Cat is one of the most mysterious yet admirable creatures ever. They have led a paradoxical existence, from being treated like gods to being associated with witchcraft. Much of this ambivalence toward cats is probably because they remain enigmas. However, despite their mysteriousness and are often associated with mystical things, cats are typically friendly and warm to people.
Their behaviour also shows that they are a total independent living thing – behaviour that is associated with a successful leader. In short, our feline friends can give a worthwhile lesson for leaders. Here are four lessons that we think are the most significant.
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“Perhaps one reason we are fascinated by cats is that such a small animal can contain so much independence, dignity, and freedom of spirit. Unlike the dog, the cat’s personality is never bet on a human’s. He demands acceptance on his own terms.” – Lloyd Alexander
Felines are day and night creatures. Their senses can adapt and see clearly through the darkest of nights so they can hunt easily at night. Moreover, the hearing of a cat and human are similar but cats can hear higher-pitched sounds up to 64 kHz which is 1.6 octaves above the range of a human. Owing to this ability, cats have a good sense of decision-making skills that are concrete, swift, and sure.
The lesson is that leaders must have both a keen sense of hearing that can result in a high level of understanding. Being a leader also requires good eyesight for the sake of everyday vision, including a vision to lead people. When a leader has both good hearing (listening skills) and watchful eyes, he can gracefully develop concrete, swift, and good decision-making skills.
If you have a cat in your house, you can see that they are a focused and undistracable furry animal. They will rarely come to you when you call them and stay focused on what they are doing.
Dr. Atsuko Saito investigated how cats recognise human voices and found that cats don’t generally respond to their name the same way that dogs do. Cats responded to the sound of their owner’s voice by turning their head and ears toward the sound, showing that they understand the message of being called. However, the recognition doesn’t necessarily equal response, the study reported. Therefore, even if your cat knows your voice, that doesn’t always mean he is going to trot right over, instead, they will eventually back to us at a time that better fits their needs.
The lesson here is that leaders can learn the focus of a cat but it does not mean you should ignore your people. Instead, you can notify your employees first and get back to them at a convenient time. Leader’s focus is paramount to succeed in order to cultivate the primary elements of emotional intelligence. Besides, your focus can also improve your ability to devise a strategy, innovate, and manage the organisation well.
Naturally, cats are fighters which can do harm and pain to their enemy. In fact, Humane Society indicated that our feline friend is a very territorial creature and can fiercely defend their turf yet they can also become friendly and tolerant with another.
That said, it does not mean you should aggressively attack the competitors. On a battlefield, a leader must have the ability to lead his troops into combat as to inflict casualties. A leader must be able to defend his territory and protect his people at best with a strategic strategy. Importantly, leaders should also have a readable body language like a cat when it is trying to protect its territory.
A domesticated cat depends on their owners to provide food and keep their litter box clean and odour-free. Yet, they remain independent thinker.
This is a good lesson a leader can take. As a leader, you should lead your people and be dependant on them to show that they matter and that they are important in the team. You can be dependent on finishing a project or task. Nevertheless, a leader should also be an independent thinker who can solve problems without depending entirely on his team in order to generate a timely result.
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