What can dogs teach us about our careers, entrepreneurship, and life? Even if you agree there’s probably a lot we can learn from them (albeit in a “12 Things You Can Learn From Your Dog” Buzzfeed-style bullshit article kind of way), there’s at least one big lesson you may not have thought of.
Each breed of dog is designed for specific functions. That’s why the breed exists, after all. But what’s really amazing is how much behavior can be encoded in a creature’s DNA. Every Aussie owner I’ve talked to has shared a moment very early in the dog’s life where it instinctually started herding a group of animals, whether chickens, cows, or small children. These dogs jump into this act with no training, no instruction, and no encouragement. They just know that this is what they were meant to do, and they seem to derive a sense of purpose, intrinsic reward, and excitement from that type of work.
Of course, every breed is different, and is suited for different tasks. You probably shouldn’t expect a St. Bernard to make a great herding dog. In addition to being a little less agile than most herding breeds, they’re susceptible to overheating which isn’t usually an asset for an animal that spends its day running around in the hot sun. So if you judge them according to their herding ability, they aren’t very effective. That said, they make excellent mountain rescue dogs. They have a great sense of smell, and are literally wired to lie down on top of people to keep frozen climbers warm.
–I’m not biased towards herding breeds, by the way. Aussies also struggle when they are thrown into the wrong situations. They are terrible lap dogs, in my experience, and can be damn-near neurotic if they don’t get a massive amount of mental and physical exercise. Besides that, many can be a little too willful for what most people want in a dog. All these drawbacks, though, are either a benefit in herding, or are irrelevant when the dog is doing the work it was designed to do.–
So, what does that mean for us humans? Well, the good/bad news is, you are basically a dog. You have a certain personality, set of interests, and collection of experiences that make you you. There are areas where you will grow swiftly, if not effortlessly, as well as those where you will struggle to scrape together the required skills no matter how hard you try. So as you might guess, whether this is good or bad depends largely on your circumstances. If you are aligned well with your natural talents, you will flourish. If not, well…. I think you know how that goes.
There is tremendous resistance to this idea in our society. And truthfully, this opposition comes from a well-intentioned place. America is a country that celebrates those who defy adversity. But the original idea, “any person can achieve greatness,” has morphed into something a lot less productive, “anybody can become anything,” and “everybody should be good at everything.” And again, no one appreciates an underdog team of misfits more than me, but that’s not what this is about. This is about people bearing down, and beating their heads against the wall trying to excel in an area they aren’t suited for. I guarantee you, these people know, deep down that it’s not a good fit. They aren’t happy, or excited, or motivated by their work. Their best efforts routinely come up short, even when they’re putting in more time and energy than anyone else in their field. Yet they think it is a triumph to go from “unsuited for their pursuit,” to “better than average” in it. All the while, they miss out on the greatness they could have achieved if they had devoted themselves to something in their own wheelhouse.
Would you send a chihuahua on a mountain rescue mission? Maybe, if you’re a sadist. But probably you’d pick the dog that was bred for it. Likewise, each person should take a look at themselves and their own talents, and look for situations that will let them put those abilities to their best use (in addition to providing the best opportunities for growth).
Society works better when you do it that way. Our strength as humans is our ability to work with people who are different from us, and achieve bigger things than we could have accomplished on our own. And it’s when we do that that we are at our best. No other species does that to the degree that we do, and never before in human history has it been more possible to make your own lopsided contribution to the group. That’s the privilege of living in a global, interconnected community of billions of other humans, there’s something for everyone.