My daughter has always loved animals and rescued so many in need. She has carried this love into her adult life, passing it on to her children and probably to the children she teaches. At her home, you will find a variety of animals and, most importantly, love. One of my author friends highlighted lessons learned from dogs, and I have a few to share about other animals. Learning happens when we open our hearts, minds, and eyes to see through a different lens or way.

You can find the work of Wally Bock at the following links or follow him at @WallyBock on Twitter. https://buff.ly/3Gy80Be https://www.threestarleadership.com/leadership/learning-from-the-dogs He leaves you with five points you can learn from dogs and understand about people. Doggie point 4 is my favorite. “Sometimes the dog barks because another dog barks. People are like that, too. Sometimes they act thoughtfully. Sometimes they just go along with everyone else.”

Animals are all unique in their forms of communication and ways of life. One thing we all have in common is our instinct. Animals use their instincts and senses to be alerted to danger. We do the same thing. Sometimes we make mistakes because we do not follow our instincts.

What if we relied on only our senses to help us determine decisions or understand? One of my favorite books is a pop-up book titled Six Blind Men and the Elephant by Wayne Kalama. The story is a beautiful way to introduce to staff, students, and families the importance of each voice. The six men wanted to learn about the elephant. They used other senses to feel the elephant and contributed their opinion. Every single opinion is correct, but not entirely. Understanding the importance of listening to all, we can “see” the entire picture to know all parts—a great lesson in collaboration.

In our many books, we will find fables, short stories, and many comparisons to help us understand the meaning of points authors, writers, and leaders are trying to make. Lessons are learned in many ways.

We could be like an Ostrich with our heads in the sand or stretch out our necks like the Giraffe to see further. Courage to face issues as leaders are in how we see ourselves.

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