Everyday Leadership Series (2) - Leadership Lesson from Bees

Bees are fascinating insects. We can learn many leadership lesson from them.  Too often we take nature for granted and fail to study it and learn from it.  There are many fascinating facts about bees. I am no expert on the little insects by any means.  I have taken a few interesting few facts to share with you and “converted” them to help convey key leadership skills necessary in our busy day-to-day work lives.

After Spring the hive is at its lowest population. Bees need to build up the hive during Spring to increase the population by the time summer arrives. By summer it is essential that the hive should be in full swing of honey production.  

 First lesson from bees – do not focus on short-term goals alone you must plan ahead. Future planning is necessary. What happens if the source of nectar diminishes or disappears? Never sit back and be complacent because things change fast. We should constantly be changing and innovating for the future success of the hive (company). In bee speak - plain flavored honey pays the bills today. What will pay the bills tomorrow?

 Usually bee hives continually transform but when complacency sets in, the hive will struggle to change and maintain the urgency and momentum necessary to survive and prosper.

 Every bee in a hive is industrious and purposeful. Under normal conditions they communicate quickly and efficiently. When communication breaks down and decision making is too hierarchical – problems can occur. Engaged employees thrive on autonomy within a set of boundaries. People prefer to be given a set of parameters within which to operate and then be left alone to make the decisions necessary to implement.

 The leadership lessons are not gender specific – readers should look past gender and focus on the key lessons. It is most often advantageous to have a split of gender in any team. It brings balance to the decision making process.

 Bees typically develop defense systems to keep out intruders. They have bees responsible for different jobs and each bees knows and understand what the other is supposed to do. They ensure the hive is environmentally friendly and control the temperature. Communication is key. The hives are, generally speaking, well organised to ensure the bees survival.  Bees are social insects.

 It takes 300 bees visiting 2 million flowers, flying over 88,000 km’s (54,680 miles) to make 454 grams (1 pound) of honey. Bees are hard working insects. If only 13% of your workforce (hive) are engaged in what they do (Gallup Poll of 2012), how much productivity are you losing every day through disengaged workers? How many more flowers could the bees in your hive be visiting every day?

 There is nothing more important to you as a leader than the survival of the hive so make sure you run it properly and engage your teams. Visit them, talk to them, inspire and encourage them.  Too often leaders put their own importance above that of the hive. Leaders should be self-sacrificing, not self-serving.

 The messages passed on by leaders should be simple and easy to understand – well that is the starting point. Fast, efficient communication that is crystal clear is not only motivating and constructive but ensures the hive is focused.  The more people (bees) on board the change initiative, the easier it will be to implement. Change, innovation and engagement are team sports.

 All decisions should not depend on one person. Allow autonomy throughout the hive. People thrive on autonomy – it is our default.

 Run the hive as if it is your own business. Never lie. Never feel pressured to lie. If you do not lie, then you will not have to remember. Trust is a critical leadership competency. It is what builds great teams and great businesses.

 Instilling fear in the hive is a poor leadership tactic. Fear stifles change, innovation and creativity. Fear should be overcome with support and learning and trust. This is what good leaders do. They mentor, they engage.

 Bees never attack each other – only outsiders who enter their hive and pose a threat. They are careful about how many resources to throw at the attack.

 We can learn a lot from bees – perhaps it is because they do not have a coffee machine which is often the source of breeding discontent. Rumors start when the communication is “foggy” or unclear. Do not allow rumors to start – they destroy change efforts fast. They destroy innovation. They build silos. They disengage teams. Rumors must be eradicated as much as possible to ensure a healthy and focused hive.

 The bees work together for a collective purpose. There are no silos in a hive. Each bee has a purpose for being there and each knows what it is. Team work ensures the survival of the hive.

 Each bees knows and understands that what they do is important for the survival of the hive. They all feel that what they do and what they think matters. No role is greater than the other, each is critical to the survival.

 The hive is interactive 24/7. If there is work to be done, the hive gets it done. There is an “i” in hive but it is the “we” culture that gets the results.

 Successful hives do not have huge distances of command between workers and the Queen bee. Decisions are quick and efficient. The leaders in a hive allow and encourage autonomous decision making. The leader provides direction by defining the “what” and “why” for the departments or teams. The bees determine how. This is good leadership and ensures the organisation is always moving forward.

 Leaders do not do every task. It is the way this is communicated that dissolves resentment and disengagement.

 Seeing the leaders walking around and engaging teams is motivating for all. It sets and determines the culture.

 Show workers the progress they make. The brain thrives on short-term wins. Plan to win but plan to celebrate the win too.

 When a bee waggles its’ body it sends out a scent of the flower and this permeates the hive. This scent communicates to the foragers exactly what flower to harvest. It provides accurate information so that little time is wasted looking for things you already know. Communication is not some once a month event, it must be continuous and all of the time.

Clarity dissolves complacency. Communication is important but the right type of communication.

 Once a bee has been out on patrol is has typically visited 150 to 1500 flowers. The bees stomach is full of nectar and almost equal in weight to the bee itself. No job is too big or too hard. Engage workers and productivity will surely increase.

 Bees can fly as high as Mount Everest.  Always set your goals high. Not too high or the team may become disengaged due to the fact that the goal is just unobtainable. Not too easy or the team may become bored. Take time to think about the goals and set challenging goals that will engage the team or the individual.

 Perfect honey has a moisture content of 17% water. Every bee is focused on producing honey to this exact standard. There is no room for error. Each bee looks at the big picture, understands where it fits in the picture and ensures it contributes to attaining this objective.

 The bees do not compromise quality for speed when making honey. They are disciplined and work as a team.

 A typical queen bee lays up to 2000 eggs a day to increase the hive population to 50,000 bees at the height of the summer when production should be in full swing.  By varying her pheromones, the queen effectively controls the hive. She is “hands-on” with regard to the resources required. Often leaders in organisations are so far removed that they reduce resources instead of increasing them with disastrous results.

 Oh! One more interesting fact. Did you know that bees have 5 eyes? Bee alert (excuse the pun) on every occasion and constantly scan the environment for opportunities and threats.

Thanks for reading my blog.

Are you Leading?

Dr. Deepak A. Patil

CEO, Lead ThySelf