Everyone Wants Things to be Better — So Lead Then!
Why, why, why…?
One of the most frequent questions I receive about Leadership lies at its heart:
Why should anyone be bothered with leadership (and by implication learn to lead)?
There are, of course many responses on offer.
I sometimes ask a question back, like:
Why be bothered with accounting or maths or engineering or music or sport, or anything, in fact?
Most of the things we do in life are to make our lives better—more meaningful.
Leadership, proper Leadership, is exclusively about making things better for us—in our homes, schools, teams, workspaces, communities and countries.
Influential Leadership goes beyond technical skills or leisure or recreation or scouring through social media because Leadership is about each and all of us.
Leadership Matters
Here is a great response to the “why” question from nature—a flight of duck (or other birds) flying in a V-formation.
Let’s start with a Chinese leadership proverb:
“Not the cry, but the flight
of a wild duck, leads
the flock to fly
and follow.”There are seven Influential Leadership traits reflected in the proverb; however, we skip these to focus on the why.
Why do Birds Fly in a V-Formation?
Most people would say that they do it to save energy, which would be right. But it turns out that birds in a V-formation are pulling off a feat that is more complicated and more impressive than anyone had imagined.
A study confirmed that birds flying in a V do save energy and thus benefit from and with each other.
Video recordings in the study revealed that the birds fly exactly where the theoretical simulations predicted they should position themselves to save energy: around a metre behind the bird in front, and another metre off to the side.
Some ibises in the study preferred to fly on the right of the V, or on the left. Some preferred the centre, and others the edges. But overall, the birds swapped around a lot and the flock had no constant leader (bird in front).
But flying in a V is not just about staying in the right place. It’s also about flapping at the right time.
Whatever the answer, it’s clear that this is not a skill the ibises are born with.
When they first followed the microlight (used in the study), they were all over the place. It took time for them to learn to fly in a V… and that adds one final surprise to the mix.
It was always assumed that V-formation flight was learned from the adult birds, but the birds were all the same age, and they learned to fly from a human in a microlight. They learned (V-formation flying) from each other.
Leadership Lessons from Birds Flying in a V-formation
- There is no ‘single leader’ who either flies at the tip, or flies behind whipping the others ahead, or enjoys a ‘free ride’ all the time.
- The birds take turns to fly at the tip and at other parts of the formation. A choice is involved. Responsibility and benefits are shared.
- They fly in a V to make it easier and better for all of them; there is personal and collective benefit.
- Flying in the V is not an endowment, a title, or an age thing—it is learned through demonstration and example.
Cyclists have Learned this Behaviour too!
Cyclists are clearly smart humans, they learned from birds that if you care to go faster and further with less effort, then help others to help yourself.
Cyclists riding in close line-astern (drafting) are like birds flying in V-formation.
The similarity between cyclists keeping close formation and the birds V-formation offers similar take-outs for Leadership too, and they bear repeating:
- There is no single leader, just single riders taking turns at the front. The leader is the person who chooses to go first (for a while), to help everyone.
- Riders come out of the peloton (group) to take turns (except those who suck off others’ effort), to share the responsibility and benefits. The reason a person decides to lead is because they know they will benefit (with others), and they know they will also be better off when someone else chooses to lead too.
- They ride in close formation to help themselves, and the collective at the same time. The rider behind actually helps the rider they are drafting by filling in the eddy (wind movement) they create. Drafting can reduce energy consumption of the group by up to 40%.
- ‘Drafting’ is a learned skill. Have you watched a group of 101 cyclists in very close formation hurtling down a narrow lane at 68 km/h? They can because they have learned to do it.
What is the Answer?
Leadership improves things, makes things better—for all of us—that is why Leadership is an Apex
Oh, and Influential Leadership is not what we are born into, and it does not come with an office or title either—it is learned and then becomes a skill through practice.
Choose to fly in a V-formation.
Regards,
Colin Donian
Karoo Founder & CEO
Influential Leaders Choose to Fly!
Leadership Note # 2025 | 19.05.25
e: colind@karoo.world
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