About the MalleeFowl

One of the ways I keep my creative edge is to travel. In 1998, I spoke at the Australian Association of Psychological Type's conference in Brisbane, Australia. In doing some research before my trip, I discovered that Australia has many amazing animals with fascinating stories about surviving in changing environments. One bird that particularly intrigues me is the Malleefowl.

The Malleefowl, which looks like a large pheasant, does things very differently. Known as the bird with the built-in thermometer, it can serve as a metaphor for a creative leader. In the autumn, the male digs a deep hole. He and his mate fill it with leaf litter and then use soil to build a large mound up to 22 meters in circumference. While the female is occupied with laying eggs in the mound, the male is busy maintaining the mound's temperature at roughly 33 degrees C so that the eggs can incubate and hatch. He uses his beak to monitor the temperature in the mound. He adds or subtracts soil from the mound in order to maintain the right temperature.

When the egg hatches, the chick has to fight its way to the top of the mound. After reaching the top, it is able to run within two hours and fly within 24 hours. The chick is on its own, since the adult birds provide no parental care to their offspring. Many don't make it, because of animal predators and the clearing, grazing, and frequent burning of their habitats by humans. In fact, the Malleefowl is now classified as "rare or likely to become extinct."

As a metaphor for the creative leader, the Malleefowl offers interesting comparisons. Working persistently to build the right culture and then to keep the right "temperature" for teams and individuals to flourish are key roles of a team leader. Letting creative ideas hatch on their own and recognizing that not all will survive are part of the creative process.

Metaphors are helpful in contrasts that don't work as well. The life of the Malleefowl is a lonely one, in addition to a hard one. They take little nourishment and they are threatened with extinction. Hopefully that's not your story as a creative team leader?

Over the past several years I have contributed no less than 1% of the net profits from my consulting practice to preserve this amazing animal and its habitat, because I believe that Malleefowl preservation is more than saving one more unusual bird. It's about conserving the total biodiversity of our planet. According to Susanne Dennings, Coordinator of the Malleefowl Preservation Group in Ongerup, Western Australia, "we are a small band of wheat and sheep farmers who are concerned about not just the Malleefowl but our own long term planning for more than just tomorrow!"

For more information on this fascinating bird and the efforts to preserve it:

Malleefowl Preservation Group Inc.,
Post Office Box 29 Ongerup 6336, Western Australia

Tel: 08 9828 2007
Fax: 08 9828 2018

Email: malleefowl.wa@wn.com.au
Website: www.malleefowl.com.au