~~“But there was another great eagle with powerful wings and full plumage…”~~
Ezekiel 17:7
~~“You yourself have seen what I did in Egypt and how I carried you on eagle’s wings and brought you to myself…”~~
Exodus 19:14
~~“…like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young ones, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them on its pinions.”~~
Deuteronomy 32:11
For centuries, eagles have been used as reference birds in various contexts of life. The above quoted bible verses are just but some of the proofs of this proposition.
These larger-than-life birds have fascinated and inspired generations with exemplary leadership qualities. Eagles are generally seen as symbols of power, ego, freedom, prowess, independence, self-reliance and transcendence. They represent beauty, honour, courage, determination, fervour, bravery and elegance.
The author of the book of Proverbs in the Bible wonders and is amazed by some of the characteristics of this bird, the eagle. (Proverbs 30:19). Every time you watch and monitor the eagle closely, you will notice its distinguishing characteristics that set it apart from any other bird. Eagles are so outstanding that no other bird can march them. Leaders can borrow a lot from this bird of prey.
Before indulging deep into the lessons that we can venerate from an eagle, let me reiterate my statement on the introductory part of this book that everybody is born with innate capabilities to become an “eagle”. However, our environment and backgrounds may shape us otherwise.
A story is told of a farmer who took an eagle’s egg and hatched it together with a chicken’s eggs. The eaglet hatched and grew with chicks but could not fly simply because it was living amongst chicken, which do not fly.
However, as it advanced in age, it could no longer feed on grains and other chicken feeds because of the characteristics of its beak. With time, its conscience started developing, the inner locus gained control, and it started feeding on chicks. The farmer realised this and resolved to eliminate it. As he was chasing the eaglet around the homestead, it jumped onto the fence, onto a nearby coffee tree, onto an avocado tree and finally it flew away.
This story informs us that every one of us was born with great potential, particularly leadership potential, but environment and wrong associations spelt doom on us.
Let us now take a glance at the lessons that we can venerate from this great and exceptional bird of prey:
- EAGLES HAVE VISION
~~The eyesight of an eagle is what thought is to a man~~
Dejan Stojanovic
Eagles have strong and sharp vision. They can identify their prey and focus on it until they get it. Likewise, an eagle, by the power of its spectacular vision can spot an enemy from afar and deter him from approaching and encroaching to its nest to harm its young ones.
Just take your time and observe an eagle seated somewhere, or just flying over and above you. You will notice that it keeps its body still but keeps its head tilting sideways to spot either a prey or a predator.
Eagles fly at high altitudes but are able to spot their prey from as far as ten thousand feet. Fishing eagles are able to focus through the silent waters and wavy waters alike and get to their prey.
Having said this, it is important to note that great leaders were, are and will come. However, all of them have had this great quality of being visionary. Vision, as discussed earlier, is an essential leadership quality.
Take Martin Luther for instance, he had the vision of a united America without racial discrimination even at a time when everything was done based on skin colour and pigmentation. It is this vision that gave him the psyche to carry on his anti-racial crusades even when he had every reason to give up.
Nelson Mandela is another icon who has clearly demonstrated this. At a time when apartheid was the rule of the game, he arose, led by vision, to oppose it sternly. Even when put behind the bars, his vision of a free and fair South Africa never dwindled. This is why when he was finally set free from Robben Islands; he still had the heart to forgive his captors and move on to keep his anti-apartheid campaign real.
You must have a vision that leads your organization towards the organizational or societal goals. The vision must be big but focused, not blurred. Big but blurred vision is confusing and may lead to wrong directions and achievement of non-targeted goals. However, a big and focused vision will produce big results.
