They?re not sleek, charismatic, thrilling or big enough to be counted among Africa?s Big Five. But the wild dogs of Africa, often dismissed by tourists as being nothing much to look at with their oversized bat ears, spindly legs and blotchy coats ? have something profound to teach leaders about doing it right ? the pack leadership way. So says Dr. Marvin Washington, an organisational sociologist, whose observance of one of Africa?s most efficient, tenacious hunters while doing consulting work with the government of Botswana over the past nine years, struck him as the perfect analogy for the book about successful leadership skills he?s just completed.
?Leading Peak Performance: Lessons from the Wild Dogs of Africa? penned by Washington and Steven Hacker from the Performance Center in Oregon, uses animal analogies ? zebras, cheetahs, lions and wild dogs - to examine different leadership methods and how they do or don?t work in the best interests of organisational performance.
?These wild dogs are methodical hunters that go after their prey doggedly, patiently, hunting it down for hours, and wearing it out,? says Washington. ?They?re not like lions ? nothing dramatic. There are no stars in the pack ? just everyone in the pack working together with the common goal of hunting and killing the prey.? In the world of business, he notes, the same principles are equally important, and there is no shortage of leadership lessons to be found in the animal kingdom.
Washington, who came from Texas Tech University to the University of Alberta just over a year ago, is an expert in organisational structures and rules. He and Hacker worked with organisations including Nike, Boeing, Bonneville Power and Hewlett Packard, as they co-delivered change programs to the United States Postal Service and later for the Botswana government which wanted to privatise its telecommunications arm. His ongoing consulting work here inspired the book on the art of pack leadership ? a book that pointedly looks at leadership skills rather than traits. It was during a game viewing trip in Botswana?s vast game reserves, Washington says the wild dog emerged as the perfect animal to exemplify a style of leadership that is strong and focused, and also empathic and democratic.
Exactly what is it that wild dogs have to teach leaders? They exemplify pack leadership beautifully, says Washington. This is where the whole team is clear on the goal, focused on what needs to be done and how, hunts the problem/goal down until it?s defeated/achieved; there?s a high degree of trust on the team and the team is closely bonded. ?Unlike the lions, the alpha male and female lead the pack when they?re out hunting. Don?t we want the leaders in the front of the pack?? he asks.
Wild dogs are also more successful than the big cats at hunting thanks to their focused, methodical and tenacious style. ?They typically bring down about 85 percent of their prey.? Off-duty they?re intensely social with elaborate greeting rituals and ceremonies; they?re hierarchical but very friendly to each other, feeding, walking and raising pups together, and affording special priveleges for sick and weak animals in the pack.
As for the book?s target audience: ?You don?t need an MBA to understand it,? says Washington, noting that the book eschews business jargon and isn?t targeted to the business hotshot. Rather it?s an easy-read targeted to ?mid-level managers or leaders of a group,? says Washington. ?It?s applicable to businesses, governments, churches and community associations ? anyone with responsibility to other people.?
Examples of pack leadership in the book sidestep corporate examples of Fortune 500 companies, but instead include everyman examples like Lance Armstrong, arguably the world?s most successful road cyclist, whose team, talented athletes themselves, work as a cohesive, supportive pack, sacrificing their own ascendance to support Armstrong?s quest to win - but well-rewarded by Armstrong for their commitment.
Ernest Shackleton?s failed attempt to reach the South Pole is another example of pack leadership in the book. When bitter cold and ice prevented Shackleton?s expedition from reaching the Pole, his team rethought their mission. Their refocused goal became to get everyone home. Against all odds, including months of extreme cold, a public that had lost hope and assumed them dead, and no chance of a rescue, Shackleton and his crew set out to achieve the well-nigh impossible. The book sums it up this way, ?If we look below the ?glow of leadership,? we see a pack of wild dogs that gave everything they had to a changed goal. Gone were thoughts of crossing the South Pole; now they were focused on returning home with everyone alive.?
The Detroit Pistons make it into the book, as do artists of the Impressionist era ? all examples of powerful pack leadership at work.
At ground zero Washington says effective leadership may be simpler than we make it out to be. ?Maybe the way you make performance work is (like a wild dog) you go and track the problem until you solve it. No great slogans ? just tenacity.?
