Leadership and Career Lessons We Can Learn from Animals

Probably the most important trait if you want to succeed in any aspect of life is to work hard. There is a host of animals associated with hard work, but the one that stands out is of course the ant. Around 12,000 ant species have been discovered so far. These different species have more or less the same castle system. This system consists of queens at the top, then soldier ants, worker ants, and fertile males. Each class has a specific role to perform within the colony. The queen lays down eggs, and both soldier and worker ants perform a variety of tasks such as feeding the larvae, cleaning the eggs and foraging for food. Furthermore, one research study by the University of Regensburg found that we have a striking similarity to ants: we both value hard-earned rewards for our work. The research was quite simple. Ants were placed in front of two paths to get a specific reward. There was one easy path, where they just had to travel in a horizontal line, and another, much more complicated. Results showed that whatever the reward at the end of the path, ants always chose the hard path. This clearly demonstrates a willingness to work hard, and that hard-earned rewards just feel better, and in this case taste better.