~~Dream big and see further! Sharpen your eyes; you have the eagle’s sight. Quicken your step: you have the horse’s limbs. You would beat all that is a burden for others several times. ~~
Israelmore Ayivor
- EAGLES ARE FEARLESS
~~The eagle has no fear of adversity. We need to be like the eagle and have a fearless spirit of a conqueror~~
Joyce Meyer
An eagle will never surrender to the size or strength of its prey. It will never surrender or relent fighting its predator. Some eagles prey on wild goats and rabbits, which are much bigger than they are. They however put a spirited fight and ends up winning over their prey. Eagles also fight their predators and enemies fearlessly.
At times snakes find their way into eagle’s nest with intentions of snatching their eggs or eaglets. However venomous or strong the snake or predator may be, the eagle will always fight them and reclaim its territory. It lifts the snake off the ground into the atmosphere and releases it to fall under force of gravity while tearing it apart. This is meant to destabilise the snake.
Great leaders will always face challenges and problems head on. Any leader who tries to circumvent and evade problems will never make it to the limelight of greatness.
~~Take charge and fight for your territory, respect and reputation. Just like an eagle, give up not. Never surrender and retreat to the cage of self-pity~~
Mung’athia Samson
- EAGLES ARE TENACIOUS
~~”There are some things you can only learn in a storm”~~
Joel Osteen
Eagles are the only birds that love and cherish the storms. When a storm starts brewing, all other birds flee and scamper for safety. They take refuge in their nests and other secure places until the storm abates. In contrast, when the storm starts building, you will see eagles coming out of their rest.
They take advantage of the storm to venture into the heights of the skies. In a matter of seconds, they glide higher without using their energy but the storms pressure.
Challenges and storms in the life of a leader are inevitable. As a leader, you need to face these challenges in order to rise to the epitome of greatness. A great leader is defined by the number of great and intensive challenges he has faced and handled. Just like an eagle, there is more that a great leader can enjoy in times of trouble than in time of peace. Take advantage of the storm and raise your leadership game a notch higher. Do not cower and get intimidated by situations and events.
~~The eagle has no fear of adversity. We need to be like the eagle and have a fearless spirit of a conqueror~~
Joyce Meyer
- EAGLES KNOW AND MAINTAIN THEIR IDENTITY
~~Eagles fly alone at high altitude and not with sparrows or other small birds. No other bird can go the height of the eagle. Stay away from sparrows and ravens. Eagles fly with eagles~~
Dr Myles Munroe
Eagles always fly with other eagles. You will never find an eagle in the company of crows. The late Dr Myles Munroe says that eagles never have time to spend with pigeons. Eagles fly high away in altitudes that no other bird can dare to venture.
Eagles do not scavenge or eat dead meat. They eat raw and fresh meat from a prey they have killed by themselves. As pigeons scavenge on ground grumbling noisily, eagles fly high and above silently waiting for opportunities to surface for them to strike their prey or soar up higher with the next tide of storm.
A great leader knows who he is and stands out to safeguard his or her identity both as a person and as a leader as well. A true leader spends time with people who are vibrant and liberal- minded. As a leader you have to spend time with change agents who can reason, make informed decisions and actions together.
A leader in the process of walking the talk should not get engulfed in the masses, lest he forgets he is a leader. A leader does not complain when followers are complaining. He leads calmly and silently, taking calculated moves only, leaving the success to make noise behind him. A great leader ought to be ahead of his followers in terms of knowledge, wisdom, and reasoning. This is what separates a leader from his followers and gives him courage and audacity to stand and lead with authenticity.
~~You become a leader when you believe in what you can do. The eagle believes it can soar; it does not believe it can swim. The day the eagle will attempt to swim will be the day it will fail~~
Israelmore Ayivor
- EAGLES POSSESS VITALITY
~~Most people don’t grow up. Most people age. They find parking spaces, honour their credit cards, get married, have children, and call that maturity. What that is, is aging~~
Maya Angelou
Despite being fearless, ferocious and visionary, the eagles find time to take stock of their past life and re-energize. When an eagle reaches an age of thirty years, its physical body condition deteriorates, making it tough and futile for the eagle to survive.
