The Value of “Rat” Like Leadership

The next time someone calls you a rat fink, simply thank them for the compliment. An interesting attribute of rats and mice, can help us learn as leaders. Are mice smarter than you and me? Well, I might not take it that far. However, they do have a persistence that some of us Leader types could learn from.

When you put a mouse into a maze and entice it with a piece of cheese, it never stops. The mouse keeps going until it finds the prize. Most human beings will stop moving forward toward their greater objective at the first wrong turn. Most of us tend to get upset or worry, that we aren’t finding it fast enough. We judge ourselves. Rats are more objective and they just keep moving forward without distraction. While I am not suggesting you stop using your critical thinking skills, I am recommending that remaining objective with your feet facing forward has value.

Many things I have done in my life took longer and seemed harder than when I entered my own personal maze. While I have not always had the wit to see it at the time, I see now those things were the ones that mean the most to me. Consider there may be something that you are working on in your life, that is harder than you thought it would be? I suspect the disappointment on the endeavor carries as much weight as the time and resources involved? What if you just drop the worry and keep looking for the prize? Endurance is a great quality in leadership and I hate to say it but maybe there is something to be said about being a rat.