“There’s a special place in hell,” Madeleine Albright is famous for asserting, reserved “for women who don’t help each other.” Politics aside, the question of what prevents some women from reaching out and helping others arises often. The answers may well be found in apiarian allusions–comparisons between the world of bees and the world of business.
THE ROYAL JELLY
Factoid:
The larva that will become a queen is fed only royal jelly for the entire grub stage. This nutritional intake is a significant factor in determining whether a larva becomes a worker or a queen.
Application:
Examine what you have been feeding yourself, metaphorically speaking, in order to enhance your success in your field. While you may not aspire to Queen Bee status, you probably wouldn’t mind a promotion or a raise. To help ensure the outcomes you seek, decide if you need further training. Determine if you could benefit from having a mentor. If so, learn where can you find the best one. Compare your status to others in comparable positions and see if you are progressing as you should be. Consider volunteering for a special project to gain more visibility.
THE HONEYCOMB DANCE
Factoid:
Worker bees carry out a complex dance on the honeycomb to provide other bees cues about the direction and distance to nectar and pollen sources. The intensity of performance of the dance is relative to the abundance of food.
Application:
The Bee in the workplace is, after all, just one person. There is always strength in numbers and if you are not joining forces with other women to advance your own interests, you may be giving free reign to the woman who wants to dominate all. Ideally, your work environment is free from the obeisance that is given–willingly or unwillingly–to one person in particular. However, if the Bee is part of your reality, you can lessen the severity of her dominance by bringing attention to your collective efforts. Share the so-called nectar with other women. Your generosity will be returned, one way or another.
THE GOLDEN WRECKING BALL
Factoid:
Pollen is packed into a hollow on the hind leg of the actual worker bee. It is called a “pollen basket.” The basket, though, can be so loaded with pollen that the bee may have trouble flying because of the weight of the enormous golden ball in her hind leg.
Application:
“Weighty” issues have to be examined, in several senses of the word. Ask yourself if you are carrying emotional baggage that is showing you down, holding you back. Consider the “weight” of having taken on too many projects. You may be proving yourself to be more dilettante than diligent.
AN ENVIRONMENTAL PHILOSOPHY
Perhaps the best approach to dealing with the Queen Bee who may be impacting your work life comes from naturalist John Muir. He suggested we establish the kind of relationship a bee has with a flower. “Extract its sweetness,” he advised, “but do not damage it.” When it comes to working well with the queens (and yes, the kings) who may be ruling the hive we know as our workplace, take what you can from them and strive to cause no damage–to them or to others.