Leadership Lessons from the Honey Badger

Don’t let the sugary name fool you.  Recognized as the most fearless animal by the Guinness Book of World Records, the Honey Badger is a strange yet powerful creature.  This determined animal may not be a household name, but even the King Cobra fears and respects this beast.

Check out this hilarious and informational video about this crazy animal that has been seen over 52 million times:

Honey Badger Video

Besides the sidesplitting narration, there are actually some poignant leadership lessons from the Honey Badger we can all learn thanks to this eccentric creature.  The Honey Badger is:

1)   Willing to do whatever it takes.  No matter how dirty it gets, how much pain it must endure, how challenging the circumstances may be, Honey Badger will stop at nothing to reach it’s goal.

2)   Singularly focused.  Distractions are a joke for this creepy mammal.  Honey Badger remains laser-focused on the prize and can be lured away by neither threat nor temptation.

3)   Unstoppable.  It doesn’t allow setbacks, external circumstances, competitors, extreme conditions, fatigue, or laziness to get in its way.  Honey Badger forges ahead with the requisite confidence to ensure nothing can interfere with accomplishment.

4)   Fearless.  In the wild, there are countless mortal threats.  The Honey Badger can only survive by forging ahead despite these risk and refuses to let fear consume even a millimeter of its zeal.  Certainly it recognizes potential hazards, but Honey Badger sprints ahead nonetheless.

5)   Gives back.  Maybe not intentionally, but this animal’s ferocity enables others’ (crows, jackals, etc.) survival.  Honey Badger’s raw force is so powerful that it contributes back to the common good.

Life often throws us curveballs, and it is all too easy to cave under the pressure.  A timid approach can end up becoming your undoing.  A faint-hearted Honey Badger would meet extinction, just like the bashful business leaders who fail to seize their full potential.

You’ve been told to connect with your inner-child.  Instead, I suggest brining out your inner-Honey Badger if you want to win in our highly competitive world.  White doves are nice to look at, but I’ll be brining a Honey Badger to my next fight.

Isn’t it time you did the same?

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