Why Bulls Always Lose in Bullfighting, Out of Control Orphan Elephants, and Cows and Buffaloes in a Storm: What Large Animals Can Remind Us About Tackling Large Problems
The 3 word Quote: “Problems Require Perspective”
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1.
Bullfighting has a long tradition in Spain and has been embedded in the country’s culture for centuries.
But, recent polls show Spanish citizens becoming less interested and less tolerant of this long-standing tradition.
Much of the lack of interest stems from people’s view that bullfighting is cruel and almost always ends in the bull’s death.
As most know, the matador waves the red cape in a bullfight, and the bull charges and attacks - most believe the bull is attracted to the red color of the cape, but bulls are colorblind.
It is the waving and the movement of the cape that entices the bull and causes it to charge.
In the final stage of the bullfight, the matador coerces the bull to make several charges toward the cape as the audience shouts. ‘Ole.’
The matador then attempts to put the bull in a position to stab it with a sword between the shoulder blades and into the heart. The cape is red-colored to hide the blood.
If the fight goes poorly for the matador, the matador loses honor.
If the fight goes poorly for the bull, it almost always loses its life.
But the bull does something wrong in every battle.
2.
Several years ago, 60 Minutes reported on a group of African elephants.
This particular group of elephants lived in the South African bush.
But these were not like the giant docile elephants you might see in your local zoo.
These elephants had issues.
They were destroying trees. They were incredibly aggressive. And they were killers.
The elephants began hunting and killing rhinos - a very uncommon behavior in elephants.
This group of elephants had little in common with other groups of elephants in the region.
But, within their group, the elephants shared several traits.
They were all aggressive. They all were all young. They were all male. And they were all orphans.
Illegal poachers killed their parents for their ivory. The poachers spared these young elephants as they were not valuable to them - they had no ivory.
This group of elephants behaved so differently and caused so many problems scientists were having trouble figuring out why they were so aggressive.
The scientists tried several tactics to eliminate the bad behavior, but nothing worked.
But then a surprisingly simple solution shaped up these young elephants - the scientists added more elephants into the herd.
And their reign of terror ended rather quickly.
But why?
3.
Cows and buffaloes have much in common and are similar in many ways.
But when both animals face an incoming storm, they differ significantly.
When heavy rains and thunder or snow approaches the cows, they do what comes naturally: they try to seek shelter.
And often, they turn and run away from the storm.
Cows aren’t very fast, so they rarely outrun a storm.
But buffaloes respond differently to storms.
When the heavy rains or heavy snow advances, buffaloes do not do what cows do.
Buffaloes turn and face the weather and often run toward the storm.
Similar animals facing the same storm, yet they have very different reactions.
Interesting.
The Takeaway
So what do bulls in a ring, orphaned African elephants, and cows and buffaloes in a storm all have in common?
All are ways that large animals respond to significant problems - and we can learn from each of their actions.
Bulls are almost always going to lose in the ring. But much can be learned by what they focus on.
The bulls believe the cape is their nemesis - they believe the cape is a threat.
So they charge and attack the cape.
But the bulls are not killed by the cape; they are killed by the sword.
The bulls focus on and tackle the wrong problem - the real danger is the sword, not the cape.
This lack of focus is called the cape vs. the sword problem.
The problem happens with humans, too. We often focus on the wrong problem. And then like the bull we go charging after that issue with full effort.
But at times, we identify and attack the wrong problem.
Identifying and defining the problem is critical. Focusing on what matters, matters.
But we often run toward the cape when we should search for the sword.
Those orphan elephants in South Africa weren’t attacking the wrong problem - they were the problem.
So when scientists decided to add more elephants to their herd, the problems stopped, and no additional rhinos died.
Scientists eliminated the destructive behavior because they realized what the real problem was- the elephants had no guidance and no mentors.
The young elephants were not socialized and did not know how to behave appropriately.
So the elephant experts started ‘the biggest big brother program in the world.’
This 'Big Brother' program brought in larger, older male elephants to model behavior.
In other words, the young elephants now had mentors in the form of dominant male elephants.
The old instructed the young.
The young orphans responded immediately, and the bad behavior ceased.
This, too, is something that humans understand well but often forget - younger people, newer employees, and perhaps everyone benefits from mentors.
The orphan elephants didn’t know their actions were unwanted. They behaved the way they believed was correct.
No one had taught them differently.
Like many people, the elephants just needed a good role model.
And when cows and buffaloes react to a storm, it is easy to see how some humans respond to problems similarly.
When cows run from the storm, they spend more time in the bad weather. They run in the same direction as the storm, so the time spent exposed to elements is longer.
In short, cows often make the problem worse.
Some people respond to problems like cows - they see a problem or an issue and run.
But turning away from problems rarely produces solutions.
Buffaloes do a rare thing - they turn and face the incoming weather and run toward the storm.
As the storm approaches, buffaloes run through the storm, spending less time feeling the effects.
The buffaloes still feel the sting of the elements, but because they face the storm head-on and run through it, the impact is less severe.
This is good advice for people too. Tackling issues directly usually results in better and quicker results.
Be the buffalo, not the cow.
The bull, the elephant, the cow, and the buffalo can give us simple reminders the next time problems arise:
Be sure you are tackling the correct problem - avoid chasing the cape and look for the sword.
Find others who can help you no matter where in your career you are - Presidents often call former presidents for help. We can all use a wise mentor.
Face your problems directly - avoiding, delaying, or delegating postpones action. A quick and appropriate response usually pays dividends.
Sometimes, simple reminders are the best advice…no matter where the advice comes from.
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3 things before you go - Jimmy Buffett version
song: Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett, It’s 5 O’ Clock Somewhere: fun, upbeat celebration song perfect to commemorate Jimmy Buffet
Video: David Letterman interviews Jimmy Buffett on the Late Show in March 1983: slightly awkward ten-minute clip of two legends with two mellow performances by Buffett
Song: Zac Brown Band featuring Jimmy Buffett, Knee Deep: one of my favorite Jimmy Buffet duets, captures the Buffet feel perfectly, hard not to think of the beach as you listen
See you in 10 days!
-Jeff