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Why the Elephant?

Not only creating but, maintaining, a positive and engaged employee culture is no easy feat.  I have experienced what good, and bad, organizational culture looks like and the business results that come as a result of both.  Great success does not find you, rather you have to make it happen.  We can make great things happen by finding good leadership and learn from them.  So here are the Elephant Leadership Lessons.

Two elephants splashing water
Empathy and trust are key characteristics of an effective herd. Without either of them, it is difficult for elephants to work together and achieve common goals.

Empathy and trust are key characteristics of an effective herd. Without either of them, it is difficult for elephants to work together and achieve common goals. Elephants survive by intentionally understanding how situations affect one another.  Empathy serves as a strong communication between herd members, and trust allows strong bonds to develop as they know that cooperation is the way to obtain safety and security.

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  • Leadership Lesson:  Great leaders have a high level of emotional intelligence.  They understand the value of connectedness and the important role trust plays in the team members feeling cared for and appreciated as a person and an employee. This personal connection is the key to their relationship with you, the organization and their level of engagement.

Elephant lessons

Elephants are expert communicators, with most of their communication taking place as vibrations not detectable by the human ear. The herd remains connected, offering input as the leader keeps the group focused on the common goal at hand.

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  • Leadership Lesson:  Listening to employees is critical to the success of any leader. When you empower the people around you, unbelievably creative solutions emerge and, as the leader, you are better equipped to pivot the business when needed in a direction, or in time, that you may not have thought of by yourself.

Elephants are expert communicators, with most of their communication taking place as vibrations not detectable by the human ear.
Elephants are known for their cooperation and teamwork.

Elephants are known for their cooperation and teamwork. When a member is injured and can’t walk as fast as the others, the entire herd slows down to ensure that the injured won’t be left behind.  This would not happen if they did not understand the difficulties the wounded elephant faces and the commitment to keeping the team together and working as a unit. 

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  • Leadership Lesson:  This does not mean slowing down progress, rather recognizing when someone needs support in order to fully contribute to the greater objective.  A leader’s role is to get the most potential out of each team member and collectively out of the team.  Sometimes that means breaking down barriers, coaching, mentoring or training to create and/or foster a cohesive and high performing team.

Patience and living the moment are key attributes of elephant leaders. They rely on awareness and patience to think things through and respond to situations in a calm and confident manner.  After all, their survival depends on good decisions. But, they also don’t take themselves too seriously and focus on the herd’s morale.  They embrace every opportunity to stop and enjoy the fleeting moments of reprieve from extreme conditions and celebrate with their herd. 

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  • Leadership Lesson:  Leaders are often praised for the ability to take quick, strong, and decisive action. However, resist the urge to act like the alligator and make snap judgments. Understand that great leadership is about being a great people leader.  Don’t take yourself too seriously.  Be humble and place a value on having fun.  Take a moment to celebrate even the small wins.  Small celebrations along the way pay off big when your team is facing the next challenge for survival in the world of business.   

Elephant walking
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