses will feel their rider from the first few minutes they join the journey, and if the rider is not confident, solid and determined, they will do their best to teach them a lesson of their lives .. The aim of horses is not to hurt their rider, but just to say “Good luck with another ride.. I am on my own”. That’s probably a lesson so many talents out there need to learn … if you think you are a real talent and you are not satisfied of your current leader .. then why continue the journey? Throw them off your back, move on and find your passion somewhere else .. Life is all about collective moments of minutes and seconds, so why waste them in the wrong place and with the wrong people?
2. Forgive but don’t forget!
Dolphins have been proven to have the longest memory across all animals
When was the last time you got fooled twice from the same individual? It happened to most of us right? It’s just when someone says “Sorry” and we think that they really regret an act but we neglect the fact that they might actually do it again and again ..
Leaders need to differentiate between “Mistakes” and “Traits” …. Mistakes are transitional pitfalls that occur as exceptions to normal behavior. Simply when someone is a bit angry or in a hurry or under certain pressure, they might do things under little brain focus or with little consciousness.. That, we call mistakes and can be forgiven and also forgotten.
Traits are parts of an individual’s character and they are considered key constituents of someone’s personality. They are going to be repeated over and over and individuals couldn’t change their traits, even if they try to hide it, unless they are put under extreme circumstances for a very long period of time (Years!).
Why do we mix both? It’s just because we do things too quickly .. we don’t get to know the real people well .. If we deeply understand individuals, then it is less likely we get fooled by “Traits” and consider them as “Mistakes” .. That’s why it is recommended to “forgive” but don’t forget.. Just try to form a pattern of behavior, and if something repeats several times at different occasions, then be careful and learn from the past.
3. Look for real values, then train for competencies
Every business leader looks for highly skilled employees, neglecting the importance of real values behind the employee personality. Have you heard about surgeons who do illegal medical operations? Mechanics who cheat on customers? IT experts who help installing viruses / malware on devices? ..etc .. Aren’t those skillful employees? What happened then? .. It’s just because they used their skills in a different way than their organizations wanted, and the core reason behind this is their individual identity and values.
When purchasing a dog, it doesn’t matter how big or small its size is … it doesn’t matter how good looking or bad looking it is .. it doesn’t matter what breed or blood line it is .. probably the most important factor to consider is the temperament of the dog, which can be known from watching the dog over few hours and in different occasions .. so basically, understanding the attitude of the dog. That’s the most crucial factor to ensure that your new family member doesn’t attack your friends, or even you at a certain point, and also helps you decide on how likely is it to learn and behave in your home. That is probably a great lesson for leaders … don’t be fascinated by the looks or skills of employees you wish to hire .. look for real attitude and identity behind the shiny look. You might be surprised when you find out that people you bring in might actually be your worst enemy in the future.
4. Watch out for the “Cheese”!
While every business leader is running after opportunities, sometimes it is wise to hold back your desire and pause, reflect and analyse. The number one reason for why new businesses fail is running out of cash, and the reason behind this is that business people run for quick food, quick results that they need neglecting that this could be a real trap for them.
Have you heard about the business scandals released over the past years? (You can access a snapshot here .. ) .. A quick analysis into those scandals will only reveal that there were business leaders who were greedy for “more” without doing proper math. Short-term wins and making history is extremely important for a lot of leaders as they get recognized, awarded and also earn high incentives for it, but also earning it the wrong way might jeopardize the whole organization.
The number one rule for hunting / chasing animals out in the forest is preparing the right “bait” for them .. Can you face a lion? tie up a tiger? Put a crocodile in a cage? They are massively strong creatures, but once you have the right bait, you can lead them easily to their trap and then they become all yours!! Watch up for what you predate, otherwise you become the prey!
5. Respect and keep boundaries
Learning to keep boundaries is one of the most important traits you can learn by watching animals live together. Once an animal crosses a certain territory, it becomes vulnerable and wide open for hunting / aggression by other clans. It is then important to keep proper distance for everyone to survive.
Having spent a great deal of my life researching engagement, I always found a question that I struggled with, which is related to having “friends” at work! I would strongly suggest to keep professional boundaries at work and avoid that vulnerability of friendship .. it usually leads to disappointments and high expectations.
If you have been in a scout team before, or have been on safaris, hunting trips, diving ..etc .., rule number one that your seniors will teach you is to “Respect” nature and keep distance .. That’s a survival rule in nature .. and that’s very similar in business ..
On a last note … animals are great creatures that we can all learn from .. they have true values and they do not rationalize relationships .. they do not trade-off an owner for better food, and they do not trade-off freedom for shiny comfortable cages .. it’s time business leaders learn from animals .. for a change!
Written by:
Engagement Expert, International Speaker & Pragmatic researcher
