The V Effect

The V Effect

Susan Allen
Susan Allen

 

When you watch geese fly in formation did you ever wonder what goose gets picked to be at the head of the V?  The main point! I mean come-on you must have given it at least a  passing thought . I’m Susan Allen your host of  Open Range stay tuned the reason is riveting! . Throughout our  beautiful west like clockwork you and I  are privy to the great  migrations of ducks and geese. When the sky is full of flocks and formations notice that there is  always a leader. Well at a Netherland's University animal behaviorist became determined to discover why when a particular goose would start moving others would began stirring , honking like crazy and then follow. Obviously the head  honker had more testosterone, or was of a grander  stature to achieve such clout. Wrong!  The character trait researchers  discovered is one we could use more in human society,  boldness. After a series of studies designed to identify this trait, (where for example, they put new items in front of the geese like a piece of carpeting ),  researchers discovered  that the geese that checked  out the new items were the flappers that the group wanted to follow. Of all personality traits being bold  was the one reliable  predictor of leadership.  Scientists report that small predispositions to boldness can be inherited but more important to leadership in a flock of geese  was if boldness was suppressed or enhanced at the  gosling stage. If that holds true for humans, we are in big trouble given our current  education system. I’m Susan Allen
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