One thing I’ve tried to do through the years is to bring your attention to unique and unconventional ideas. When I found that many groups have been going to the magnificent Serengeti Desert and returning with inspiration for their business and personal lives, I had to tell you about it. This article discusses some of the ideas brought back from this fantastic place. Pay attention and you may get some prime ideas for improving your world.
WHAT IS THE SERENGETI?
According to Wikipedia, the Serengeti encompasses an area of some 12,000 square miles in parts of Tanzania and Kenya. It is host to the largest mammal migration in the world, including the Serengeti National Park and several game reserves. In this area are about 70 large animals and over 500 bird species. The reasons for this great wildlife diversity lie in the composition of the area which contains riverine forests, swamps, grasslands, woodlands, and other ecosystems. The region is home to the Olduvai Gorge where many of the oldest human fossils have been found.
WHAT HAPPENED TO ONE VISITOR TO THE SERENGETI
This site recounts the thinking of a visitor to the Serengeti. This person went on the trip hoping to get entirely away from any business thinking; what happened was that he experienced many things relative to business and we will discuss those.
This vacationer watched what was going on with the vast animal presence in the Serengeti and realized that they were reacting to various situations in ways similar to those encountered by humans in their daily lives. He quickly realized the behavior of all the animals he saw reflected the competitive nature of entrepreneurs.
Here are some thoughts about how the Serengeti reflects entrepreneurial business:
Success depends on decisive leadership, such as that shown by the dominant male in a pride of lions. The dominant male decides when the entire pride hunts, eats, moves to new territory, and mates. Because of his success, just like the successful CEO of a business, he gets to eat first and mate first. His strong leadership benefits the entire team, so he is rewarded with more than the other team members.
Observing a vulture patiently waiting for a wounded zebra to die illustrated the principle of jumping on any opportunity that may arise. The vulture saw an opportunity for a big meal, uninterrupted by competitors, so he waited patiently until he coiled take advantage of the opportunity. This in no way insinuates that you should jump on a competitor when he is down, it merely indicates that, in order to survive, you must watch what your competitors do and take advantage of every opportunity that presents itself.
As a small entrepreneur, be proud to take on small projects unwanted and left over by large competitors. The author uses the hyena as an example. In the Serengeti, hyenas are usually despised because they follow a pride of lions, or other large predators, and feed off of the leavings by the larger animals. Even the hyenas may leave scraps that other scavengers will eventually clean up. The principle of the hyenas is to be alert to the small jobs available from larger companies. Many will not bid on the little things, therefore leaving an opening for smaller entrepreneurs. Always be aware of such opportunities to build your business.
A life or death mentality is required for entrepreneurs to survive in difficult times. This principle is illustrated over and over in the Serengeti. There are dry seasons when large herds of animals must travel for days on end just to get a drink of water. Those too weak to keep up are simply left behind to die. Sometimes food becomes extremely scarce, to the point where lions and other large predators have been known to eat their own young. For entrepreneurs, you don’t have to eat your young, but you do have to adopt a survival mode. This may mean cutting expense, trying unique marketing and advertising methods, or simply outworking your competitors. It is important for all entrepreneurs to develop a Serengeti-like discipline to survive the hard times that always come to every business, just like dry spells on the Serengeti.
The Serengeti has examples of the need for determined entrepreneurs to forge ahead pushing all obstacles out of the way. The Serengeti has many areas showing acres and acres of trees that have been snapped in half, or simply uprooted. What causes this? At the end of the dry season, large herds of elephants storm through the Serengeti in a desperate search for water. During these movements, the large male elephants charge ahead trampling everything in their way. Instead of side stepping a tree, they just mow it down in their quest for water. This is the kind of determination shown by many entrepreneurs in their surge to succeed in spite of the daily obstacles in their way. To get your business where you want it, you must have the confidence in your abilities to barrel through obstacles rather than sidestepping them.
Animals and birds in the Serengeti often have “partners,” both species working for the greater good of both. An example is zebras and wildebeests. Where you see a herd of zebras, there are always wildebeests close by. Why is this? The two animals both eat grass, but the zebras eat tall grass, while the wildebeests eat short grass. What happens is zebras clear away the tall grass so wildebeests can find and eat the short grasses–a perfect relationship. In the Serengeti there are also birds that partner with large animals. The birds, for their food, eat ticks that infest the animals. The animals are grateful for relief from the ticks, and the birds have a happy meal. So it is with entrepreneurs–relationships have to be formed that are mutually beneficial to the entrepreneur and the various service providers. If an entrepreneur chooses a good counselor or other provider, his business will grow and become stronger; making a bad choice carries the risk of destroying the business.
The Serengeti has many examples of having to get rid of members who don’t contribute. An example is two ponds, one full of hippos, the other with only two. Why? The two hippos, both males, proved unable to help find food, and they were not able to do their function of procreating. They were banished from the herd as a result of being incompetent. Sometimes business is harsh just as the Serengeti can sometimes be harsh. In a business, even though it is hard on the entrepreneur, sometimes subpar employees must be let go. The same is true of vendors, accountants, credit sources, and all of the many outside services required to run a business. You must get rid of those who are dragging you down.
ANOTHER SERENGETI EXPERIENCE
This article was the result of experiences in the Serengeti. The author says an entrepreneur must set definitive goals before any strategy for success can be developed. At least 70% of us have no goals; among those who do have goals, only about 5% have put them into writing. Some things to consider when setting goals, listed exactly as the author stated them:
- Be specific and concrete rather than abstract and vague.
- They need to be measurable, related to time, and specific ab
out what will be accomplished over a certain time period.
- They must be realistic, attainable, and prioritized.
- Identify potential problems and obstacles that could prevent goals from being achieved.
- Establish milestones for reviewing progress and indicate how results will be measured.
- Identify risks involved in meeting the goals as well as the help and resources that may be needed to obtain goals.
- Periodically review progress and provide for revision if required.
- Finding unconventional ways of doing things and pushing them past cries of “we’ve never done it that way.”
- Show the desired result in a way that allows measurement tied to the goal.
- Define responsibility in such a way as to keep a project within the boundaries of assignment.
- Delegate the appropriate authority to enable people to carry out their assigned tasks.
- Provide enough financial help and human resources to allow accomplishment of assigned tasks.
- Treat failure as a learning experience.
- Reward and acknowledge participants for their achievements.
This visitor to the Serengeti learned a significant lesson by watching the behavior of three lions, the kings of beasts.
Two of the three were very young, while the third was much older. All three of them were running toward a herd of animals, probably looking for lunch. After a while the older lion began to fall back. One young lion kept going, but the other began to fall back a little and appeared to offer encouragement to the older lion to keep going.
The lesson here is that we should never become so wrapped up in our own lives that we have no time to encourage those who can’t move quite as fast as we do.
LESSONS FROM OTHER SERENGETI VISITORS
Here are some things learned by campers in the Serengeti:
Life is a bumpy road requiring a good support system. This analogy was from a young lady who said it would have helped if she had a good sports bra for support on the bumpy Serengeti roads.
The idea that someone always has your back came from camping deep in the Serengeti. Hyenas, lions, and water buffalo came through the camp every night, but the campers were safe because there was always a native guard on duty who sometimes had to shoot animals that were a danger to campers.
This camper was stuck for many hours with a person she could not stand. However, determined not to let this interfere with her having a good time, she made herself actually laugh at some the things the detestable girl said.
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