When it comes to working as a team, studies show that bees really are the best. Here are our top five lessons we can apply to our own working lives.
Top 5 from the hive
1. Honest communication and sharing information is at the heart of the team.
Bees use vibrations and pheromones to help pass complex messages. We have so much technology to help us communicate; let’s not forget that using it with honesty is they key to excellent communication.
2. Co-operation is the key to success.
Though the individuals are small, behaving as a single organism and working to a common goal means that great things can be achieved together.
3. Division of labour and thorough training can be highly efficient.
As bees mature, they move through all the jobs in the hive before becoming food gatherers. This means that they all know how to perform a whole range of jobs and in an emergency situation they can revert to former occupations to lend a hand. This is the key to enviable flexibility and adaptability.
4. Bee prepared
Bees make honey while the sun shines, they store the extra food when times are good as they know that there may be leaner times around the corner. Again, this allows flexibility and confidence in tomorrow.
5. The leader is truly the servant of all.
We tend to think of the ‘Queen Bee’ as the leader of the hive, sitting regally whilst her workers bring home the nectar. In truth, the queen is the servant of the team, laying the eggs to ensure the future survival of the colony. It’s the team behaving as one, in pursuit of a common goal which brings success, not a leader laying down the rules.
If you want to know more about bees and what we can learn from them, check out
http://www.biobees.com/DownloadFree/10_Lessons.pdf
For ideas on supporting the teams of workers in your hive click here.
