The Lessons of Geese

Leaders and teams can learn quite a bit from watching geese work together. Geese fly in the V-formation because they use the lift created by the birds in front of them to make it easier for them to fly. As soon as they fly out of formation, they feel the drag and move back into formation. By doing this, they can fly faster and farther - over 70% farther!

When the leader tires, he falls back in formation and another goose steps up and takes the leadership role. The geese take turns sharing the burden of leadership.

The geese behind the leader honk to give encouragement to the leader. In the workplace, we often forget to encourage our team and our leaders, but the geese recognize how important this is.

Finally, when a goose is ill or hurt, two other geese fly down with him to care for him while he recovers. Then all three will join a new flock and continue their journey. The teams in our workplace could learn from this loyalty to the individual and devotion to being a member of a team