The Sandstone Team Building Blog

As blogs are supposed to be personal to the person writing them, I simply have to write about elephants. A very important element of me is my love for elephants. I can’t remember my first introduction to elephants - they have just always been part of my life - and I know they always will be. Much to my partner’s displeasure - he is not so keen on the many elephant drawings we have around our house! Which reminds me, this is as good a time as any to thank those clients who, over the years, have sent me pictures that they have taken on the odd safari they have been on.

Coming back to my early years, I do remember my Granddad saying to me that the first time he took me to Chester Zoo when I was a toddler I was mesmerised. I have been ever since.

So why am I talking about elephants? Well partly I’m avoiding sorting out all the wigwams from our recent Wild West events (they are a nightmare to sort out afterwards!), but mainly because it’s relevant to team building.

Elephants live in family groups consisting of the matriarch (the leader) and her family. Whenever a new baby is born the whole family rally round to help with the rearing. Whilst the mother does the feeding, and protecting the baby from the sun. The older sisters and aunts also help look after the calves.

Elephants require a lot of food to survive, this means they need to keep on the move to ensure there are fresh food supplies throughout the year. Using migratory routes that the matriarch has learnt from previous generations, she passes on the knowledge to her herd. It is their close relationships that allows the rest of the herd to acquire knowledge to be used when needed.

So, again, what was the point of this? Well elephant herds work together. Organised by their leader, they not only collectively protect their young they develop them also. They work as a team, improve their team and help their less experienced members take on ever increasing responsibility for themselves and the rest of the herd.

Maybe we can all learn a thing or two from elephants.

Till next time …

Nikki