However, when this happens the eagle does not throw in the towel and succumb to the harsh realities of life. It withdraws and retreats into rocky caves or other far away hideouts, far from any perceived danger to revitalise itself. While on retreat at the hideout, the eagle plucks out it’s worn out talons and feathers using its beak. Once done with talons and feathers, then the eagle breaks off its beak by knocking it off against rocks or other hard surfaces.
For a period of about five months, the eagle remains in this state and condition until new body parts develop and grow to replace the old ones. After this recession, the eagle-now with new talons, feathers and beaks-gains energy and vitality to thrive for the next thirty to forty years.
Great leaders always consider it prudent to look back and reflect after sometime. When faced with great challenges, they do not disintegrate under the conditions but look back and check for what to drop or improve. This gives them a sense of calmness necessary to take well-calculated and reasoned out steps.
~~You will never see an eagle of distinction flying low with pigeons of mediocrity~~
Onyi Anyado
- EAGLES NURTURE THEIR YOUNG ONES TO MATURITY
Eagles are known for protecting their young ones viciously. Of the birds’ family, eagles are some of the most careful, attentive and gentle birds when it comes to guarding and protecting its eaglets. An eagle builds its nest on the highest mountain cliffs and tops of the tallest trees. The first layer of an eagle’s nest is made of thorny branches, then it lays soft branches, grass and then feathers to form the innermost layer to give the eaglet warmth and comfort.
The purpose of the thorny outer layer is to offer security, protection, and security to the eggs or eaglets against predators and other enemies that may approach its nest without its awareness. However, despite this gentleness, when it comes to training its young ones, the eagle ensures it does so with a lot of expertise.
The mother eagle gathers the eaglet on its back, spreads its wings out and flies high into the skies. Once in very high attitudes, the mother eagle swoops from under the eaglet letting it off its back. The eaglet starts falling under the force of gravity, but the mother eagle moves swiftly and catches it before it falls onto the ground. This is unique and spectacular. All other birds, when training their young ones for flight, lets them fall to the ground; but an eagle will never.
This process is repeated severally over a number of days until the eaglet learns how to fly. If the eaglet is a fearful coward, the mother eagle takes it back to the nest and start tearing it off until the only part left is the outer thorny part that is uncomfortable for the eaglet to stay. This ensures that the eaglet no longer has a comfort zone to relax. What a great character and a lesson as well?
Great leaders are those that nurture their followers to grow into great leaders of the future. They are protective of their followers at infancy but when they are grown up enough to learn, they do not hesitate to train them. They do not neglect those who they lead or leave them to learn by themselves. They train their juniors to realise their full potential and rise above mediocrity into the heights of leadership.
In the process of training, they however do not let them get stuck into the mistakes they make while in the process of learning.
- EAGLES TEST BEFORE TRUSTING
When male eagles approach the female one for mating during their mating season, the female eagle takes time to test various qualities of the males to get the best suitor to sire with.
The female eagle takes a piece of a bone and flies with it high above into the skies with all the male eagles following her. It suddenly drops it and lets the male eagles to chase after it as it falls under gravity. The first male to catch up the bone, brings it back to the female, which drops it again. The female eagle repeats the process severally until the males gets annoyed and starts withdrawing one after the other.
At the end of the day, the female is left with only one mating partner who perseveres her antics and trials. It is also important to note that once the male qualifies as a mate, it is his responsibility to build the nest and provide the vitally needed security to the mother eagle and their eaglets.
Great leaders test ideas, proposals and plans before executing or rejecting them. They also put their followers and juniors into test to know who to trust and promote on merit bases. In essence, as a leader you should treat everybody and everything with some degree of constructive suspicion. This will give you a guarantee that you are dealing with high quality persons and ensure delivery of quality results.
This is an excerpt from EXCELLENCE IN LEADERSHIP, by Mung’athia Samson
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