Leaders of organisations can benefit a lot about the importance of teamwork by observing how animals behave in their natural habitats.
Many animals, from small insects to large mammals, depend on their team members to survive in harsh environments and fend off predators. Similar principles apply to the survival of any business.
In order for a business to withstand the challenges of competitors in the market, a team must fire on all cylinders.
In this article we focus on one class of animals and deduce important team building lessons critical for any team to succeed. We focus on the wolves.
Wolves are natural-born predators, but the animals they hunt are generally much bigger than they are.
In order to successfully bring down these strong animals, wolves must rely and take advantage of their superior collaborative abilities as a team.
λ Providing Leadership from behind
The most important lesson we get from the wolves is their unique approach to leadership. Wolf leaders, otherwise known as “alphas”, have a very unique way of organising their team.
Instead of guiding their team from the front, as might be expected, wolves leaders follow up from behind. Why? Because by trailing at the back, wolf leaders can ensure the young, elderly and infirm members of the team don’t get left behind and become vulnerable to attack.
Their focus is on ensuring the safety of the entire team by providing cover.
λ Ability to Delegate
Alpha wolves are not always the biggest and strongest pack members. They always achieve their status by simply mating and rearing pups. Their main role is simply parenting
They are not concerned about gaining top positions but simply to identify the strongest and weakest members of the pack and delegate responsibilities to them accordingly.
What are the key takeaways from the wolves?
No micromanagement: Effective leaders don’t always attempt to do everything themselves.
Instead, they harness the individual strengths of their team members regardless of their position on the structure and delegate tasks accordingly. They strive for results that come through team work.
Employee well-being: By taking a more passive approach to leadership, leaders are better positioned to observe the ‘pack’ and offer support to those who need it.
By doing so, leaders create a conducive environment for team members to demonstrate their abilities in a free environment
Challenge of the approach
Overburden: Leaders must avoid over dependence on the strongest members of their team. Doing so can lead to exhaustion and ultimately burnout on the part of the strongest members which may not be in the best interest of the team.
Paul Nyausaru is an OD Practitioner and leadership coach. For all your OD interventions and leadership development training you can get in touch with him on whatsapp/call +263774062756 or Email pnyausaru@gmail.com
Chiedza Kadare is an OD Practitioner. You can get in touch with her on whatsapp/call +263 77 283 0986 or Email chiedza.kadare@gmail.com
