In the fall when you see
Geese heading south
for the winter flying along
in the "V" formation,
you might be interested
in knowing what science
has discovered about why
they fly that way.
It has been learned that
as each bird flaps its wings,
it creates uplift for
the bird immediately following.
By flying in a "V" formation,
the whole flock adds at least 71%
greater flying range
than if each bird
flew on its own.
Quite similar to people
who are part of a team and
share a common direction
get where they are
going quicker and easier,
because they are
traveling on the trust
of one another and
lift each other
up along the way.
Whenever a Goose falls
out of formation,
it suddenly feels
the drag and resistance
of trying to go through
it alone and quickly
gets back into formation
to take advantage of the power
of the flock.
If we have as much
sense as a Goose,
we will stay in formation
and share information with those
who are headed
in the same way
that we are going.
When the lead Goose
gets tired, he rotates
back in the wings
and another Goose takes over.
It pays to share leadership
and take turns doing hard jobs.
The Geese honk from behind
to encourage those up front
to keep their speed.
Words of support and
inspiration help
energize
those on the front line,
helping them to keep pace
in spite of the day-to-day
pressures and fatigue.
It is important that our
honking be encouraging.
Otherwise it's just
- well ..
honking!
Finally, when a Goose gets
sick or is wounded
and falls out,
two Geese fall out of the formation and
follow the injured one
down to help and protect him.
They stay with him until he is
either able to fly or
until he is dead,
then they launch out
with another formation
to catch up with their group.
When one of us is down,
it's up to the others
to stand by us
in our time of trouble.
If we have the sense
of a Goose,
we will stand by each other
when things get rough
We will stay in formation
with those headed where
we want to go.
The next time you see
a formation of Geese,
remember their message that:
"IT IS INDEED A REWARD,
A CHALLENGE AND
A PRIVILEGE
TO BE A CONTRIBUTING
MEMBER OF A TEAM"
Author Unknown