Bees provide fascinating lessons in leadership.
I will never forget the moment my wedding photographer turned to my flustered mom and said, “The guests will look to you to gauge how things are going. If you appear calm, they’ll believe all is going well and enjoy the event much more. You set the tone.” I’ve carried this lesson with me into many varied settings; to set and model the tone. Thousands of honeybees follow the tone of the queen bee – if she is calm, so are they.
If the bees realize the queen bee is missing, they lose their enthusiasm for the work. Are you showing up, so you don’t risk the others in this (family, social, or work) relationship losing their enthusiasm and decreasing their efforts?
Queen-less bees become agitated. Have we ensured that those who rely on us for clear guidelines and expectations have received them, so they don’t feel leader-less?
Queen bees can sting, but usually only do so when their territory is threatened by another queen. Can we reserve our “sting” only for times when it’s warranted?
There are many moments in life when we need to hold two truths at the same time or experience two opposite feelings at the same time. Naomi Shemer’s bittersweet song Al Kol Eleh/For All These begins “Al ha’dvash v’al ha’oketz”: for the honey and for the sting. It expresses her acceptance and gratitude for life in all its complexity, just as we accept that the bee gives us both its honey and its sting.
