What Sparks Your “Lion Light”?

Richard Turere lives in Kitengala, on the edge of the Nairobi National park. Turere first became responsible for herding and safeguarding his family's cattle when he was just nine. But often, his valuable livestock would be raided by the lions. So, at the age of 11, Turere set out to find a way of protecting his family's cows, goats and sheep. One day, while tending for his sheep, he discovered that the lions were scared of the moving light. He put his young mind to work and a few weeks later he came up with an innovative, simple and low-cost system to scare the predators away. He fitted a series of flashing LED bulbs onto poles around the livestock enclosure. These lights were designed to flicker on and off intermittently, thus tricking the lions into believing that someone was moving around carrying a flashlight.

Turere’s story is one not just of innovation or heroism, it’s a story of questioning years of prevailing norms followed by his tribe. Questioning the status quo. To make choices and model the way. To trust and permit oneself to take risks. 

From Kitengala let’s move to my workshops in top notch corporates of India. 

As part of a workshop on building engaging work cultures, I often facilitate a discussion with leaders on specific dimensions that go into building an engaging workplace. This discussion often ends with a question. "What stops you from building such an ideal workplace?" I often get the stock answer. “We don’t experience these in our organization and how can we create them for our team members?” 

Having said that, I do indeed bump into a few leaders who seem to behave like Turere. They demonstrate three distinct traits that make them stand apart. They are exceptional because of how they relate to the world and how they make meaning for themselves, for their teams and in turn for the organization. 

1.     Question the prevailing norms: These are leaders who can think beyond their tribe. They can challenge the status quo and push boundaries. In doing so, they ensure that they don’t destabilize themselves but are able to work within the system to create the velocity of support needed to make their ideas win. They influence decision makers and convert them into cheer leaders. 

2.     Driven by principles: They have a unique set of principles distinct from the tribe’s principles. They are courageous enough to be independent and stand apart from the crowds. They trust the best intentions they hold for the team and the organization at large. They are willing to be challenged on their ideas and ensure that the ideas are bullet proof and they will work for the larger good both in the short and long terms.

3.     Author the solution: These leaders not just think against the grain, they work hard on the solution. These leaders take a systemic view and are willing to hold and work with all the parts that contribute within the system. They take risks, garner resources, pull up their sleeves and sweat it out to find unique ways of solving the organization problem. They pilot the ideas and ensure these are successful solutions before scaling them up to mainstream them. In doing so, they create an inspired band of followers who swear by the leadership they experience. 

The key question we could ask ourselves is are we an intricate part of the tribe we belong to and accept the norms as our truth and destiny. Or do we challenge the prevailing norms. Do we author solutions, do we propel ourselves and our teams to think beyond the obvious. 

Turere’s “Lion Light” system remains a simple, cost effective solution that will go a long way in solving the crucial human-wildlife conflict for generations to come.