Leadership Lessons from Around the World - Australia: Symbiosis in the Great Barrier Reef
The shimmering aquamarine water splashed over my daughter as she calmly dove under the rolling waves. My son waved in the distance as he tried to get us to see a sea turtle he spotted in the water. My wife circled like a shark taking in the colorful flora, while I kept up and took pictures of a giant clown fish in one of the most wondrous and delicate wonders on the world – Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Our family’s seagoing adventure was oddly reflective of the reef’s intricate dance of coral, fish, sea turtles, and the occasional black tipped shark. As I reflected on our interconnected family dynamics taking place on the surface of the Coral Sea, I recognized that just below the surface, the concept of symbiosis was in full force and could teach us a few leadership lessons.
Why is Symbiosis so Deep?
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) defines symbiotic relationships as being “an important component of life in the ocean. In such relationships, plants or animals of different species may be dependent on one another for survival. They may share habitats or lifestyles or interact in a way in which they benefit from the presence of another organism.” NOAA outlines three types of symbiotic relationships: Parasitical, Commensal, and Mutual, each of which provides powerful leadership lessons.
Parasitical Relationships – Watch out for the Fish Doctor
?The first and most harmful symbiotic relationship is that of the parasites, who are the ones that feed off and ultimately harm their host organism (1). This type also exists in the GBR, as we see the Fish Doctor, a type of isopod, (small organisms that live in the gills of their host fish), who suck the nutrients from their hosts’ blood and ultimately result in their host dying (2).
Unfortunately, organizations are ripe with parasitical relationships and leaders must be on full guard to root them out and eliminate the threats before they cause damage to our organization’s fragile culture. Like the Fish Doctor’s devious actions, these behaviors often go unnoticed and when detected, they may appear in the form of people spreading false rumors, undermining team decisions, or more overtly criticizing colleagues to advance their own career.
Leaders must address these destructive behaviors directly when they see them occurring, and at times may need to take extreme measures to root them out to avoid damaging the fragile ecosystem of their organization’s culture.? It can be challenging for leaders to root out this parasitic behavior when demonstrated by so-called “high performers” whom leaders think they cannot afford to lose. However, when leaders demonstrate the courage to sacrifice the parasites, although there may be short term pain, the long-term sustainability of the broader group’s ecosystem will thrive.
Commensal Relationships – Protect the Noddy Birds
NOAA defines this second type of symbiotic relationship as organisms causing “no harm to their hosts but receive some benefit from living with them” (1). One of the most compelling examples at the GBR was on the lovely Lady Musgrave Island, where the White-capped Noddy Birds fly from the distant Papua New Guinea to nest on the ancient Pisonia trees. These trees never die as they benefit from the birds’ guano which enriches the soil and brings nutrients to dying trees, resuscitating them back to life. Although, on occasion, the trees’ seeds may weigh the birds down, causing the weaker ones to fall prey to predators, the birds do not cause their ancient hosts any harm.
In the same way, leaders must work toward being like the Pisonia trees and provide the haven and nutrition for team members. One of the most under-rated leadership skills is having the courage to stand up for our team and protect them when we know their point of view will be unpopular or cost us personal political capital. This behavior of protecting the less powerful or influential team members engenders greater loyalty and trust, resulting in more innovation and risk taking. And of course, leaders must also keep an eye on not loading associates with the “little seeds” such as nitpicking at small mistakes or undermining broader decisions once they have been made. These small behaviors surely weigh our team members down and prevent them from soaring freely to greater heights of performance.?
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Mutualistic Symbiosis – Embrace the Bumphead Parrotfish
?The third and most positive symbiotic relationship is the mutualistic relationship, where both organisms benefit from existing together. For instance, in the GBR, we see Bumphead Parrotfish nourish themselves by eating the dead parts of their host coral, resulting in the coral being able to grow new branches in continued growth, health and expansion. ?
As leaders, we must find ways to strengthen mutualistic relationships. However, if we do not consider what benefit our team members receive from working with us, we will not create a sustainable ecosystem. Often, leaders fall back on the mindset of “if I pay them they will come” and miss focusing on value they can personally add in return. Employees seek much more than high compensation for true engagement, the most compelling reason being the relationship with their direct supervisor as well as a connection to the organization’s greater purpose. If leaders act more like the Bumphead Parrotfish and eat away at organizational “dead reef” such as internal bureaucratic processes, cumbersome performance management practices, or burdensome approvals, we will be giving back to our associates and energizing them to grow, thrive, and adapt to rapidly changing exogenous factors.
Nature continues to provide us with many leadership lessons, and Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is no different. It is not a surprise that it has been considered one of the seven wonders of the world, and if we reflect on a few of the underlying symbiotic principles, and try to apply these in how we lead, we too can create wonders in our world of work. ?
?References:
Photo Credits:
(4) Photo by Sarah Wormald (https://blog.padi.com/aliens-of-the-ocean-bumphead-parrotfish/)
Cool article, Mahzer. I find it immensely useful to recognize patterns in nature in human systems.