What Geese Teach Us About Leadership and Followers
By Jill Dando News
A new study from the University of Vienna has found that bold geese—not aggressive ones—are more likely to become leaders within their flocks.
Researchers at the Konrad Lorenz Research Center observed a group of greylag geese in Austria over four years.
They tracked which birds led group flights and which ones followed, while also testing their personalities for boldness, curiosity, and aggression.
The results, published in iScience, showed that bold geese were often followed when they initiated movement, while more curious birds tended to follow them.
Surprisingly, aggression did not make a goose more likely to lead—even though aggressive birds often rank higher socially.
Instead, the best leaders were bold but not dominant, offering a sense of safety during risky moves like finding new feeding grounds. Curious followers helped the group discover new places and shared information with others.
“This study shows that followers choose leaders based on trust and benefit—not fear,” said lead researcher Sonia Kleindorfer. “It challenges the idea that dominance is the key to leadership.”
The research helps us better understand how animals make group decisions—and may even offer insights into human leadership.
Read the Original publication:
Personality predicts collective behavior in greylag geese: influencers are bold and followers are exploratory. Sonia Kleindorfer, Andrew C. Katsis, Didone Frigerio, Jonas Lesigang, Dina Mostafa, Lauren K. Common. In iScience.
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