How do humans resemble dolphins? What can we learn from dolphins in order to be more effective? How do sharks act? How can we use the metaphor of a shark to identify behaviors we should avoid? Let’s find out how we can learn to be "dolphins" in a sea of "sharks," another key factor to success.

Since ancient times dolphins have been symbols of spirituality, affection, happiness and excellence. The Greeks called them "angels of the seas" and now, in our times, dolphins have become a symbol of synergy, agility and intelligence.

Dolphins are mammals, as we are. When a new dolphin is born, the group or pod provides support to the mother and her newborn. We admire their speed, agility and, especially, their grace and elegance. The team spirit they demonstrate through their actions is astonishing, not to mention their extraordinary system of communication and perception.

Great white sharks, on the other hand, are quite different. Although they have an almost perfect aerodynamic design, their social behavior is aggressive and individualistic. They attack blindly and even eat their fellow sharks. They also have no air bladder to stabilize them and keep them from sinking to the bottom. They are usually seen alone and they inspire fear.

Although we must admit that dolphins have some inherent weaknesses and sharks do have strengths, we use this metaphor to compare the behavior of a competent, cooperative and productive person (a "dolphin") with the profile of a negative, hostile and selfish person (a "shark"), who adversely affects the social groups, work teams and environments in which he or she lives and works.

In this metaphor, a "shark" is someone whose behavior shows arrogance, violence, territoriality, selfishness, conformity, corruption, fear, waste, and imbalance.

A "dolphin," on the other hand, is someone whose behavior shows effective speed, innovative creativity, energetic focus, constant efforts, vibrant joy, consistent ethics, empathetic communication, winning negotiation, synergetic cooperation, inspiring harmony, and significant achievement.

Some may say, “Nonsense! We can't be perfect.” I'm not suggesting that we must all excel in every single one of these ideal behaviors, only that we must all make an effort to move towards them in our daily actions. In his book, Illusions, Richard Bach wrote, “Argue for your limitations and, sure enough, they're yours.” Instead, we must dare to look beyond our limitations.

To be a "dolphin," someone whom people admire, love, and seek out as a life partner, business partner, leader or friend, it is vital to act with humility and courage: humility to acknowledge how much of the "shark" we display in our behavior and courage to make the decision to change and improve, practicing new behaviors.

Fernando Sanchez-Arias

Tratto da: www.jci.cc