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Geese

Intro

If you want your team to work better together, then give them a boost, or better yet, give them a "goost" by having them follow the example of the goose.

Teamwork

A formation of flying geese is a lesson in teamwork:

• As each goose in the formation flaps its wings, it pushes air away and creates an uplift of air for the geese that follow, so they do not have to work as hard to keep flying. Therefore, by flying in a “V” formation the flock has a greater flying range than it would have if each goose were flying separately. Each member of the team should give support and encouragement to each of the other members. The team as a whole will do much better working together as a unit than it would if each member worked on his or her own with no support.
• When a goose thinks the formation is too slow and is holding it back, and it may drop out of the formation to wing it on its own. When it does, it suddenly feels the air pressure and the resistance of flying alone. Sometimes team members think the other members are holding them back in their path to success, so they venture out on their own and ignore the needs of the other members. Some may make it, but most will feel the pressure and resistance of winging it alone and will rejoin the team.
• If a goose leaves the formation, the others move forward to fill the hole and the formation continues as efficiently as before. When a person leaves the team, the team may suffer for a short time, but it will quickly fill the void and move on. If the dropout decides to rejoin the team, his or her slot is gone, so now the person must take a position at the end of the lineup.
• The geese in the formation honk to encourage those in front to keep up their speed. Team members should cheer each other, the slow ones that are holding the team back and the fast one to keep them pulling the team forward. The better each team member does, the better the team does.
• The formation does not fly aimlessly; it has a destination and a course to follow to reach it, and each goose does its part to help the formation reach its destination. A team needs a goal and a course to follow to reach the goal, and each member must be dedicated to reaching the goal.
• In a “V” flying formation, there is one goose at the point. That goose leads the way, keeps the formation on course, watches for danger ahead and takes evasive action, and takes the brunt of any resistance. The team leader must lead the team toward its goal, keep the team on track to reach the goal, anticipate problems and guide it overcoming them, and take the heat for the good of the team.
• If a goose gets sick or wounded and drops out of the formation, two other geese will drop out of formation, follow it down, and help it by staying with the goose until it dies or is able to fly again. Then they launch a new formation and strike out to rejoin the main formation. Team members stand by each other in times of need, and if one drops out due to injury or some other problem, they will help the person back into the team.

Finally, there is another bit of advice about a flock of flying geese, “don’t stand beneath them without wearing a hat!”

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