The Termite Fable

A Relationship Management Fable

by Joe Sperry, S4 Consulting

In the remotest part of the African jungle, far beyond the cameras of National Geographic, there was a river valley clearing, within which lived a colony of termites. They were industrious insects, working twelve-hour days on their fifteen-foot-tall termite mounds, the architectural wonders of the jungle. From the trees they took wood and from the rushing river they took water to drink and to help make their mounds. Nearly every termite spent that time either building mounds and finding or growing the fungus on which they lived.

The exception to this industriousness was Manfred, a termite who knew he should be working more but had a ferocious curiosity. He couldn't help exploring the jungle and talking to the other animals. Those other animals, some of whom would normally have eaten a termite for a snack, liked Manfred because he was a good listener. He was also very amusing, a trait not often found in the jungle.

A nature photographer-were he ever to penetrate this deep into the jungle--would have been astonished to see a termite sitting on the nose of a lion, both of them laughing uproariously. And if he had particularly good eyes, he could have seen Manfred riding on the backs of eagles, for the birds were his special friends. 

The other termites, while looking down their antennae at Manfred's lack of industry, accepted his peculiarities because when he came back to the mounds from his wanderings, he would regale them with the tales of the forest. He was, in short, the colony's evening news program/Entertainment Tonight.

Each night he would stand in the middle of the colony stage and, using a tiny megaphone (looking like an old-time movie director), would let the termites know what the elephants and lions and cheetahs and eagles had been up to. The termites would sit open mouthed as he told them what it was like to fly on the back of a hawk or to tell jokes to the hyenas (which, Manfred admitted, wasn't particularly rewarding because they always seemed to be laughing anyway), or to ride on the ear of a full-speed cheetah, hanging on as he was bounced about.

But then one day, high above the valley and riding on an eagle, the bird, named Achilles, told Manfred a shocking story. Achilles said that the snowstorms that winter had been mighty in the mountains that contained the source of the valley river. When those snows melted, as they did each year, the eagle said, there was going to be a wall of water moving down the valley. This wall of water would almost certainly knock over the termite mounds and drown the termites. Achilles suggested that Manfred and his friends move to higher ground if they wanted to be spared.

Manfred was as shocked as only a termite can be. He wanted to rush right over and warn the colony that they would all die if they didn't move. But he was very concerned because the colony saw him as basically an entertainer and would have great difficulty taking what he said very seriously. But Manfred still resolved to try-there was too much at stake.

That night, after he told stories of the monkeys, the baboons, and a wonderful joke about the tsetse flies, he paused, took a deep breath, and said, "Now I have a story that's not very amusing because it deals with the continued survival of the colony." And the termites all leaned forward, waiting for the punch line, but it never came. Instead Manfred laid out what the eagle had told him and said, "We will have to move to higher ground in the next three weeks if our colony is to survive."

When it was clear that there was no joke coming from Manfred, the termites paused and a great humming commenced. And most of it was directed at Manfred.

"Why should we pay any attention to you-or an eagle? What kind of name is Achilles? If there were a problem, wouldn't we know about it?"

Manfred thought for a moment and then said, "Probably not, because none of us has ever been out of this valley. Only the birds know the mountains where our river starts. Why would they lie to us?"

"Perhaps the birds are jealous of us-they probably just want to own our mounds and that is why they are making up this tale." Many tiny wings flapped in agreement.

Manfred said, "I don't really know what the birds would do with our mounds-they certainly couldn't live in them-especially if they were knocked over. I really think we should pay attention to what Achilles is saying."

A larger termite popped up, "It's easy for you to say move-you haven't been breaking your back working for twelve hours a day your entire life. I'm not sure I've ever seen you lift a shovel or get your hands in the fungus…."

"It's true that I'm not much use as a worker but don't you think that warning the colony counts for something?"

One of the older termites, with graying skin, looked at Manfred and clucked. "There, there boy. You haven't been around as long as I have. This colony has been here for a hundred generations. If this thing were going to happen, wouldn't it have already happened at some point in our history? Wouldn't there be some record-or at least a legend-about it?"

