Mistaking Sales Activity for Sales Productivity is a Common Error among Sales People

The story Processionary Caterpillar has been around for a while. The noted French naturalist, Jean Henri Fabre studied this unique little furry insect in great detail. What makes this caterpillar special is its instinct to follow in lock step the caterpillar in front of it. This behavior, not only gives the caterpillar its name, but a deadly characteristic also. As a matter of fact, the followers’ behavior becomes so automatic that their eyes become half-closed as they shut out the world around them in faith and let the leader do all the thinking and decision making about which direction to pursue. Their behavior is rote and automatic.

An experiment Fabre demonstrated the rigidity of the processionary caterpillars’ behavior when he took a flowerpot and placed a number of caterpillars in single-file around the circumference of the pot’s rim. He then enticed the leader to start circling the edge of a large flower pot. The other caterpillars followed suit in a tight procession, forming a closed circle in which the distinctions between leader and follower became totally blurred, and the path had no beginning and no ending. 

Fabre` then placed the caterpillars’ favorite food in the middle of the circle. Each caterpillar followed the one ahead thinking that it was heading for the food. Round and round went those silly insects–for seven days! After a week of this mindless activity, the caterpil-lars started to drop dead because of exhaustion and starvation. All that they had to do to avoid death was to stop the senseless circling of the flower pot and head directly toward the food—less than six inches away from those ever-circling crawlers. However, the processionary caterpillars were locked into this lifestyle and couldn’t extricate themselves from this mindless behavior. Relying totally on instinct, past experience, custom, and tradition, the caterpillars achieved nothing because they mistook activity for productivity.

Many times, we confuse activity for productivity. We get caught in ruts, which cause us to dysfunction at work. The ruts become vicious circles and don’t get us any further than the processionary caterpillar gets on the flowerpot.  

If you fear that you share some of the style of the processionary caterpillar, here are three questions you can ask to help identify this scenario in your own life. Ask so that you can breakout of that senseless circle.

In what ways, if any, have you or someone you know well behaved like the processionary caterpillar? Explain how and what happened.

Are you or others you know well susceptible to falling prey to the phenomenon of the processionary caterpillars? Explain.

What can you do to prevent yourself and others from becoming like the caterpillars in the story?

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