10 lessons we can learn from lions that apply to work

I was privileged to attend a presentation by Ian Thomas, author of The power of the pride and was captivated by the lessons we can learn from lions and how we can apply these to business.

Ian spent a number of years as a game ranger at an exclusive game farm in Africa. He was often privy to the conversations of many business people and saw various correlations between business and how lions interacted.

Ian’s presentation contains footage and sound clips of the animals he is talking about and it is quite powerful to hear the roar of the lions.




The highlights from Ian’s presentation are:


1. Powerful teams are made up of powerful individuals
Ian repeated this a few times before the audience fully absorbed the power of this statement. But essentially it is exactly what it says ‘powerful teams are made up of powerful individuals’. Individuals who are aware of their strengths and continuously nurture it will contribute better to the teams’ performance.

According to Ian, lion prides consist of a flat structure in which lions and lionesses, powerful individuals in their own right,  benefit from belonging to a group of equally powerful members all motivated by the same clear-cut goals. The success of each individual is the team’s success and the success of the team is the success of each individual. A pride of lions is an example of teamwork for maximum effect.

2. The pride focusses intently on clearly understood and realistic goals
Ian highlighted this with his example of how a pride of 6 lionesses hunted some buffalo on the Okavango Delta in Botswana. One lioness is deployed as a decoy and distracts the five bulls while the rest of the team capitalise on their absence. By the time the bulls hear the bellows from their herd and want to turn around, they are cut off again by the lioness. When all the buffalo (minus the kill) have scampered away, the lionesses feast.

When the lions spotted the buffalo, they immediately zoned in on the common goal and knew what they had to do and how they were going to achieve it. They are in sync with one another and are able to communicate in a language that they all understand. They are all aware of the benefits they will reap from achieving their goal and know that if they do not kill a buffalo they will go without eating. This could have a knock-on effect when hunting again. The weaker they are (because of a lack of nourishment) the more curtailed their hunting will be, as they won’t be as alert as they should and won’t hunt optimally. They fully understand the consequences of not achieve their goals and the devastating effects it could have on all the members of the team. They also know that the sum of the team is greater than the individual and maximise this.

3. Team members must be alert to communication
Ian elaborated on an incident where a few lions were drinking water at a pool one evening. In the distance an impala coughed and seven of the lions didn’t hear anything besides the sound of the lapping water. A young male heard the impala and immediately froze, had his head up and was fully alert. Within two seconds the rest of the pride were fully engaged. Only one lion heard the sound but his attention and focus alerted the rest of the pride to the opportunity that exists. The pride divided into two groups and headed for the sound. Within ten minutes it was over and the impala was dead.

This example demonstrates how success was achieved silently, swiftly and without hesitation or communication blocks. The success of the group relies on each member being proactive and having their ears to the ground. Teams can achieve great success when they are able to communicate not only using words but are attuned to each other’s frequency.  It also helps greatly when team member are pro-active and do not wait for instructions on what should be done. There is no place for ego in a lion pride and this is something we should all be cognisant of in the workplace. We shouldn’t let our insecurities and egos hamper the success of the team.

4. Incentives motivate and reward success
For lions the incentive is simple if they kill, they eat – if they don’t, they starve. People are motivated by different things (acknowledgement, respect, money, etc.) If you have some insight into people dynamics and understand what makes them tick, you can encourage individuals to achieve the same goal by appealing to their specific desires.

5. Trust, confidence, respect and pride. The hallmarks of team spirit
Ian spoke about the importance of team spirit, which is achieved through bonding and further fostered through trust and respect among teammates. He gave an example of a pride of lionesses hunting zebra. One lioness catches a zebra, grips it and holds onto its shoulder after missing its throat in the first attempt. The zebra is kicking the lioness furiously with his hind legs. One kick could crush her jaw and she would be as good as dead, because she wouldn’t be able to eat. The lioness holds onto the zebra with her head tucked in knowing that within seconds her teammates will descend upon them and back her up. She has absolute trust in her teammates and an unwavering belief that they will come and help her. Teams who take the time to bond and get to know one another and develop trust and respect for each other will prosper.

6. The structure of a lion pride is flat. It works better that way.
The structure of a lion pride is flat. You have the mature lionesses that have the knowledge, weight, power and experience but these qualities are complemented by the speed and agility of the youngsters in the pride. This ensures that they have all their bases covered. The time and energy that the older lionesses plough into rearing the cubs has payoffs not only for them and the cubs but determines the survival of the pride. Everybody wins! According to Ian, there are no corporate ladders or misplaced egos in the pride. A lion pride is not one of those organisations where potential talent is deliberately suppressed and the business suffers the consequences.

7. Recruitment – strict selection ensures there are no passengers
An adult lion may have as many as a dozen lionesses in his pride. They all come into heat the same time and insist on mating with the male to ensure that all his cubs are born and raised together. The cruel rule of nature applies where only the strongest survive. Any cub less than committed to keeping up gets left behind – performs poorly in the hunt, arrives too late to eat and goes hungry, does not gain strength, becomes listless, vulnerable, apathetic and soon enough is dead. The pride can support only so many members. Places on the team can go only to the very best and have to be earned the hard way. The adage ‘There is no such thing as a free meal’ applies here.

8. Training is intense
The cubs of a pride learn how to hunt and kill through mimicking the actions of the lionesses. According to Ian, the name of the game is – learn from your mistakes. Training of team members is vital to the success of any business. People are more motivated and dedicated when they feel that they are being taken care of and developed. This will not only be for their benefit but for the benefit of the team and the business at large. Identifying opportunities for development within your team and identifying training for them will not only be encouraging but is a trait expected of good leaders and mentors.

9. Security
Cubs, who reach puberty at around three years, will often weight 130kg and would have grown into powerful, young males. At some point, they are rejected out of their own pride and have to go and fend for themselves and eventually find a new pride. This happens by chasing away or killing the dominant male of some other pride. Only the strongest survive. As cruel as it sounds, the victorious male usually gets rid of the other male’s offspring and mates with the lionesses to ensure that he claims his pride.

Successful male loins have to secure sufficient territory for their lionesses to hunt and raise their cubs in a peaceful environment. It is the male’s responsibility to protect his territory. This is most likely comparable to a hostile take-over or keeping your competitors at bay.

10. Teamwork
In fight after fight, it is the pride which holds together as a team that wins – the pride which uses all the skills and resources of all its members that is victorious. The pride is more powerful than the sum of the strengths of its individuals.

When one considers these 10 lessons, it is clear how their application would aid the success of teams as well as the businesses they operate in.