Over the weekend, a friend told me about his recent whale-watching trip near Camano Island (this island is about an hour north of Seattle).
Gray whales make a stop in Puget Sound this time of year before finishing their annual migration to Alaska.
One of the reasons they stop is to eat the ghost shrimp that populate the shallow water near the shores of the various islands in the area.
The technique they use to “fish” for shrimp is incredibly innovative.
These huge whales come into shallow water, turn on their sides, and use a side fin to stir up the bottom of the sea.
Once all the bottom creatures are dislodged, they circle back around and filter the nutrient-rich water through their baleen.
While doing this, the opposite fin to the one being used to stir up the bottom sticks up out of the water and waves at bystanders on the beach! Here is a great video of a recent siting (just watch 1:00 – 2:00).
Whales are experts at surviving, and they may have something to teach us about recruiting.
Lead generation is critical to survival. Whales can’t survive without eating. You can’t survive without a consistent flow of recruiting leads.
Leads become available through proactive work. Without some innovative work, the shrimp remain safely hidden in their crevices on the bottom. Recruiting prospects have to be dislodged, as well.
Take a page from the gray whales’ playbook and recognize you need to proactively generate leads to survive.
