Encounters of the leadership kind with Mama Turtle

Debbie Nicol, MD ‘business en motion’

Meandering through the shallows of the Persian Gulf waters, my lunchtime beach sojourn was rudely interrupted by a large, unexpected humped rock appearing on my path. And then it moved! For the next two hours, I was a front row VIP guest to a private matinee showing of Nature at her best!

Mother Nature shares such poignant messages when those around are willing to listen. These are the lessons I’m taking away from this close-up and personal interlude with Mother Nature.

There was no urgency in Mama Turtle’s labored movement up the beach – only determined focus, one which was anchored in her innate intuition to find the safest place for eggs and hatchlings to have the best chance at life. She knew the eggs would need a quiet nest away from immediate danger, and thereafter for the hatchlings, direct access to the sea. She dug and dug and dug until the best possible nest existed. She knew who she was, she knew her role in Nature and she knew the benefits of being just that. There was no rush, just dogged determination.

Know who you are and the place you best serve

Great leaders are authentic. They serve through finding commonality with those around, creating conditions that will allow others to experience success. They know who they are, what they stand for and how the journey towards change will serve those around them well. They too are focused, and also driven to work through challenge in a way that serves all. Reputations are cemented in deliverables, and whatever is needed will be done to achieve success, regardless of the time and effort that takes.

Sense when the time and place is right

Mama Turtle emerged from the sea at the moment I was passing that exact spot on the beach. There was nobody on the beach but me, the stiff breeze was not ideal for preying birds, the sunshine was not overly hot and the progress of humankind had conveniently left a 200-metre corridor from the furthest construction; these combined factors were synchronous for Mama Turtle.

Leaders choose their time and space. They know their story, they know the hope their challenge brings, they know their resources – and they know they can choose to do what they wish with what they have. They create the ideal time and space for fortuitous results.

Be prepared to struggle for your best performance

Mama Turtle deserves a gold medal for the struggle she faced today. From scaling a sandy, disintegrating cliff of sand to digging the deepest of nesting site with only four flippers, and a cracked shell covered in barnacles, all in the heat of a Middle Eastern day, shows the level of determination I witnessed today. Not often will a turtle nest by day, yet the reasons she did so today remain only known to her; clearly struggling during the midday sun was worthwhile for her.

A leader is drawn to challenge and change, because those conditions can bring meaning and purpose. With no paved pathway to a differing future, so many obstacles need to be navigated and so many risks are there for the taking. Yet a leader rarely, if ever stops, as the consequence of doing so is simply not worth bearing.

Struggle is the crucible of leaders; they prosper at the challenge it provides! Would a story of success (with a new technology, product or process) be worth telling if it was about an easy win? I hope Mama Turtle found herself a beautiful rock shelf under the sea for a well-earned rest this afternoon.

Mama Turtle instinctively knew I posed no threat. I so wanted to help her up the bank, yet knew I had to hold back. I moved rocks out of her way and held back the thorny salt brush. She most likely didn’t need that help but I choose to think she appreciated it.

Trust those around you are ‘on your side’

Trust is unspoken, and is an energy. Mama Turtle and I were ‘one’ today with an open forum for either party to be and do whatever they wished. Thankfully, the Mama had never seemingly encountered the ugly side of humanity previously.

Great leaders pay attention to the needs of those around them. This forges connectivity and instils trust, enabling trust to be contagious. Those who previously did not trust become ‘infected’, and transform into both trusting and trusted individuals.

Surround yourself with Mother Nature often; ‘she’ has the propensity to provide you privileges many others may not seek nor accept. Just as leaders create conditions that are favorable for evolutionary progress in our organizations and lives, Mother Nature too invites us all to evolve and emerge bigger, brighter and better than we previously were. In the words of Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner, co-authors of The Leadership Challenge, leadership is indeed everyone’s business and this Nature-based privilege I witnessed gave me enough evidence to realize that the deep sense of trust and co-operation true leadership provides is a currency that this world should adopt in the not-too-distant future. Let’s honor how Mother Nature is reminding us why we are here, and how we are all in ‘this’ together!

Debbie Nicol, MD ‘business en motion’ moves businesses and leaders ahead through change. We build organizational frameworks, systems, cultures and leadership capability through the services of training, coaching and solutions.

Debbie Nicol, MD ‘business en motion’