Manfred replied, "It very well might have happened in our history. Even your memory only goes back four generations. Are you willing to risk the entire colony on the memory of four generations?"

"Young termite, what you are asking us to do goes against the entire history of the colony. We have always lived here. We will always live here. If you think I'm going to pick up and move on the say-so of a bird named Achilles and an entertainer, you are sadly mistaken." And again there was much agreement. Several termites toasted the old speaker with frosty glasses of fungus.

"Well, sad Manfred, "one of us is sadly mistaken. I'm afraid we shall have to see who." And then he asked,  "Is there any termite here who is willing to move to a new and higher location on the word of an entertainer and a bird named Achilles?"

There was a little scurrying as a number of termites came to the front of the stage. They were a motley group. Manfred looked carefully and was able to pick out many family members and a good number of young termites-maybe forty total.

One of the young termites looked up at Manfred and said,  "I do not know about the flood. But I would give anything to wake up and see something different. It looks like nothing is ever going to change in this colony."

There was much fluttering at this, although the other young termites standing beside him nodded their heads in agreement.

The old termite rose again, saying, "We will not let you take our young termites. They are our future."

The young termite said, "You mean that we are going to be kept prisoner here? What happens when a termite mound gets too full of termites? A group breaks off and starts building the next mound. That's all we are really doing."

"But the colony has to agree to start the new mound. There's been no such agreement here."

"If I understand what Manfred is saying, it looks as if there won't be any colony to agree on anything pretty soon. Are you saying that we cannot leave?"

This was a very touchy area for the termites. A termite colony is defined as a voluntary grouping. So it would go against everything the colony believed in to deny some termites the right to go their own way. But it was virtually unprecedented to have termites opt out of the colony. It just wasn't done. The old termite spoke once more, saying, "No, we cannot do that. Manfred--you and your group, Manfred, are free to go."

"Thank you, sir. I will ask the colony one more time. Are there others who would like to move to higher ground?" But no other termites stepped forward.

Manfred got his group together and walked everyone about twenty feet away where Achilles the eagle waited.

"Achilles, can you help us get to higher ground?"

"Of course. Show your friends and family how we do it."

And here Manfred jumped on Achilles' back and tightly grabbed on to a feather. "Always grab a feather on Achilles' back. And then hang on for all you're worth because you are going to be going on an unforgettable ride."

The young termites immediately rushed to get on the eagle's back and then realized that the older termites were afraid to make the trip and were sitting, looking up at the eagle, shivering. The young ones on Achilles talked among themselves and agreed that half of them would go with the first wave of old termites and half would go with the next wave of old termites. That way everyone would go and there would be less fear as the young ones would help and comfort the old ones.

Achilles took off and flew to one of the mountains not far from and overlooking the river and their old colony. It was a ride that none of the termites would ever forget. When all the termites were there, they scoped out a place for the mound to be built and hunkered down for the night.

In the morning everyone, including Manfred, started to work on the new mound. Even Achilles helped-be bringing large hunks of wood that the termites could use. It was still slow going, though, because there were so few termites to work on it. But morale was high. The young termites were very happy to have flown on an eagle and to be in a new place and the older termites were glad to start working in the old familiar way. In a few days they had dug the foundation for the mound and were starting to build the walls up.

And then the storm came. Lightning, thunder and winds lashed the jungle and the water started to rise. Manfred and the moved termites huddled under the new mound,   watching intently as more and more water came down the valley. And suddenly the water covered the mounds of their old colony. When the water receded just a bit, they could see that the mounds were gone, and with it, their old world. Achilles flew Manfred down and, while they were able to pick up a few survivors, everything else had vanished. The colony was gone. Manfred was never sorrier to be right.

And the new colony, on higher ground, started to increase the height of its mounds.

 Relationship Management Principles:

• Listen to what others are seeing and thinking
• Identify trends and understand their implications for your business
• Deliver bad news early
• Consult before deciding
• Communicate for action

 

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