Elephant Encounter: Leadership Lessons from the Field
Pilanesberg National Park, South Africa
Pictures cannot fully capture the experience of driving into the middle of an elephant herd. Let’s see about words.
Driving down the trail, we saw one elephant, then several, then up to 20 elephants on our left side. Very close quarters. There were several mamas and babies, which was just so beautiful but also gave our driver/safari guide cause to keep us quiet and still (we were stopped, engine off). The mamas can get fierce if they feel their calves are threatened.
Such a magical moment, just feet away. We were quiet witnesses to these majestic animals in their deeply social behavior.
Then, as we started to slowly pull forward, three more elephants appeared in front of us, two walking toward us.
We got quiet again, engine off. We were blocked in by the herd to our left, a slope to our right, another jeep behind us, and the arriving elephants. One of the walking pair veered away but the other kept walking straight at us. The guide slowly backed the jeep away “to show respect,” he commented. The two elephants walked right by us, within inches.
Once we settled our excitement, our guide looked up the road and said, "He's the one I'm worried about."
It was the big bull male. And this one, apparently, has a reputation.
The guide said he wasn't 100% sure until he could see the other ear, but he suspected this was the one. He told us about how this bull had gotten agitated a couple years back and lifted a jeep with his tusks a meter off the ground and shook it several times. No one was injured but the jeep was damaged, and they needed to call for help.
We felt nervous, excited, fully alive.
Our guide moved the jeep slowly up to the bull elephant’s rear quarter. He stopped and shut the engine again, hoping it would move.
But it didn't.
It wasn't showing aggression, but it wasn't giving any ground either. So we waited. Until the guide thought we could slowly pass by the bull. We began to inch forward, his massive frame nearly blocking passage.
We slipped quietly by. And there confirmed it was, in fact, the "short tempered" bull, as our guide put it with eloquent understatement.
We were buzzing with excitement and relief, as if we exhaled all at once. We peppered the guide for his thoughts. It was a close encounter, indeed.
There on the African plain, I witnessed a rare and compelling style of leadership.
Experience – The guide’s years of experience in the park and around these animals, along with his years of study, gave him the information and instincts required to navigate this remarkable encounter. We may be able to use AI to get fast answers, but there is no short cut to gaining knowledge and wisdom.
Calm – His calm kept his mind clear and observant. It also signaled peace and calm to the elephants in the field and to us in the jeep. Any show of fear or burst of emotion from the group or from the herd could have triggered a dangerous situation.
Respect – The guide showed respect to the elephants by quieting the jeep and, at times, slowly backing away. He gave them no reason to challenge for dominance or space.
Situational Awareness – From this quiet space, the guide was alert to any changes in the spirit or posture of the elephants. If any were to look up suddenly, to spread their ears, to turn and face us, that would have indicated agitation and potential aggression.
Joy – Not through words, but the guide conveyed a spirit of deep appreciation and joy in the moment that was contagious. There was a healthy fear, of course, but he did not let the fear suppress the joy. In fact, the mix of emotions existing together felt exhilarating.
Our guide expertly guided us through a magical experience.
In a world that is increasingly tribal, aggressive and polarizing, this was a refreshing experience. We were able to enter the terrain of these magnificent beasts because we did so on their terms. And once there, we were able to bear witness to their native behaviors—calves moving under their mothers, elephants affirming their social bonds through small gestures of smell and touch, bulls protecting the herd.
Leaders who want to dominate write their own rules and create their own worlds. They seek confrontation, looking to weaken others so they can be strengthened. Such leaders can gain tremendous leverage and build whole empires.
But for those of us who choose a world that is created by higher love, by higher law, a world that embraces the miraculous diversity of creation and respects differences, a world that approaches challenges with curiosity, that seeks co-existence and shared success, the steady and open hand of the safari guide offers a way through.