Rabbits and Leadership

Running down the road in our country neighborhood, I enjoy watching the little rabbits scurry around and hop back and forth. Their colors are quite similar to the terrain with its light brown almost tanned look with an occasional branch, leaf, and a little grass creeping through the foliage. As they hop, they will suddenly stop, not moving a muscle until it is time to return to rabbit form in a seemingly random zig zag pattern. Preferring groups, they are not afraid to venture out alone, but somehow are always aware of their friends.

Cute yes. Annoying? Maybe a little. Intriguing? All the time! Rabbits are prolific little things offering much to the eco-system and finding ways to protect themselves when necessary. They move quickly with a kind of life energy that says, "We love life and approach it with happy zeal, curiously embracing our world with a dashing flare." They hop about looking for food, absorbing the outdoors and almost sense their own entertainment value to others. Yet at the slightest sense of danger, they freeze, look around, listen carefully, then without hesitation, they thump the ground and take off to another location. The thump is to warn fellow rabbits of impending danger, of the possible foe, of the need to get away quickly.

The sudden stop and remarkable statuesque pose allow rabbits to blend in with the surroundings. The advanced hearing and unusual visual awareness give them the ability to see above and around them, hearing the slightest change in sound, seeking for the source of the change in the environment. Because we see movement before we see stationary, it is often difficult to see rabbits being still due to their blending in with the surroundings.

Yet rabbits have their weaknesses as I discerned on my recent run. I came around the bend to see several rabbits hopping across the road. One froze in the way nature demands it to do, and stood stock still in the middle of the road as I ran toward it. While this would have been effective in the grass or trees, it was rather ridiculous on the road. No blending in for this guy this time. He was obviously a rabbit standing in the road. Furthermore when I was quite near and he realized the danger (I am quite scary when I run!), he thumped and took off. But thumping on pavement does nothing but hurt your paws. No sound or vibration can be experienced by other rabbits.

I find college administration to be the life of a rabbit in some ways. It is easier to stand still and do nothing, cautiously looking around for any dangers and warning others when something seems amiss. When nothing is done, I blend in the surroundings, hoping not to be noticed, making no difference in the world but also remaining comfortably hidden. Easy to do and quite innocuous, often preferred and certainly satisfying. Ah, the joys of blending in and being assimilated into the environment, of keeping a low profile and not being noticed.

But it seems to me that administration should be about leading, about finding something new, about moving forward and about discovery, curiosity, creativity, wisdom, and discernment. Of course hopping from one thing to another has little value and occasionally the wise leader should stand very still, looking for the pitfalls that exist. But very little has ever been accomplished by doing nothing. So I may hop about at times, I may stand still at times, I might even stand still in the road if I am not careful, but mostly I hope to move forward, making a positive difference for others. Perhaps this is the calling not just for administrators but for all of us.