The Washington Post article by Kyle Melnick, In Kenya, the king of the jungle faces a new challenge – ants relates to challenges facing most leaders.
In short, his article describes symbiotic relationships that keep ecosystems afloat. Specifically, the ways in which an invasive species of ants has impacted the food chain of lions in the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. And, while the writer detailed how the “bigheaded ants invasion is kind of changing everything…”, the word that came to me as I read the article is adaptability.
Adaptability is the quality of being able to adjust to new conditions. It is an ability to adjust to changes in the environment. And in this instance, what is true for the king of the jungle is equally true for the queen of the board room. Adaptability is an essential skill for leaders to possess, and employ. Change is ALWAYS hard… and invariably, when there is a large-scale change brought on by an external force (even if it’s an army of tiny forces), not everybody will make it.
We can all remember back to a multitude of ways that adaptability has been essential over the last few years… and in today’s continually-shifting world.
As we are all (painfully for some) aware, one of the more recent large-scale changes that today’s leaders are facing is the AI revolution. Workers and leaders are having conversations about how much impact AI will have on their jobs and livelihood. For many, it feels like AI is taking over.
When I was in the Ol Pejeta Conservancy last summer, I observed the sparse, dry landscape… and heard many stories about the fate of animals facing extinction.
And like with the big-headed ant, whose introduction to the ecosystem is “changing everything”, AI is more widely accessible and is not going away. And like the rest of that particular quote goes, “it takes time for all these dynamics to play out. We’ve already seen evidence of big changes. What happens next?”
Although there is no sure conclusion, like the ants, change is not going away. And like the lions and the animal kingdoms around the world, we all need to find a way to adjust and adapt.
Leaders help spearhead the changes required by new landscapes. And when you find that the external changes aren’t within your control, which most often they are not, it’s then a good move to promote a greater understanding of how our inner world and conversations create the required outer shifts in how we do what we do. The alignment of our thoughts and belief systems are essential to how we respond as the changes continue to unfold.
The lions are adapting because they have no other choice. We encourage our clients to embrace the skill of adaptability and focus on the inside first. Inside your organizations … inside yourself!
