What Octopuses Punching Fish Can
Teach Us About Leadership

Sometimes, fact is stranger than fiction!  And nature never fails to surprise us with the most bizarre.

Recently, scientists uncovered a quirky behaviour in the animal kingdom: octopuses punching fish!

“You gotta be squidding me!”

Yes, you read that right! In collaborative hunting groups, octopuses sometimes smack their fishy companions, which raises an intriguing question—what’s going on here?

It turns out, this behaviour is simply the octopuses maintaining control and ensuring that everyone plays their part in the hunt. And believe it or not, this odd scenario mirrors something we often see in leadership and team dynamics. When leaders don’t communicate effectively or balance roles, and team members misunderstand their roles or get out of line, tensions rise, and figurative “punches” are thrown!

At Kaleidoskope, we know that leadership isn’t really about throwing punches—literal or otherwise. (although it’s tempting at times!)

It’s about understanding the complex dynamics within teams, ensuring that every individual contributes effectively, is accountable and committed to the team, and avoids unnecessary conflict. Just like the octopus, a leader must balance authority with collaboration to steer their team to success.

So, how can we help you avoid the pitfalls of miscommunication and unbalanced teamwork? We offer a range of leadership development programs that focus on:

🧠 Emotional Intelligence – Learning to read and manage emotions (so you don’t feel like punching anyone, literally or metaphorically).

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Building High-Performing Teams – Ensuring everyone knows their role, feels valued and are motivated to be committed and accountable.

🗣️ Effective Communication – Making sure messages are clear, concise, and collaborative, even when things get tense, or when the hunt goes awry.

🤝 Conflict Resolution – Because even in the best teams, tensions can arise. Knowing how to resolve conflict is key to sustaining harmony.

🌱 Leading Through Change – Equip yourself with the tools to guide your team through transitions, the ebbs and flows of the waves, and ensuring resilience and adaptability in the face of uncertainty.

The next time you think your team is heading for chaos (or someone’s metaphorical “punch”), think about what a little leadership fine-tuning could do.

Curious about the octopus-punching fish dynamic?

Check out this article on National Geographic for more fun insights from nature, or these videos of the recalcitrant octopus in action: Video 1 and Video 2

At Kaleidoskope, we believe in high performing teams without the need for a sucker punch! Let us help you develop your leadership muscle and take your team to new depths of collaboration and success through our custom leadership training.