Leading the Flock

Nature can teach us a lot about leadership. Geese for instance fly in a V formation for 2 main reasons. First, to conserve energy. The lead goose sets the direction and each bird after flies slightly above the bird in front to reduce wind resistance. When the lead bird gets tired, he falls to the back and another bird takes over lead position. The second reason, is it's easier to keep track of every bird in the group. Fighter pilots often use the same formation. It also aids in communication and coordination. To me, the short answer is, both birds and fighter pilots fly in V formation to better their chance of survival. They help each other survive and thrive.

That may seem obvious, but in nature there are also many leadership styles. Not all birds flock together, some fly alone, each fending for himself and some even prey on the other. It is hard to tell which leadership style is better. Both are done for survival and maybe it's imprinting or maybe it depends on which style makes that individual bird feel stronger. Do they feel they have a better chance surviving together or a better chance alone?

Leadership has a lot to do with modelling. The style of a leader we follow can be seen by actions. We don't just communicate in words, actions speak much louder. We have heard that many times. Knowing what makes us feel stronger may determine the leader we will follow. Happy or unhappy is an indicator on whether the leadership style is working or not working. How we feel is a powerful communicator that may get ignored until it gets louder. Especially, if we don't understand what is causing it or convinced it can't be changed, which leads to more unhappiness.

I have been blessed with great leadership role models throughout my life, personally and professionally. I have found myself following lone birds a few times before I noticed or sometimes it changed mid-flight. I thought we wanted the same things, but turned out we didn't. Each time unhappy was the indicator and each time the message I received back was "I don't care". A key indicator I was following a lone bird. As leaders, we can walk through the organization and see signs of not caring everywhere. Sometimes the indicator is the complaints from customers saying they are unhappy. Sometimes it's the bottom line and we're unhappy. "I don't care" is found on the street, on a bus, even in our own house. We see it in ourselves too. Signs come internally and externally and we can be much harder on ourselves, although we get validation from others. Money, as example, is a great external validator. Money is the reward we get for making someone else happy. Money alone will not make us happy, we kid ourselves that it will, because not having it makes us even more unhappy. However, it's like a mirror. If we don't care then the reflection we see is ours. Model the change you want to see. When we care, we listen. When we listen with our whole self, not just our ears, but our eyes and our hearts, the reflection in the mirror begins to change. We may not be able to change the leadership style we follow, but we can model for ourselves and those that don't seem to care, that we do.

Lurinda Rinehart, CEC

LifeStrong Consulting - Higher Results Faster

The Coaching Professionals

Resource: Why Do Geese Fly in a V? (Everyday Mysteries: Fun Science Facts From.....https://www.loc.gov.scitech.geese)