Lessons From Our African Safari

Sep 25, 2009 Jim Dryburgh Blog, Personal Growth, Professional Development 1 Comment accelerate, leadership, potential, uniqueness

Two weeks ago, Lori and I arrived back in Scottsdale after an amazing four week vacation in Africa.

We started in Cape Town, quickly joined our safari group in Johannesburg, and headed to our first camp in the world’s largest inland delta (the Okavango) in Botswana. Three days later we were in the Caprivi Strip in Namibia and, after two days there, we were at Victoria Falls in Zambia. We were incredibly fortunate to see all of the “Big Five” (elephant, lion, buffalo, leopard, and rhino). After the safari, we had two and a half weeks to explore Cape Town and the Western Cape of South Africa.

There are so many stories we could tell but both of us were struck by what observing and learning about the African animals could teach all of us about:

• Vision
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Survival of the fittest
• The power of lifelong learning

Here are a few of these lessons:

The national bird of Namibia, the African Fish Eagle, exemplifies the type of vision that a great leader brings to an organization. They are able to see both the big picture and each element of that big picture with great clarity and perspective.

In business, successful teams are the result of a desire of all of the participants to work together to achieve a clear and common goal. It would seem that the same is true for animals in the wild.

In the African bush the Lion’s entire survival is predicated on the capacity to work as a member of a team. Without teamwork Lions have very little chance of survival.

The other thing that the Lion teaches us is the importance of role clarity within the team, not only for the individual concerned, but also clarity about the roles of other members of the team by all team members. Lionesses do the majority of the hunting for their pride, being smaller, swifter and more agile than the males, and unencumbered by the heavy and conspicuous mane, which causes overheating during exertion. They act as a coordinated group and encircle the herd from different points in order to stalk and bring down the prey successfully. Only when the prey is very large, Cape Buffalo for example, do the male lions get involved with hunting.

From the earliest age, Lions are engaged in constant learning about what they have to do to ensure their survival. Lion cubs start their hunting activity practicing on grasshoppers, tortoises and chameleons; they graduate to bigger things as their competence and skill progresses. During this process they discover that successful hunting requires lots and lots of practice and involves all the team members. Mentoring and coaching are a very important part of this lifelong learning process.

The Wild Dog can teach us about the power of teamwork and the importance of multi-skilling in a team. Wild Dogs hunt in packs and kill by chasing their prey until they drop from exhaustion. The problem with this approach is that none of the Wild Dogs knows when the prey will drop. So, in the process of this relay running, every dog has to be fully prepared to apply the deathblow. This means each dog has to have developed all of the skills required for hunting.

Herding animals like Cape Buffalo, Zebra, Wildebeest and Elephant can teach us about the power of synergy. Herds of blue Wildebeest often associate with Zebra for added security through the zebra’s excellent eyesight. Also, Zebra are typically the first animals to enter recent rainfall areas where they trample and crop the tallest grasses, making the shorter fresh grasses preferred by Wildebeest and other grazers more easily accessible. The Zebra, Impala and blue Wildebeest also feel safe with the giraffe because, with its great height, the giraffe can see farther and can warn them of danger.

Great teams build strategic alliances. In the wild, the red-billed Oxpecker cleans the Buffalo, Eland, Rhino and Giraffe and other bigger antelopes of the lice and ticks that plague them in the bush. They also provide an early warning system because their listening and seeing faculties are so sharply developed. They make a terrific noise at the approach of any form of danger.

In Africa, the Cape Buffalo teaches us more about followership than leadership. Notwithstanding the awesome power, strength, and virility of the Bull Buffalo that leads the herd, he understands full well that without the herd his chances of survival are limited to probably no more than 24 hours– unless he manages to find some other Buffalo bachelors with whom he can live out his remaining days. He realizes that his power comes from all of the ears, all of the eyes, all of the noses, all of the hooves and all the intuition of the entire herd.

Sometimes we make assumptions about how well we know the territory in which we operate. The Rhino is almost completely blind. It does not have eyesight capable of seeing much more than movement. And yet the Rhino, all three tons of pure passion, can charge across the African savannah at 20 miles an hour (30 km) without falling or running into a tree. He knows the territory.

And a final note. We hear “fat and bald,” we think “affable, jolly and placid.” But aside from Hyacinth, the Hippo in Fantasia, the Hippo is as mean as a viper. The Hippo is an herbivore yet it is one of the most aggressive and dangerous animals in Africa; attributed with killing more humans than any other animal on the continent. The hippo’s yawn is not a sign of sleepiness or boredom but is actually a threat gesture, displaying long, thick, razor-sharp canine teeth, or tusks, with which it is capable of biting a small boat in half. Who knew?

There are amazing lessons to be found everywhere, especially when we experience something for the first time, and the expression, “It’s a jungle out there!” certainly springs to mind.

It was an amazing trip. We took over 3,000 pictures (gotta’ love digital) a small number of which are posted at this link: http://picasaweb.google.com/jimdryburgh01/AfricaShare02?authkey=Gv1sRgCPrAq8T99dnUrgE

We’d recommend South Africa to anyone … unbelievably great beef, superb and very well priced wines, really friendly people, beautiful scenery … a wonderful place to vacation. We’d be happy to talk with you about it if you’re interested in knowing more.

image courtesy of flowcom