BILLINGS — If you've ever thought of calling a co-worker a sloth, a sly fox, maybe even a vulture, well now you have a very valid reason to do just that, thanks to a new personality trait workbook designed by a Billings woman, featuring animals at ZooMontana.
“We think of vultures as being scavengers, and so they're taking from other people and other things. Now, when somebody takes credit for your work, it doesn't feel very good,” says Jennifer Reiser, owner of Jennifer Reiser Consulting, who led the Billings Chamber’s Leadership Billings program for the past decade.
That’s why Reiser wants you to know her workbook set, Leading in Color: Leadership Lessons from the Animal World, was her mentor’s idea that she executed after being asked to do so. The book aims to help people be intentional about leadership traits.
“This book is the land animals, and then the other book is the sea and sky animals. I've selected 24 animals in each book, two leadership traits for each animal,” says Reiser.
You can find many of those at ZooMontana, including the otter, who’s equally independent and collaborative, leading with playfulness.
“How do you infuse fun and playfulness into your work environment? Sometimes there's this thought that work is work and shouldn't really be fun, but we spend a lot of time at work, and so it's super important that we enjoy the place that we're working and the people that we're doing work with,” says Reiser.
Otters are highly social, but if you have a lone wolf or a solo night owl among the otters, Rieser says you need to take a look at your habitat or workplace policy, systems and environment to make sure it's accommodating.
“In certain settings or in certain situations, you might have to lean into different traits, and so you can pull the patience of a penguin and you can pull the courage of a polar bear,” says Reiser.
The zoo’s operations manager, Jessica Hart, and her team are enrolled in Reiser’s executive coaching for professional development.
“When you start putting leadership characteristics with animals, you start to really realize that, oh yeah, I actually do relate to that owl because I sit and think a little bit more rather than jumping quickly into something,” says Hart.
From squirrels to sloths, the workbooks focus on the positive traits.
“Squirrels are adaptable, agile, quick and efficient animals. They're just always actively looking and seeking, and as leaders, we should be doing that too,” says Reiser.
It's a workbook designed to help those seeking knowledge find a better version of themselves.
The Leading in Color: Leadership Lessons from the Animal World workbooks are around $30 for the set or $15 each. They are meant for any age group, for professional or personal settings and are available on Amazon, at the ZooMontana gift shop or directly from Jennifer Reiser Consulting.
Reiser works one one-on-one with individuals or with their teams and offers keynote addresses and workshops. The books offer writing prompts as well as coloring pages for each animal, designed to activate the right and left brain.
Photo courtesy ZooMontana for animal profile photos included within news video.
