Have you ever paused to observe the ant at work? Able to carry up to 50 times its body weight, the ant is a powerful and fascinating creature. Ants live everywhere in the world—from the dry plains of Africa to the rainforests of South America. Some colonies build tall towering structures with elaborate chambers and tunnels while others are nomads and always scouring for the next food source. There are fire ants, black ants, pavement ants, carpenter ants, electric ants, Sahara Desert ants and even suicide ants (Yes, that is right, when losing a fight they will blow themselves up by flexing their abdomen and bursting, spraying poison on their enemy and killing them both.) Researchers estimate that there are probably around 10,000 trillion ants in the world. Wow!
Proverbs 6:6-8 states:
“Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise! Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work, they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter.” (NLT)
What might the Bible mean when it says “take a lesson” from the ant? Are we being encouraged to learn to work together? To be resourceful? To have more strength? What is it about the ant world that God says we should learn?
Here are 3 leadership lessons I believe we can learn from Proverbs 6 and the ways of the ant.
Ants as our teachers
- Ants don’t wander. Ants are incredible workers, and they are always moving towards their goal. They never wander from their task, and they dedicate their lives to serving their colony.
If you are like me, you realize that it can be easy to become distracted. To have “lazybones” days where your work ethic, parenting, or spiritual growth is sidetracked by outside influences. Proverbs encourages each of us to live and lead as God meant for us to live—with focus, conviction, and purpose.
- Ants communicate and collaborate. Through their little antennae, ants register touch, sound, and the pheromones of other ants. A colony of ants has mastered the art of communicating their plans and working together to accomplish it.
Leaders must communicate and facilitate healthy collaboration. Since we don’t have antennae, we need to learn to speak and write clearly, practice active listening, and be willing to have difficult conversations when needed.
- Ants sacrifice for the sake of the other. Verse 8 says: “they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter.” What’s amazing is that the normal life expectancy of an ant is only about 90 days; at the most, some live up to six months. If that is the case, the ants who gather food in the summer probably don’t enjoy it in the winter. Instead their labor is for the survival of others. I think there are two lessons here for us.
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- Take the long view. Sometimes we get short-sighted—anxious about how much we can get done today or judging our success by what we can see right now. Too many leaders get caught up in doing many urgent things that seem important now but that won’t really matter in 10-20 years. What has eternal value? What does God call success? Spending time with our Father, pursuing God’s ways, and building others up are all most important in the long view, but can so easily get pushed off in our busy days. So learn from the ant and take the long view!
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- Selfless leadership. How selfless is your leadership? It is easy to be tempted to focus on our own reputation or seek honor for ourselves. Or perhaps, as a leader, we want unquestioning obedience and allegiance. But Jesus says leadership in the Kingdom of God looks different. In Matthew 20:25-26, He says, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant…”
Ant Example
God has created the vast universe, including massive galaxies, our solar system, and complex ecosystems. Yet He chose the seemingly insignificant ant—a tiny six-legged creature—to teach us important lessons in leadership.
Ants make use of every moment that they have. In all their endeavors they communicate, collaborate and serve the whole colony rather than their own interests —valuable characteristics of good leadership.
Next time you see an ant, take note! Consider how they are always serving, and determine to have this quality yourself. Whenever you feel the urge to wander, give up, or take shortcuts in your leadership, remember the ant. And whatever you do, do it for the glory of God! [1]
Growth Point:
Ants can teach us a lot about leadership including the importance of communication, collaboration, serving one another, and staying on task.
Scripture Point:
Take a moment and read Matthew 20. How does the lessons of the ant compare to Jesus’ teaching about servant leadership?
Action Point:
Are there aspects of your leadership that need to be modified? What are they and what are the first steps to making productive changes? Feel free to send me a message on the ideas you have!
Here are other articles you might find helpful:
- How to Know When to Say NO
- Measuring Success by God’s Standards
- Communication Styles of Effective Leaders
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