Charles already is burned out from the challenge and many difficulties that accompany his position as a chimp executive officer when Cliff, his chimp information officer, starts swinging at the top of the conference room vine during a staff meeting. In that moment, Charles knows he has lost control. After yet another draining meeting, frustrations and insecurities about his leadership style and responsibilities lead Charles to wander off and eventually end up in North Forest. After he is welcomed by both the gorilla community and Gregory, their wise silverback leader, Charles begins observing, reflecting, and learning not only from the gorillas, but also from the events taking place around him. While discovering how to lead more deliberately, demonstrate accountability, and ask the right questions, Charles encounters a branch chief, pumps wood at the fitness center, and learns how a neighboring tribe of elephants managed to partner with the gorilla community. Leading in the Jungle shares the amusing and insightful fable of a chimp's lofty quest to lead like a gorilla as he embarks on an unforgettable journey through a forest filled with powerful leadership lessons. Leading in the Jungle A Fable of a Chimp's Quest to Lead like a Gorilla By Joseph L. Garcia Abbott Press Copyright © 2014 Joseph L. Garcia All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4582-1652-6 Contents Acknowledgements, ix, Leading in the Jungle Cast of Characters, xi, Introduction: The Leadership Journey, xiii, Chapter One: It's a Chimp's Life, 1, Chapter Two: Gregory, The Alpha Ape, 5, Chapter Three: Climbing the Corporate Tree, 9, Chapter Four: Chaos in the Conference Room, 13, Developing Your Gorilla Quotient (GQ): First Reflection, 19, Chapter Five: Gorilla Meets Chimp, 25, Chapter Six: Andreas, the Amiable Ape Assistant, 29, Chapter Seven: The Splendor of North Forest, 33, Chapter Eight: Elephants in the Neighborhood, 39, Chapter Nine: In the Midst of Gorillas, 43, Developing your Gorilla Quotient (GQ): Second Reflection, 48, Chapter Ten: Gregory's Deputy, 53, Chapter Eleven: The Learning Center, 61, Chapter Twelve: The Gorilla Way, 67, Chapter Thirteen: Ape Resources (AR), 73, Developing your Gorilla Quotient (GQ): Third Reflection, 79, Chapter Fourteen: Time to Ape Up, 85, Chapter Fifteen: The Dawson Issue, 91, Chapter Sixteen: Pumping Wood, 99, Chapter Seventeen: Winding Down, 107, Developing your Gorilla Quotient (GQ): Fourth Reflection, 115, Epilogue: One Year Later, 119, Jungle Reflections: Testing your GQ, 127, About the Author, 135, Other Books by the Author, 137, CHAPTER 1 It's a Chimp's Life It was not that he had a bad job or even disliked going to work really. However lately, things were getting to him more than normal. "Wake up, sleepyhead. You'll be late for work!" Charles rolled his eyes and then his body as he sighed to himself. "I am wide awake, Taylor, and I'm not at all sleepy. But anxious to get to work is definitely a stretch." Wednesday morning had become his least favorite day of the week because it meant the weekly staff meeting. "Hump day" was more like "Chump day" or, to be more exact, "Chimp Day." His wife, Taylor, was humming to herself as she often did in the morning. Charles slid into his chair for breakfast while glancing at the South Forest Forum newspaper. "Do you have a busy day, dear?" Taylor served his favorite morning meal of bananas and ants. "No, hon, nothing special," Charles replied. Why bring her down? he thought. As Taylor poured him a cup of coconut juice, Charles read the front-page article about his company's new undertaking of enhancing South Forest's communication system. He was the chimp executive officer, or CEO, at CHange and Innovation Makes Progress (CHIMP) Incorporated, and his team was on the hook to complete the important project on time and on budget. The beta phase was almost completed, and they were soon entering the final project phase to stand up the new communication system. The modern-day venture, labeled "Virtual Vine," would revolutionize the way chimps communicated with each other across longer distances. For close-range conversations (and Taylor had plenty of those around their tree neighborhood), chimps could merely stick their head outside the hut and talk without any problem. The challenge was conversing with chimps living in trees that were not in their immediate vicinity. For that type of communication, they had to do what their ancestors had been doing for over a hundred years by swinging on a vine across the jungle forest until they landed at the hut of the chimps with whom they needed to communicate. The South Forest chimp population was growing at a fast rate. Over the years, as chimps mated and had infants, the community was expanding out toward the northern part of the forest. Maintaining a basic communication channel among chimps was only one of numerous challenges they would face in the future. The chimp soci