What does a Turkey teach?

Twenty turkeys stopped me dead in my tracks. I was motionless for 5 minutes. There was a leadership lesson in the process.

The Story

The turkeys were walking semi-structured from a forest to a hill on which these turkeys liked to graze. They crossed a four-lane main thoroughfare during afternoon rush hour.

One turkey stood out. He was the leader. This turkey, the leader, keenly understood the dangers. It knew its job was to ensure the turkeys crossed the road.

I was the first car on one side of the road and was stunned by what I saw.

[insert chicken crossing the road joke here]

With feathers out to increase its perceived size, it was pacing back and forth through the street. Like a crossing guard, this turkey was protecting those in its care. Each time the lead car from one direction or the other would inch forward, this turkey would make it known that the vehicles could not move forward, as they put the turkeys at risk. He protected his flock.

This turkey:

• Keenly understood its identity – it was the leader who had a responsibility
• Knew where it was – it understood where the turkeys were and where danger appears
• Understood the goal – to get to a place that provided the group with greater nourishment and safety
• Led from behind, it would ensure that all were protected under its care.

A Rabbit turkey trail

What is a group of turkeys called? With a few other facts, find out here: https://www.birdwatchingusa.org/what-is-a-group-of-turkeys-called.

Lessons

• Understand who you are and your relationship with those around you. Without this, you are lost.
• Be keenly aware of the risks.
• Block hazards and distractions so that you can expedite the forward progress of your team.
• Sometimes protecting your team means putting yourself in danger.

Questions for Introspection

• Are you confident about who you are and how you serve others?
• If you think about your identity, do you find ambiguity or clarity?
• What is most likely to create challenges for you and those around you?
• What distractions do you allow to take time away from what’s important?
• What does forward progress look like to you and your team?
• Are you willing to put yourself in danger for others? Why or why not?

Leaders that do not understand their identity struggle in the chaos that the world throws at them. As they struggle to find themselves, like someone drowning, they will pull others down to lift themselves. Then, like a ship broken on the rocks, they are broken to pieces and scattered on a shore that guarantees nothing but constant waves and a shifting foundation.

Great leaders keenly understand their identity, and this awareness produces confidence and courage to serve others. They have focus, drive, and the level ground upon which to stand. They remind themselves of their purpose daily and clearly know their identity’s source. This requires effort, but these leaders understand that this effort is the only way that they can serve others.

Which are you?