By Michael Holland

Question to Ponder:  Why have organizations invested such large sums of money to fund supervisors, team leaders, managers, project managers, regional managers, associate directors, directors, senior directors, VPs, senior VPs, CFOs, CAOs, CIOs, COOs, and CEOs?

A very intriguing theme from the book The Smart Swarm: How to Work Efficiently, Communicate Effectively, and Make Better Decisions Usin g the Secrets of Flocks, Schools, and Colonies was the ability of mere insects – ants, bees, termites – to architect amazingly complex homes/factories without the need of a leader.  Locating, constructing, operating, fixing, protecting their factories was all accomplished without the need to have a hierarchy of leadership and dutiful managers.  An important key to the success of these insects turns out to be the unique methods of communication that have been adapted over time.

Companies invest those large sums of money in people like you in the hope that you will enable effective communication within, among – and at times in spite of – the team or organization.  The ideal result is motivated and productive dynamic humans who together can accomplish goals to increase corporate, societal and/or cultural wealth.  You are the short term solution until we evolve our unique methods of communication.

By the way, the insects have been evolving for over 100 million years so your professional leadership role isn’t going away soon, assuming of course that your ROI is trending well.