Nature demon­strates an infinite variety of lead­ership models ranging from no leader at all to a clear single leader, each optimally suited for its particular context. What they have in common is deep local attunement, perfect synchro­nicity with the larger environment, and the intention to lead to the most effective collective actions. Let us examine some examples:

Leaf-cutting ants form amazing social structures of up to seven million workers per nest where sophisticated communication systems based on chemicals enable an optimal balance between group behaviour versus self-interest and shared goals/values. Nobody is in charge. The Queen, despite her lofty title wields no authority, her sole function being to lay eggs not to give commands. There is no time or place for inefficient leadership or management structures; each ant constantly touches its antennae with other ants to ensure each are on the same page, working as one. Depend­ing on the challenge or opportunity, the colony as a whole calculates quickly and precisely, adjusting resources accordingly.

This type of leadership, which is also well demonstrated by flocks, herds, schools and colonies, is known as ‘Organisational Intelli­gence.’ Dr Karl Albrecht defines this as “the capacity of an enterprise to mobilise all of its brainpow­er, and to focus that brainpower on accomplishing its mission. By that definition, the role of ‘OI’ is simple: to make the enterprise more successful in its environment” In effect, the culture and values of the organisation act as a central nervous system with each individual in tune with, and acutely aware of, its immediate neighbours and how they are responding to environmental factors.

In the business context, globali­sation and digitisation have eroded traditional barriers between actions and interactions, between a business’ internal and external environment. Traditional top-down hierarchical leadership cannot be effective if boundaries are blurred or porous and even bottom-up leadership is too stove-piped. “The Firm of the Future” will require networked leadership to be truly successful in the interconnected age with real awareness, common values and emergent approaches based on feedback loops.

The next example involves migrating geese which fly in a “V” formation. There is no single leader; instead geese take turns leading the formation for legs of the journey before falling back and allowing a new leader to emerge. It is believed that only a subset of the flock possesses knowledge about the mi­gration route – and these members may only individually know part of the route – which means that leader­ship must rotate dynamically to the most able member at any given time to perform the leadership function whilst they possess unique skills then merging seamlessly back into the flock. Interestingly, it is believed that the geese following the leader honk to encourage the leader to maintain pace and therefore demon­strate an element of networked lead­ership within the same example.

Contrast this with business where there are usually organisa­tional barriers between leaders and followers that prevent mobility and cross-fertilisation of information. Moreover, business leaders remain in situ according to fixed contract terms rather than needs-based ten­ure. An optimal strategy would be to develop multi-directional mobility within a business to allow leaders to emerge temporarily whilst they have unique skills and, when leadership requirements change, to provide seamless pathways from that posi­tion into other optimal roles for the individual.

The example of wolves is slightly more “corporate” in nature as wolf packs operate with established hier­archies and have a defined leader­ship role. The Alpha Wolf’s role is to make decisions for the pack and he maintains his position through performance not aggression; he will be replaced if he does not do a good job. The entire pack’s shared value is group unity and all be­haviour – including choice of leader – is determined optimally to deliver this outcome. “Lone wolves” who do not share the pack’s values leave the group. Wolves present such a compelling model of dynamic lead­ership within the context of shared group values that it is believed German sociologists are pioneering the use of wolves when teaching leadership skills.

The learning points for business are that leadership (in any form) should be challenged constantly to test that it remains fit-for-purpose and capable of delivering group – rather than individual – good. The example also provides a reminder that a leader cannot rely upon status alone and must respect and be re­spected by members of the group to maximise overall performance.

How does a leader become inspired by nature? Management theorists believe that a powerful way of connecting with nature is through the use of metaphor which provides ways of understanding one thing in terms of another – for example, understanding leadership in terms of nature.

Metaphors used by conventional business leaders tend to be me­chanical. “The organisation runs like a well-oiled machine”, “There is a spanner in the works”, “Let us get to the nuts and bolts of the problem”, “People are just cogs in the wheel”, “Process re-engineer­ing”,” Human Resources” – the list goes on and on. The very day-to-day language of business continually reinforces this machine metaphor.

Leaders can change this; their words and actions are constantly scrutinised and interpreted by the people they work with and this in turn affects those people’s thinking and behaviour. So leaders could change the culture by changing their day-to-day language. They can use new nature-associated metaphors to transfer thinking away from the ma­chine metaphor to a nature-inspired way of thinking.

Becoming a leader inspired by nature is greatly enhanced by connecting with nature. The best way of connecting with nature for inspiration is of course to get out there and be part of it. Get out of the office; be at one with and part of nature. Clear your mind; focus on your senses and your wider environment. Focus on what you can see, hear, touch, taste, and smell. Think about the problems around you that nature has solved. Look for patterns, possibilities, connections. See yourself as part of nature.

Think about ways that the people you work with could also connect with nature. Try a planning meeting walking in nature rather than sitting in a meeting room. Approach your business issues or opportunities in a different way by imagining how nature would frame the scenario. Simplify your business issue, trans­late it into a natural context and let inspiration emerge. Emulate natural leadership by: Using social networks to their full potential to connect with your ecosystem; creating space to think – for you and your col­leagues; encouraging and participat­ing in the right conversations in your business; challenging assumptions, considering new perspectives; set­ting value visions not goal visions; and inspiring not managing.

The decade in which we are now living has been called the Decade of Fear, the Decade of Volatility, the Decade of Transparency, the Decade of Creative Destruction, and the Decade of Transformation. Whatever it is called, the message is clear: “change is happening, it is volatile, it will be transformative, and conventional leadership models are unfit to handle it, unfit to lead into an era of sustainability.”

What we need now, and into an era of sustainability, is what Denise DeLuca and her colleagues at Sustainability Learning Center are calling “Leadership Inspired by Nature.”

You know that nature is sustain­able; nature defines sustainability. “If we want to drive sustainability, be sustainable, lead ourselves into an era of sustainability, we must re-align ourselves with nature, re-join the positive virtuous cycles of nature. We must let go of the ways of the past that are no longer fit for purpose, let go of conventional assumptions, let go of conventional business and leadership models, and become Leaders Inspired by Nature.”

BY CAPT. SAM ADDAIH