Last week I attended an unconference, organised by 8fold, open space style. In one of the discussion groups I joined, someone introduced the idea of people swapping effortlessly leadership positions, just like geese do when they are flying.
Geese fly in a v-shape, across the sky (beautifully, I’ve seen many of them hovering over the Amsterdam canals) with the goose at the apex of the ‘V’ using up more energy than the rest as it reduces the resistance for the rest of the flock. As it gets tired, it changes position. (For a more simple explanation, you can read the article in the Did You Know blog.)
Pink Footed Geese by Gidzy
As we all pictured the geese harmoniously hovering over our heads and replaced the heads of the geese with the faces with people in our teams, the biologist in me woke up:
“But people are not geese.”
There are already many articles about how the concepts of geese navigation can be applied to leadership (just google “geese flying leadership”) so I am going to add here my thoughts of why I think this concept is beyond utopian. I’m all for making unusual connections, but this metaphor has made me think about those things that might prevent us from leading like geese. I have however, also added some thoughts on what can be done if you find this image appealing.
Geese Physiology
My zoology days are long forgotten, but I can safely say that geese rely much more on their primitive brains than humans. People have learnt to shape their instincts and (for better or for worse) rarely follow their impulses. Geese do little more than eat, sleep and reproduce (I’ve never seen a goose sleep, but I imagine it does so) – they don’t have the need to debate, communicate and express their emotions that humans have. These needs are essential to our survival, or else we wouldn’t have evolved into such complex creatures.
Geese can all Lead
I’m not going to enter into the “are leaders born or made” debate but I am reminded that not everyone wants to lead. Geese don’t have a choice, people do.
Geese don’t have lives outside their flock
Many team members are happy doing their work and contributing to their teams in the role of “follower” (a term for which I wish I could find an alternative). They will support their leader as much as they can but opt for leading a healthy work-life balance, which will not allow them to “lead the flock ’till they become tired and need to be replaced.
SO, you like the idea of “rotating” leadership in your team. What can you do about it?
Are you prepared to be led…. Ask yourself again.
To allow others to assume a leadership position in your team (even for a short period, maybe as project leader) you need to trust them fully. And trust yourself that you will give them enough room to maneuver but also that you will interfere if needs be.
Recruit like mad
If you really want to run your team (or organisation) in this way, make sure you bring the right people in. Recruit people with high locus of control, who like to see things happen and who can self-manage themselves.
Be prepared to set them free
A team where leadership rotates in some form or other is a fantastic development opportunity. And if all goes well, people will soon seek pastures new (to stay within the animal metaphors). They will be head hunted or simply offered new opportunities by those who know and respect them. Hopefully, they will be in the minority, but it will happen and all you can do is watch them fly off into the sunset.
