How To Survive a Lion Attack…at Work
How to Survive a Lion Attack….at Work
Hopefully we all know never to get in a cage with a lion, or to stroll through an African safari in a lion’s territory. But what happens when a lion finds us and sees us as prey?
While researching some information recently, I came across a video on how to survive an attack by a lion. Curious, I stopped to view it and was struck by the advice that the normal reactionary “fight or flight” response was useless. A human is nowhere near strong enough to fight a lion, nor able to outrun one. Lions can climb trees faster than us, and literally smell our fear.
The advice instead centered on new ways of looking at the problem. In short, knowing how to read the lion’s behavior to determine its intent, using your body language to minimize being considered a threat, how to intimidate the lion and protect yourself. These are the best possible alternatives for people who find themselves in the crosshairs of a wild and powerful animal. (more…)
I recently returned from a seven-day vacation cruising the Caribbean with 2200 of my closest friends (well four really). The entire ship was filled with opportunities to listen to smooth jazz music all day long and into the wee hours of the morning. There were multiple performers and musicians, many of whom were regulars on this annual (except for a 3-year COVID break) cruise. And while some guests like me were first timers, many had “frequent flyer” status with 10 to 20 jazz themed cruises under their belts. They knew what to expect and savored every moment of it. 
I recently facilitated an end of year meeting with one of my clients and allocated time for each person to share what they appreciated about every one of their colleagues. We were meeting virtually, and each person was invited to put their thoughts in a group chat, so that the recipient could go back to it later and reread it. As the facilitator, this was about them, not me, so I wasn’t even thinking about asking for their comments about me.
Does your team know your core values and personality style?
There’s an old parable about a man who planted seed.
Has it ever occurred to you that the quality of the answers you receive is dependent on the quality of the questions you ask? Consider these three conversations.
Have you ever started cutting up vegetables and finally realized that it was taking longer than expected? Maybe you’ve gone outside to trim your hedges only to find the job harder than you anticipated. Or in a burst of energy, you picked up your ax to chop wood, and were quickly out of breath as you realized how much effort was required.
“The leader of the past was a person who knew how to tell. The leader of the future will be a person who knows how to ask.”