When someone’s ignoring what we think they ought to pay attention to, we chastise them with: “Don’t be an ostrich and stick your head in the sand!”
Well, add one more thing to the list of the stuff we believe that isn’t true.
This past summer, I visited the Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch outside Red Rock, AZ,and asked them about this adage. They were happy to educate me and bust the myth … again.
From myth to reality
- The myth that ostriches stick their heads in the sand primarily comes from their first line of defense which is to stop and lie down. From a distance, when an ostrich lies down in a defensive posture, its neck is parallel to the ground. In this position and with its coloring, it appears as if its head disappears in the sand, even though it is really just lying down to see if the predator will pass by so that it won’t have to expend the energy of trying to outrun it.
- In addition, from a distance, when ostriches feed, they appear to be burying their head in the sand because they deliberately swallow sand and pebbles to help grind up their food to aid digestion.
- Ostrich eggs are laid in shallow dirt nests. Because of the extreme temperatures in their environment, parents periodically turn the eggs to control the amount of heat each
egg is exposed to. From a distance, with their heads below the horizon, it appears as though they are sticking their head in the sand.
Notice the words “from a distance” accompany each reality check. Lesson: Without getting close enough to see what’s actually going on, misconceptions are born.
Be Ostrich Smart
| Business Concept | Ostrich’s Strategy | Ostrich-ize your Leadership |
| Conserve energy | Lie down and assess before running. If required, ostriches can run as fast as 45 mpg and can sustain 30 mpg for an extended period. | Lie down.Before knee-jerking into action, stop and assess. Is this a real or a potential problem? Is it even a problem? If you let it play out, might it solve itself and pass you by? If it does need to be addressed, use the energy you conserved because you slowed down to consciously choose the best course of action. |
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Gather resources |
A gizzard needs gravel and stones in it for it to work properly and effectively. | What’s in your gizzard? Have you given people the equipment, training and support they need to work effectively? (Have you asked or are you assuming?) Do you have the right person in right role? Are different functions working together? Does trust-based, constructive conflict grind up impediments or are people scared to challenge the status quo? |
| Tend to relationships | Monitor the nest temperature and regularly turn the eggs to give the unborn the best chance for survival. | What kind of nest are you tending? Do you have a culture that values and pays attention to relationships – the foundation for results? What organizational structures make it easy for the current and next generation to support each other? What behaviors need to be stopped because they add heat? What behaviors need to be started? |
Be an ostrich. First, stick your head into yourself and understand how your behaviors determine the quality of the nest for your team. Then, with this awareness, stick your head into your business and find out what’s actually going on, especially with the people in the nest.
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