Catalyst

Leading With the End in Mind

Have you ever thought of ant colonies as a source for leadership insights? Most of us think of ants primarily as a nuisance, but pause for a moment and consider how the activities of ants can teach us. Throughout recorded history, writers have used the behavior of ants to instruct. From the book of Proverbs to the fables of Aesop, writers have used ants to teach concepts such as preparation, planning and diligence. But what can organizations learn from observing the behavior of ant colonies?

Ndubuisi Ekekwe, founder of the non-profit African Institution of Technology tells the story of what he learned from watching ants. His observations impacted the way he implemented a project under development to build a networked digital library to store theses from African universities. "As I was resting, I noticed some ants in action. I observed that when one finds food, others immediately gathered to help pull the food to their storage. I decided to disturb the pattern, which, unfortunately, resulted in wounding one. Quickly, they came together and evacuated it. Then they re-organized and continued on the line they had created. I saw no form of supervision, yet they were accomplishing tremendous tasks, such as moving pieces of food that were about 30 time their individual size. As I watched them, the theses project flashed into my mind. Wouldn't it be good to trust other to help you?"

Ekekwe relates that as a result of observing the ants' behavior he made several decisions that he feels contributed to the success of the project. Consider how these simple lessons might benefit your organization:

The ants worked as a team and trusted one another

No one ant working alone could have been successful in locating food, transporting it back to the colony and assisting the injured. But by working on behalf of the entire colony each ant had the confidence that individual needs would be met through the collective efforts of the group. In the same way, organizational results improve dramatically when team members are willing to set aside their concerns for individual achievement and collectively share responsibility and accountability for results.

The ants were open

As ants communicated the information that food had been located, there were many other ants that quickly joined in the execution of the transportation effort. When teams exhibit a willingness to share information widely, it allows members to work most effectively and efficiently towards the desired goal.

The ants were partners and of different sizes

Although the ants work collectively, not every ant does exactly the same amount or type of work as the others. Within organizations, each team member deserves to have an assignment that fits his or her unique capabilities and potential.

The ants were diligent and focused

While there is food that needs to be moved, even when the distance is great, the ants' efforts are completely focused on the task at hand. Team members need to commit to a shared vision which can serve to hold individual efforts in alignment and encourage forward movement even when progress is slow.

The ants regrouped

The ants did not give up their transportation efforts when faced with an obstacle. No, they just assisted the injured party, determined a new path, and got right back to work. Just like ants, every workgroup is certain to encounter unexpected obstacles. Conditions will change and well-thoughtout plans will fail, yet the ability to quickly access a situation and develop a new path forward can mean the difference between failure and success.

These are lessons that apply across organizations, and it reminds us of the fact that leaders hold the responsibility to foster trust and ensure engagement. Before it is possible for humans to exhibit the ant-like behaviors of shared responsibility and intense focus, there must be an atmosphere of complete safety and unshakeable confidence that leaders and fellow coworkers are all working with the same end in mind. Together success is within reach. To illustrate this point, Ekekwe shares an ancient saying, "The anthills are not built by elephants, but by the collective efforts of the little rejected ants."

Research into the social habits of ants provides us with a fascinating example of the value of teaching and coaching. Scientists from the University of Bristol in England have been observing the behavior of leaders and followers as they foraged for food. The leader ants actually appeared to be teaching the followers how to detect the food and remember its location. Why is the ant behavior considered by researchers to be actual teaching? According to Nigel Franks, professor of animal behavior and ecology, "Within the field of animal behavior, we would say an animal is a teacher if it modifies behavior in the presence of another, at a cost to itself, so another individual can learn more quickly.

Leader ants "taught" followers to memorize landmarks and communicated by tapping their antennae. This was a slow process that had a personal cost to the leader in terms of lost efficiency. After careful study, the researchers found that if a leader ant raced directly to the food on its own, it arrived four times faster than if they had a follower tagging along with them. There were even some leader ants that grabbed followers by the mouth and dragged them to the source of the food. Yet even this somewhat faster method was still three times slower than if leaders acted independently. Still, leader ants were willing to make this sacrifice of time in order to ensure that the follower ants had the information they needed to perform.

The researchers also identified that the ants seemed to use a teaching approach that proceeded at a pace that was based on the follower's ability to learn and progress to the next step. The leader was willing to accelerate or slow its pace depending on the needs of the follower.

As leaders, how enthusiastic are we to slow down and take the time necessary to build the skills of others when we know we could get the job down faster working alone? Following the example of the leader ants, we should be encouraged to opt for the long-term perspective of greater organizational strength over what appears to be the short-term cost of reduced efficiency. As leaders accept the role of teacher, they need to develop the patience to adjust their pace of instruction to the ability of followers to learn.

Whether or not ants are successful in their primary objective, locating and storing food depends a great deal on the teaching ability of the leader ants. In our organizations, leadership effectiveness will ultimately be determined by those who are led. A recent research study by Development Dimensions International titled "Lessons for Leaders from the People Who Matter" delves into leadership from the perspective of those who depend on leadership. A copy of the study can be downloaded at http://bit.ly/Ae81kp. Take a look at leadership with the end in mind. Leaders have the ability to create an environment that brings out the best efforts of individual contributors while teaching skills for tomorrow.