communicate

Prides, Herds and Teams: The Value of Working Together

How well can you accomplish your goals by working alone?

Scrolling through my newsfeed recently, I came across an intense video of animals in the bush, fighting for survival.

In it, a herd of 20 to 30 buffalo rounded the bend in the path, their hooves thundering on the well-worn dusty ground as they approached their watering hole. Suddenly they stopped in their tracks, the blowing dust settling around them. They came face to face with a pride of lionesses, 6 or 7 of them, hungry and looking for their next meal. The fact that one buffalo was more than twice their size was unimportant to the lionesses. These large mammals are typical prey for the pride, as they had hungry cubs and several male lions to feed. Their goal was to isolate one animal from the others, then pounce as a group, using their powerful jaws to deliver a decisive strike to the throat, and thereby suffocate the buffalo.

The standoff began with each group eyeing one another. The buffalo knew this routine and they knew they had strength in numbers. Several buffalo at the front of the herd took turns rushing forward a few yards to butt the lionesses, more of an offensive measure than really trying to jump on them. The lionesses responded in kind, crouching, half pouncing, looking for an angle to get in between a lone buffalo and the rest of the herd.

The buffalo could only survive by working as a team. Similarly, the pride of lionesses’ only hope of finding dinner was to operate as a team. On this day, the buffalo won. Their supportive strategy worked, and they made it safely to their watering hole.  (more…)