We see motivational posters about soaring with eagles. We hear quotes like “you can’t soar with eagles if you’re hanging around a bunch of turkeys”. Everyone seems to want to be like an eagle or so they say. While many say they want to be associated with the eagles, the reality is that too many of those people have the mentality of a vulture and as you read about vultures there are two key characteristics they all have. They are scavengers, meaning they go after the scraps and they are survivors, meaning they are happy just to get by. Whether you’re a leader, manager, employee or all of the above, if you truly want to soar then you have to break free from the vulture mentality.
The scavenger – Vultures don’t attack, they don’t seek out the prize of the prey. All they do is look for the scraps and the left overs from the kill of the eagle, the lion or the SUV on highway 90. They’re perfectly happy with the leftovers. Sadly, many people are the same way. Is your organization happy with the leftovers from the leader in your industry or market? Are you happy with the few bones a customer may be throwing your way? Have you lost your vision and drive and are now just settling for whatever comes your way?
The survivor – Too often organizations and employees find themselves in survival mode. They tip their glasses in a toast of cheer for breaking even. The survivor isn’t concerned about being number one in their market, they’re quite happy in the middle to bottom half of the pack. Survivors are often too afraid to take even a calculated risk to be the best and instead go for the so called safe choice of not rocking the boat. Do you have the attitude that someone’s got to be the best of the worst, so why not me?
Moving from a Vulture Mentality to an Eagle Mentality takes a change of attitude and mindset. It also takes action. Just because you talk about new programs, processes or initiatives, form a committee and meet about it doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. Google it if you don’t believe us, but a group of vultures is not called a flock… it’s called a committee in some cases. Be proactive and take control of your organization or career and quit settling for the crumbs of the successful. Soar to the remarkable instead of going into the bunker mentality of survival mode. Speak up and stand up for excellence, accountability and innovation. Implement ideas instead of talking about them in endless meetings. Challenge the status quo. Quit settling and start thinking and acting like an eagle.
