Lessons from a Master Tracker - “My job is to help you learn".”
It’s been four days since my return from two weeks in the African bush, and I’m beginning to filter through everything I’ve learned.
I spent 14 days learning the ancient skills of wildlife tracking from Renias Mhlongo, a master tracker and one of the last people to be raised in the original traditions of a Shangaan hunter-gatherer. My goal was to learn some of the skills myself, and understand how the principles and skills of tracking wild animals can apply to the way we all live our working and personal lives.
The real revelation, though, has been in watching Renias himself: as teacher, leader, sage, and storyteller. The lessons I learned from his sheer humanity will last longer than the ephemeral tracking skills I may have picked up. I’d like to share six of those lessons with you—here is the first.
Days 1 and 2 in the bush had been spent out on foot identifying and interpreting the signs left by animals as they move through an environment (“Track and Sign”), with 3 to 4 hour sessions in both the morning and afternoon.
By lunchtime on day 3, after another morning of “Track and Sign,” and with probably 30 or 40 different tracks to review and learn, my brain was completely scrambled, and I was struggling to identify any track correctly.
Renias turned to me and said, “This afternoon, we don’t go out. We are going to sit in the shade and we are going to talk about everything we have seen. I will ask you questions so that we can really understand everything we have seen.”
He followed that up with an absolute zinger: “My job is not to teach you, it is to help you learn.”
Renias is famous for casually making profound statements; I just didn’t expect to be the recipient of one myself.
He followed up with something similar much later. On our last full day, I was trailing a male leopard in river sand. Trailing leopard is extremely difficult, and I knew from the tracks that this leopard was moving fast, which meant I needed to move quickly if we were to have any chance of catching up. As a novice tracker, all these things create huge doubt in one’s mind, and I was inching ahead with Renias walking right behind me, constantly turning to him for affirmation. Suddenly, Renias called a halt to proceedings, and told me that I needed to walk 20 feet ahead of him and our two armed guides, and that I should follow the tracks alone.
“Because,” he said, “I can’t teach you sitting on your shoulder.”
Renias made both these statements as throwaway comments, made lightly as axiomatic truths.
And yet, I think about everything they imply about the way in which Renias goes about his job as a teacher:
Lack of ego: Renias prioritizes the learner's growth over his own need to assert authority. Focus on the other person: His approach centers on the student's needs and understanding.
Absolute flexibility in working with others: He recognizes that it is easier to change oneself than to change others, adapting his methods to suit the learner.
Empowerment of others: By giving space and responsibility, he empowers the learner to gain confidence and independence.
The idea of being of service: Renias embodies the principle of serving others to facilitate their learning journey.
This got me thinking: if we replaced the word “teach” with “lead,” would these statements apply equally? I believe so, and I think the sentiments that Renias’s approach belies apply as much in a contemporary corporate environment as they do in imparting knowledge in the bush.
I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments, and keep an eye out for Lesson 2!