Leadership Bootcamp- Lessons from the Big 5 www.espritdecorps.co.za

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Lead Instinctively- The Buffalo
Some interesting facts about the African Buffalo;
They will tryto have their calves in the rainy season when there is plenty of green grass,rich in
nutrients to support lactating cows-
The wisdom we can glean from this is both obvious and simple and once again the animal
kingdom reminds us just how every effort is made to support the development and growth of
the young.
A leader must be intentional about being the most ardent and vocal advocate for best-in-
breed development for all new entrants across the organization.As a leader you must be an
avid fan and a passionate and enthusiastic supporter of all development activities especially

2. those linked to new recruits or those who have assumed new/stretch/managerial/people
management and leadership roles in the organization.
This is not the responsibility of your human resources department or some rogue undercover
division but yours exclusively.
It is pointless “giving birth” to new recruits as it were if you do not have the will, ability,
passion and determination to develop, coach, mentor, upskill and nourish those recruits.
If you develop people intentionally and authentically they will make better decisions in the
course of their work, they will communicate effectively, they will be open to learning
opportunities, they will influence their teammates better and ultimately they will learn to
innovate and collaborate to find solutions and maximize opportunities.
It is a no brainer but more often than not every leader pays lip service to development and in
most cases the leader is not the champion-in-chief of all things developmental.
In fact I believe that many leaders do not fully understand the mechanics of development
because on a much deeper level development is critical to how you think and whether you
think critically, problem solve, act and influence others. We cannot blame leaders who
themselves were not led to lead. Let us break the cycle.
Part of your professional vision and mantra surely must be to lead so that those that follow
are better off today than they were yesterday.
This is a matter of life and death…and the corporate landscape is littered with the skeletons
of untapped talent and potential not realized where leaders have abdicated this most holy
rite of passage.
The herd has spoken- whether you are a Bill Gates type developmental leader who works
tirelessly to ensure himself and his people are continuously evolving or a Richard Branson
type developmental leader who believes in letting people make mistakes so they can learn
from them- LEAD!

3. Buffalo are ranked in their herds by their fighting capabilities-
What better way to position yourself as a leader than if you are willing and courageous
enough to fight for your people!
Fight for their dreams and ambitions, their proposals and their ideas, fight for their autonomy
and uniqueness, fight for their right to speak up and be heard, fight for their development
and career goals, you get the drift, to fight for them tooth and nail, what better way to be
ranked in the leadership herd…
If you as a leader are still choosing your battles and wondering which fight is worth packing it
all in for, fighting for your people ought to be a no-brainer.
There will obviously be cases where some gentle diplomacy and perhaps even a trade-off or
two is a necessary evil, but even when this is the route the situation demands you must be
seen to be fighting for your people first.
This should be the rule not the exception.
It is worth noting that your fight should also be to ensure your people are accountable for
their deliverables, this is also an example of fighting for your people, and people enjoy clear
deliverables, boundaries and accountabilities and if you fight for all three you will have shed
blood for a worthy cause.
Only weak leaders allow their people to function in an environment of no accountability and
diffused responsibility.
The hide on a buffalo’s neck can be 5 centimeters thick to protect it during battles with other
male bulls for dominance-
The much vaunted politics in most organizations can take its toll on many a leader, this
corporate pressure play can resemble a contact sport at times.
You would have witnessed these demons rear their heads, the backbiting and backstabbing,
the spreading of misinformation, causing mayhem through subtle and not so subtle

4. departmental espionage and acts of ransom, disrespect and disregard for the integrity of
others and social decorum.
These displays to secure some precious corporate real estate to further build little
microcosms of power and ultimately an empire by and large are attempts at exerting
dominance and it is essential that your skin be thick so as to protect yourself and your
leadership ethos from these mutinies. The neck after all moves the head…
There will be battles, protect yourself but most importantly protect your people from losing
focus on what truly matters.
When these organizational battles are underway the mission, vision and strategic roadmap
are no longer the default GPS, winning those battles takes centre stage and the organization
and therefore its people suffer, because the organization is its people.
So as you prepare to battle ensure there is enough thick skin to protect and ensure there is
double the focus on what truly matters because battles are entertaining as much as they are
frightening and it is easy for your people to begin treating your core objectives as the
sideshow.
Buffalo are led by pathfinders, these pathfinders act as a leader to the herd and determine
where the herd will move next-
As much as we exist in a world of co-creation and shared decision-making, where
collaborative platforms and communities of practice and sharing are the order of the day,
you as a leader cannot abdicate or share your role as pathfinder.
As pathfinder, this is your unique birth right and whilst there is room to manoeuvre in other
domains and where there are a multitude of areas where co-creation and shared decision
making have their extreme merits – a leader must be willing to make certain calls alone.
More often than not these are not easy calls and more often than not they are calls that
come with some trade off and collateral damage but these calls inherently have the entire
herds survival at heart.

5. Where the herd moves next is after all your call!
Get all the input you can get your hands on and listen to as many trusted sources as you can
but certain key decisions only you can and should make. Your leadership stock will rise and
fall as a result.
Enjoy the ride.
When a buffalo feels threatened, they alert the entire herd- calves and cows are sheltered in
the centre whilst the younger males put on a unified front-
How many times have we seen an organization under threat and the executive and CEO
attempt in vain to hide the reality of the situation from everybody else, secret off site
meetings, closed boardrooms and secret service like memos that would need world war II
code cracking skills to decrypt.
Using the sickening excuse that such information is too sensitive and confidential (To who?
Are we not in this together?), that such disclosures are strictly on a needs to know basis( I
work here too you know and I have everything invested in this too- the bond, the car,
medical, school fees, my family’s future- quite literally everything) or the clarion call that they
don’t want to cause panic amongst the general population(Really!)
Spare us this sickening ode to your self-importance.
When one or one part of the organization is threatened the whole herd must be alerted,
because the herd needs protection not exclusion and a unified front must be displayed not a
complete breakdown in the unity and trust of the entire organization.
Trust obviously plays a huge role in this leadership charade; don’t be sucked into this most
abnormal reaction to a threat.
Alert the entire herd and get your leaders on the periphery to present a unified front as
opposed to blatantly keeping your people in the dark- this only spawn’s mistrust and trust is a
most precious commodity in any line of work let alone relationship.