What can we learn about leadership from Pelicans? Recently on vacation in the Outer Banks of NC, Jane and I were observing the flight habits of pelicans. We were captivated as they moved their way up and down the coast in search of food. Their flight patterns got us talking about leadership.
Leadership creates order. Pelicans fly in formation much of the time. It’s not hard to see the patterns they tend to fall into, though not always consistently. It appears as though, and I am not an expert on flight, that they are conserving energy by flying in formation. Experts contend that they use a fifth less energy by flying in formation. When leaders do their work, those who follow are able to accomplish more with less energy than if they were working alone. We might conclude that good leadership means that less energy is spent by those who follow.
Leadership requires constant adjustments. Pelicans as they follow their leader, make adjustments as they go. We watched as these birds dropped or rose in altitude according to the lead bird. The lead bird was likely watching to see what prey was available and taking into account what head winds they were facing. If a leader is not adjusting to the situation ahead, the efforts of those following are potentially wasted.
Leadership can be shared. Pelicans take turns leading. We saw as the lead pelican would move aside for the next bird to take the lead while they fell to the back of the pack. This conserves energy and allows others to be up front. If one leader does not spot food well, another will compensate. Shared leadership reduces the dependency on one leader and creates the opportunity for others to experience success.
Leadership expects chaos. Pelicans we observed sometimes broke from their patterns when faced with a shift in winds or the passing of another flock. Leaders know that the order needs to be restored for the sake of efficiency and usually saw that happen naturally. The lead Pelican tended to forge ahead knowing that the flock would regroup and follow in pattern.
I will let you draw conclusions about leadership in general and make application from these observations. We found it fascinating to watch these birds and think about what it said to us about leading others.
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