I believe it was at the 2006 Oscars that the French made, American produced, Morgan Freeman read documentary called March of The Penguins won the Oscar for best documentary. I watched it on DVD 2 months ago and since then have been so awe struck by these amazing creatures that I have done some research of my own. I have learnt enough of these creatures to convince me that I should share these with my program participants especially during my Team Building and Change Management programs. I developed a creative 2-hour activity based on the Documentary which I have found to be extremely effective to put forward many of the critical points that I want my participants to grasp.
For those of you who have not watched March of the Penguins, allow me to give you a snap-shot of it. The Emperor Penguins are found in the Antarctica. They are bigger than most other penguin breeds. Antarctica is easily the harshest place on earth with the temperature dropping steadily to -50 C during winter. The wind there can reach up to 200 km per hour. The Emperors, it has been found, have been doing something peculiar for thousands of years. Every year, they climb on to the pack ice and walk day and night for more than 70 miles to go to a breeding ground where they will find a mate. This breeding ground is where every one of them were also born! There at the breeding ground, one of nature's most enduring role reversal takes place. After laying the single egg, the female treks back the 70 miles to the ocean to eat while the male Emperor holds the precious egg on its claws (safe from the freezing ground) and protects it from the elements. By the time the egg hatches, the male Emperors would have gone for almost 4 months without any food. They stay huddled throughout the winter. This huddle of theirs is by it self an amazing social structure. Somehow, each one of the thousands in the huddle will be able to get to spend some time in the center of the huddle where it is warmer. They do this to outlast the winter. By then, the female Emperor returns with enough food in her belly to feed the young chick. From then on, they take turns to trek up and down to the ocean to eat and to bring back food for the young chick.
What can we learn from the Emperors? Here is my list:
1. When change happens, keep moving.
2. Leadership is the function of a person not position.
3. Without team-work, we are doomed.
4. Anticipate, act and evaluate.
5. The biggest challenge is not from out there, it's from within.
I hope you have a chance to watch this documentary. The DVD version even comes with a bonus edition which shows how difficult it was to film it in the first place!
March on Emperors!
