ERNA WALRAVEN: What wild animals can teach us about leadership
Wild animals will follow a leader they can trust to keep them safe, a leader that has their back at all times, a leader that acts with the best interest of the group at heart.
ERNA WALRAVEN: ‘Many of us believe we’re not getting the leaders we need. We are seeing questionable leadership in many aspects of our lives: politics, banks, church, sport and business. What expectations do we have of our leaders? As a zoologist this makes me think about what animals expect from their leaders.
I’ve observed wild animal societies in the field and in human care for more than three decades. This has given me a unique perspective on leadership in nature. I have looked at leadership characteristics in lions, elephants, African wild dogs, meerkats, hyenas, gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos and many more species.
I’ve watched generations of animals live their lives with the intrigue and the ups and downs of all communities. My conclusion is that animal societies, and the individuals within these, thrive or fail by the quality of its leadership. Then – what makes a good leader in the animal domain? What are the most common beneficial traits of wild animal leaders? Why do animals follow a particular leader? Does or should any of this matter to us?
Leadership and followership are ancient features in human and many other mammalian societies. Leaders and followers have arisen in nearly all social mammal species, indicating that this feature likely originated in an ancient mammalian ancestor. We share a common forebear with African apes who lived between eight and six million years ago…
Wild animals will follow a leader they can trust to keep them safe, a leader that has their back at all times, a leader that acts with the best interest of the group at heart. We have the same expectations of our leaders. We want our leaders to demonstrate the kind of behaviours that deliver on these hardwired expectations of leadership.
Our political, religious and business leaders should all be aware of this ancient “social contract” we have regarding leadership and act accordingly. Acknowledging and delivering upon these expectations can help humans to lead more naturally and effectively’. SOURCE…
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