CICADAS AND LEADERSHIP: LESSONS IN RESILIENCE, CREATIVITY AND IMPACT
Written by Jessica Murray
Did you ever think you’d read a post that linked cicadas with business leadership? Today’s your lucky day!
Here in Tennessee, May has been marked by a historic emergence of “periodic” cicadas. It’s the first time in over 200 years that two cicada broods - the Great Southern Brood (XIX) and the Northern Illinois Brood (XIII) - came up from the ground simultaneously in the U.S. Lucky us!
After enduring their incessant buzzing for several weeks, I decided to learn more about these creatures. As I did, I strangely became fascinated by the capabilities of these dopey-looking insects. Since I spend a lot of time thinking about business building and leadership, I couldn’t help myself and started to draw parallels between the traits of cicadas and those that we humans also value in strong business leaders – resilience, creativity and the ability to leave a lasting impact on an ecosystem.
Now I’ve got your attention, right?
Resilience
I shouldn’t have to say more about cicadas’ resilience beyond the fact that they live underground, in the dark, and avoid predators for 13 or 17 years. But, there’s more to explore on this topic.
Cicada Fact #1 - Survival tactics
Cicadas pursue a unique survival tactic when they rise from the ground. Swarms of cicadas coordinate and synchronize their emergence to overwhelm predators, increase their chances of survival and preserve their ability to reproduce, which is the primary purpose for surfacing in the first place.
Leadership Parallel #1
Resilience in business, especially as a startup or small business founder, is one of the most important attributes of a leader who can persevere. The amount of adversity that comes your way will challenge what you believe and test your mental and even physical strength, all while you need to inspire, push forward and maintain a positive attitude to adapt.
Resilient leaders, like cicadas, appreciate the need to be dynamic, enabling them to be better prepared for disruption and to seize opportunities when they arise. They’re also prone to solution-seeking and building relationships to make them stronger.
Truly effective resilient leadership also requires emotional intelligence. You may know an example or two of someone who has broken down barriers or bouldered through hard times with brute force. Society often views that as resilience. Maybe it looks like that on the surface. However, without the emotional intelligence component, it’s hard for leaders to build empathy, deliver compelling and persuasive communication and, importantly, build a culture of collaboration and problem-solving to make the collective more resilient.
Creativity
There’s also a creative side a cicada can exhibit, even though it’s not entirely intuitive.
Cicada Fact #2 - Unique sound
I call it incessant, but the female cicadas probably would say their male counterpart’s mating cry is unique and compelling. Each species creates its own song and males competing for a mate will try to drown out their competition with louder, more vibrant noise.
Leadership Parallel #2
Creative leaders innovate, can solve complex problems and see things others don’t. They can identify the current, and anticipate the future, needs of their customers and provide products and/or services that solve their most pressing challenges. Especially for emerging businesses in competitive markets, like cicadas vying for a mate, creative leadership helps identify opportunities to differentiate and find unique paths to growth. Those who possess this quality and harness it well will also bring it out in their teams, leading again to increased collaboration, better problem-solving and stronger connections.
Leaving a mark
While I now know more about cicadas than I did a few weeks ago, their ability to leave a lasting impact on our natural ecosystems was probably the most intriguing thing I learned.
Cicada Fact #3 - Nutrients for nature
The holes they leave behind in the ground help aerate the soil and strengthen root systems by allowing water to reach them more easily. When they die, their bodies decompose and leave an abundance of nutrients behind, contributing to long-term soil fertility.
Leadership Parallel #3
Similar to cicadas’ positive influence on the soil, strong leaders and influential businesses leave an enduring impact on their customers, suppliers, community, team, investors, and more. When building a business, think about how you can make the things you touch better, and how your success can also mean the success of others in your ecosystem.
In closing…
It’s not every day that I draw inspiration from insects, but this month was an exception. The next time you turn your nose up at a cicada, remember its innovative nature and ability to possess the same core attributes that we humans value in leaders.
What unusual sources of inspiration have you found in your leadership journey? Reply to let me know!
