Leadership lessons from forest ecosystem

Leadership lessons from forest ecosystem

Leadership lessons from forest ecosystem

Every organization will have the challenge of identifying a best leader to lead the organization. How to identify a leader? What should be the uniqueness or distinctiveness by which one can be branded as a leader? Should we go by the vision and goal, or by the caring attitude of person, the respect one command with others, the commitment and hard work, intelligence, qualification, sincerity and straight forwardness, what quality of a leader can distinguish him from the rest?.

It is extremely difficult to answer such question. In the practical sense, a leader should be identified by his/her capability to take the challenge, keep the flocks together motivated, ability to use the commonsense when there is a crisis.. However, the leadership requirements differ at different situations. One should also look for the flexibility as yet another hallmark of a leader.

The organization should realize that every employee cannot be and will not be a leader. A best performer need not be a best motivator. A best performer may not elicit high energy among others. A best performer may not lead the team to success.

It is very common that performers and leaders conflict a lot. For performer, his/her performance is ultimate. For the leader, the performance of the entire group, actualization of the vision, over all growth etc. become important.

One needs to study from the diverse forest ecosystem about leaders and performers and how to apply the above learning to run a corporate. The giant tree in a forest may give great crown coverage to many plants to grow underneath it. The giant tree may not virtually give any fruits or flowers. But the trees grow below the order may the good fruit bearers. Fruit bearers need shade as they cannot meet the challenge of the wind or sun. Certain plants are lianas and without a support lianas cannot grow, the classic example is grape wine. Even a giant tree needs shade and shelter during its early growth from another tree. Mentoring of a leader only other leader can do said Dr.Gokulshankar, teaching faculty of medicine, AIMST University, Malaysia.

For the dissemination and dispersion of seed/pollination in the flowering/fruiting plants, the canopy cover of the giant trees act as roosting site for many small mammals and birds. This is how a leader becomes inevitable even for the best performers in an organization said Dr.Ranjith Mahenderkar, teaching faculty of medicine, AIMST University, Malaysia. .

Only when there is diversity, growth and beauty occurs and it is true not only to the forest ecosystem but to organizations as well. Eliminate sycophancy and promote diversity, said Dr S Ranganathan, Director of ClinRise Derma Pvt., Ltd., Chennai

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