BACK TO OUR SENSES: A Lesson From Elephants
What Elephants Can Teach Us About Leadership, Connection & Trust
Thirteen years ago, during my time in South Africa, I read a book that deeply moved me: The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony. It has stayed with me ever since — not just as a story about wildlife, but as a powerful lesson in leadership, emotional intelligence, and the lost art of human connection.
The book tells the true story of a herd of wild elephants once considered dangerous and the extraordinary bond that formed between them and Lawrence through patience, consistency, and trust. Over time, this once-rogue herd began to visit Lawrence’s home regularly, simply to be near him and his wife Françoise. Not for food or protection but for presence. Relationship. Connection.
One story still gives me goosebumps: after Lawrence left to rescue animals from a zoo in Baghdad during the Iraq war, the elephants somehow knew he was returning and arrived at his home days before he did. No phone call. No GPS. Just a powerful, intuitive sense of his homecoming.
It left me thinking: In our modern, hyper-connected world, are we slowly disconnecting from what matters most?
We pride ourselves on innovation, intelligence, and technological advancement. Yet we often neglect the very systems that drive human connection our nervous system, our intuition, our ability to sense, feel, and relate. As mammals, we are wired for relationship. But in the hustle of business and life, we’re forgetting how to truly connect with others, with ourselves, and with the moment.
We may not have the seismic senses of an elephant, but we do have remarkable tools within us: body language, facial expression, vocal tone, presence. These are not soft skills they are essential skills for leadership, trust-building, and sustainable performance.
So here’s my reflection and invitation:
What would it look like to lead with a little more presence?
To listen not just with your ears, but with your whole self?
To build trust the way elephants do through consistent connection, emotional intellect, and unwavering presence?
Let’s not lose our human edge in pursuit of progress.
Let’s get back to our senses and start feeling, leading, and connecting from the inside out.
Message me to learn how you can learn how get back to incorporating this naturally in your life or into a corporate setting.