There are many business lessons to learn from nature because business replicates nature in many, many ways. For one, they are both about winning in an environment of apparent competition - the classic “survival of the fittest” Darwinian theory. One must adapt to change or one will become obsolete and go extinct. However, in what appears to be an environment of competition with both, cooperation is the number one key for survival. In nature , plants and animals do at one level compete to survive. But what’s more evident is on a different level they cooperate to survive. From foxes following grizzly bears looking for prey, to ants cleaning up bio-garbage that otherwise would breed all manner of problematic bacteria, the evidence is everywhere. In business these same types of associations look like vendor/manufacturer relationships, marketing/manufacturing/customer service alliances, and even competitive companies cooperating to create alliances that produce a greater win for all involved.

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All manner of symbiotic relationships thrive in nature and business that at first may not be obvious, but they are there none-the-less. Could it bethat in business and in nature, the rule isn’t so much “survival of the fittest” but “survival of the givest?” Meaning that to have a symbiotic relationship with another entity, be it another company or a plant, animal, or fungus, one must give first. All symbiotic relationships begin with giving, and giving requires trust and faith - two traits the majority of modern business leaders consider weaknesses of naïve idealist revolutionaries. I’m going to suggest that those prejudices are unfounded and are based in ignorance of what truly makes life go round.

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“We are symbionts on a symbiotic planet, and if we care to, we find symbiosis everywhere.” This was said by Lynn Margulis, an internationally acclaimed botanist and ecologist. Dr. Vincent Muli Kituku, a famous business strategist once said that “your ability to thrive in your professional endeavors, at all times depends on how healthy your associations are. Your growth also means more benefits for your partners, whether employers or associates with whom you exchange ideas, services or products.”

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Take the example of a bird eating ticks off a rhino’s back. The bird needs the rhino to provide food, the rhino needs the bird to rid it of ticks. Take the example of two outdoor adventur companies providing different services. Say one provides hiking tours in the Grand Canyon and the other provides rafting trips. They may appear to be in competition, but the truth is they are both bringing people to the Canyon. They are both dependent on the success of the tourism industry, and it will be difficult for one to survive without the other.

So my challenge for you is to explore your paradigm - is it competition-oriented or is it cooperation-oriented? And regardless to begin to look for symbiotic relationships. I’m going to suggest that your success in business is in direct proportion to the number of and quality of symbiotic relationships you have developed. It may be a survival of the fittest world, but we’re all more fit when we work together.

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