Wibo Feijen, CEO of SLE, describes himself as a wolf in leadership style. “The strongest wolf always keeps behind the pack to steer and to encourage the group, and that’s how I try to run my company.” The key is to visualize your company as if it were a wolfpack – but why is this style of leadership so important?

1. Be communicative

Wolves are social animals who communicate necessary information to those around them. They use howls to call out to their pack or snarls to fend off unwanted visitors. We don’t walk around howling in our offices, but we do hold regular meetings with employees and make an effort in communicating what’s going on to everyone on our team. Many companies have high profits or a large number of customers, and still see themselves failing, all because they forget how crucial communication is within the team itself. Ofcourse, as we’ve previously discussed, communication with your client is vital, but being communicative to solely customers and not your own team works counteractive. A pack can act as if it has a strategy, but if only a few know of that strategy, you’ll end up with strays who might destroy the mission altogether!

2. Be collective

A wolfpack has a collective mindset. The wolves share the same goals; one mind and one mission. Surround yourself with people who are talented, ambitious and like-minded. Working with people who have the same values and sense of urgency makes working together so much smoother. When people share the same mindset, they’ll want to work towards the same direction. Everyone has plays an equally important part in the company at SLE. In doing so, we put everyone’s talent to good use. In order to successfully achieve company goals, your pack needs to work together and be headed in the same direction, which is something we try to implement and encourage everyday

3. Be hungry

No matter the friendliness and familiarity within a wolfpack, a wolf is a hunter. He will go after his prey, instinctively solving challenges in order to get closer to the win. You might have a large amount of potential customers, but if the competitors get to them first, you’ll have missed the catch! And in order to catch your prey, you need to be fierce and determined. In order to be successful not only in business, but in life, you need to stay hungry.

Being a leader doesn’t mean running ahead and pulling the group forward, it means staying behind the group and steering them. Visualizing your company as a wolfpack is the best way to ensure stability and growth. “For the strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack (Rudyard Kipling).”