About Dr. Washington
Marvin Washington, PhD, is an associate professor of strategic management and organisation in the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation at the University of Alberta, where he also holds an adjunct professorship in the School of Business. Since 1996 he has been involved with The Performance Center in Oregon. He has consulted with a variety of organisations ranging from the United States Postal Service to the Government of Botswana. Dr. Washington received his undergraduate degree in industrial engineering and management sciences from Northwestern University in 1989; he received his PhD from Northwestern University/Kellogg Graduate School of Management in organisational behaviour and sociology in 1999.
?Leading Peak Performance: Lessons from the Wild Dogs of Africa? penned by Washington and Steven Hacker from the Performance Center in Oregon, uses animal analogies ? zebras, cheetahs, lions and wild dogs - to examine different leadership methods and how they do or don?t work in the best interests of organisational performance.
?These wild dogs are methodical hunters that go after their prey doggedly, patiently, hunting it down for hours, and wearing it out,? says Washington. ?They?re not like lions ? nothing dramatic. There are no stars in the pack ? just everyone in the pack working together with the common goal of hunting and killing the prey.? In the world of business, he notes, the same principles are equally important, and there is no shortage of leadership lessons to be found in the animal kingdom.
Washington, who came from Texas Tech University to the University of Alberta just over a year ago, is an expert in organisational structures and rules. He and Hacker worked with organisations including Nike, Boeing, Bonneville Power and Hewlett Packard, as they co-delivered change programs to the United States Postal Service and later for the Botswana government which wanted to privatise its telecommunications arm. His ongoing consulting work here inspired the book on the art of pack leadership ? a book that pointedly looks at leadership skills rather than traits. It was during a game viewing trip in Botswana?s vast game reserves, Washington says the wild dog emerged as the perfect animal to exemplify a style of leadership that is strong and focused, and also empathic and democratic.
Exactly what is it that wild dogs have to teach leaders? They exemplify pack leadership beautifully, says Washington. This is where the whole team is clear on the goal, focused on what needs to be done and how, hunts the problem/goal down until it?s defeated/achieved; there?s a high degree of trust on the team and the team is closely bonded. ?Unlike the lions, the alpha male and female lead the pack when they?re out hunting. Don?t we want the leaders in the front of the pack?? he asks.
Wild dogs are also more successful than the big cats at hunting thanks to their focused, methodical and tenacious style. ?They typically bring down about 85 percent of their prey.? Off-duty they?re intensely social with elaborate greeting rituals and ceremonies; they?re hierarchical but very friendly to each other, feeding, walking and raising pups together, and affording special priveleges for sick and weak animals in the pack.
As for the book?s target audience: ?You don?t need an MBA to understand it,? says Washington, noting that the book eschews business jargon and isn?t targeted to the business hotshot. Rather it?s an easy-read targeted to ?mid-level managers or leaders of a group,? says Washington. ?It?s applicable to businesses, governments, churches and community associations ? anyone with responsibility to other people.?
Examples of pack leadership in the book sidestep corporate examples of Fortune 500 companies, but instead include everyman examples like Lance Armstrong, arguably the world?s most successful road cyclist, whose team, talented athletes themselves, work as a cohesive, supportive pack, sacrificing their own ascendance to support Armstrong?s quest to win - but well-rewarded by Armstrong for their commitment.
Ernest Shackleton?s failed attempt to reach the South Pole is another example of pack leadership in the book. When bitter cold and ice prevented Shackleton?s expedition from reaching the Pole, his team rethought their mission. Their refocused goal became to get everyone home. Against all odds, including months of extreme cold, a public that had lost hope and assumed them dead, and no chance of a rescue, Shackleton and his crew set out to achieve the well-nigh impossible. The book sums it up this way, ?If we look below the ?glow of leadership,? we see a pack of wild dogs that gave everything they had to a changed goal. Gone were thoughts of crossing the South Pole; now they were focused on returning home with everyone alive.?
The Detroit Pistons make it into the book, as do artists of the Impressionist era ? all examples of powerful pack leadership at work.
At ground zero Washington says effective leadership may be simpler than we make it out to be. ?Maybe the way you make performance work is (like a wild dog) you go and track the problem until you solve it. No great slogans ? just tenacity.?
About Dr. Washington
Marvin Washington, PhD, is an associate professor of strategic management and organisation in the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation at the University of Alberta, where he also holds an adjunct professorship in the School of Business. Since 1996 he has been involved with The Performance Center in Oregon. He has consulted with a variety of organisations ranging from the United States Postal Service to the Government of Botswana. Dr. Washington received his undergraduate degree in industrial engineering and management sciences from Northwestern University in 1989; he received his PhD from Northwestern University/Kellogg Graduate School of Management in organisational behaviour and sociology in 1999.