What birds can teach us about the new leadership

This is from Jemima Gibbons' 'Monkeys With Typewriters'

"This bird ballet is a great metaphor our own "real life emergent behaviour" - what might be possible if we all start communicating properly and making the right connections. Thanks to @jyri (Google's Jyri Engestrom) on Twitter for the idea!

Watching these starlings reminds me of Arie de Geus' book, The Living Company, in which he talked about birds using "flocking" as a way of passing on information to each other: bird species that flocked, such as starlings, had advantages over the ones that didn't, like robins.

Scientists observed how, in the midst of winter when lakes and even rivers might be iced over, starlings had taught each other to peck open the lids of milk bottles on peoples' doorsteps - the solitary robins didn't appear to have this knowledge."

---

Phil Dourado adds: "I love this, spotted on Jemima Gibbons' blog: It's about 'flocking' - old-style leadership is one person tells people what to do. New-style leadership is people work together so well, instinctively, that they all take the lead based on a common purpose and seem to move as one. Your team or organization flexes and moves in time, like a choreographed ballet, in response to changes in market demand or innovative ways of doing things. So leadership is no longer embedded in one person. It's embedded in everybody plus the common purpose."