I am relatively new to Africa. Kenya has been my home now for little under 3 years. While wildlife fascinates most of us, it’s rather amazing what they can teach us. The one I would like to mention today is the unbelievable symbiotic relation between zebras and the wildebeest in the Savanna bushlands. On our trip to Masai Mara last year, we learnt from the Masai’s about this amazing relationship.
East Africa is the stage for one of the world’s best wildlife theatres, The Great Migration. Hundreds and thousands of wildebeests, zebras and antelopes travel together from Serengeti in Tanzania to Masai Mara in Kenya, in search of good grazing ground and safe places to give birth. Why do the wildebeest and zebras travel together? The aim of these preys is to sense predators and keep safe. While the wildebeest have a good sense of hearing and smell that helps search for food and detect predators, zebra has a great eye sight to see any threat from a distance. Even in the Savanna bushlands, one would see them grazing together, in peaceful coexistence.
Remembering the migration route is a crucial aspect. With their sharp memories, zebras recall a safe migration route from the previous year, a route abundant in food. Wildebeests tend to be aimless and hence this valuable guidance from the zebas becomes crucial! The synergy doesn’t end here. Zebras feed on long tough grasses on the plains, while the wildebeests prefer short grass; hence no fight for food!
An instinct for survival comes naturally to preys. Being vulnerable to predators, they tend to live in large herds. When they sense a nearby predator, they make an alarm call out to the other members of the herd.
Common foes can create one of two outcomes; a fear leading to decay and submission or a challenge to overcome and defeat the cause of fear. More often than not, we witness the play of the victim card in corporate life. Lines such as “but how can I protest, he holds all the right cards”, “I am helpless, I do as I am told to” and “but she has all the right connects, while I do not” are not uncommon. It’s an easy act of self-defense against poor performance, quality compromises and defeats.
Why cannot we team up better to fight a common enemy? Group against a strong competitor and work together towards competency building. Draw out individual strengths of a supposedly weak team and convert to create a formidable team. If the preys of the Savanna can do this, so can we. Nothing is impossible.