Animal Leadership Styles (Achievement Nudge)

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Last Updated on January 21, 2025 by Bill Truby

What is your leadership style? Are you a seagull, shepherd, cattle dog, or octopus?

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It’s clear. Leadership is the catalyst for success or failure. As goes the leader, so goes the team. You cannot have a successful organization without having successful leadership. Just like, you cannot expect a safe flight when a good airplane is being flown by a drunken pilot. You can’t expect the plane to do more than the pilot. And you can’t expect the team to rise above its leader.

Having done an extensive amount of leadership training over the years, we’ve seen how leadership skills are critically important. But HOW someone acts out their leadership has a powerful effect too. There’s an analogy that’s been around for a long time that illustrates this. It’s called “Seagull Management.”

Seagull Management is a metaphor for the behavior of a leader who isn’t present, yet flies in sporadically, “%#%#-ing” on everything the team is doing (i.e. criticizes, complains and belittles), then flies away. No matter how great the person is, that leadership style is ineffective and limits success.

Here are three more analogies we’ve taught that can help you determine how you’re doing. We’ll start with one of the best and move to the worst.

One of the best leadership styles is the servant leader, or the “shepherd leader.” The reason it is so effective is because the parallel to people and sheep is so close. Notice this excerpt from “Sheep 101,” a course on how to handle sheep and lambs. (Substitute “Team” for “Sheep” and you’ll see what I mean)…

“A thorough understanding of sheep behavior is the first step towards developing an effective method of handling sheep. Their strong flocking and following behavior tends to make sheep easy to handle… Conversely, sheep will prove difficult to handle if you force them to act in ways that are not natural for them.”

Even worse is the Octopus Style. A person who leads with this style is often called a “micro manager.” The octopus style has one head and a bunch of tentacles; arms who carry out the wishes of that one head. No brain is allowed in the arms. No mouth is allowed in the arms. All tentacles work separately to carry out the wishes of the head – without thought, without question, and without hesitation.  

And you know what is at the end of the tentacles, right? A bunch of suckers! And that’s why this style of leadership is so bad. Not only does the head perpetuate the style, the arms, and the suckers perpetuate the style too. They allow the head to manipulate without question.

Leaders AND followers can learn from these analogies. Leaders – consider your style and its consequences. Followers – consider your choices!

This article is part of our ongoing Achievement Nudge series—short, witty, and often inspirational articles to spark your personal and professional growth. Explore more nudges on our blog, or sign up for our weekly Nudge and News email. Each edition includes an Achievement Nudge plus leadership, professional development, and personal growth videos and articles to keep you inspired and on track.

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Bill Truby

Founder and President of Truby Achievements