7 Career Tips I Learned from Bees

May 20th is World Bee Day, which the UN designated to raise awareness about the impact these small fuzzy insects have on our environment and how to protect them. (Shout out to Laquesha Bailey for bringing this to my attention in the Vocal Creator's Lounge!)

So I thought it a good time to share my musings about the brilliance of bees and how they are the perfect role model for career-minded individuals.

It's ironic because I used to be terrified of bees, especially when I was younger. I used to run screaming if I heard anything buzzing, even if I wasn’t sure it was a bee. I thought they were out for blood with their poisonous stingers and that I would surely have a fatal reaction if I ever got stung. I've never been stung in my life, so I have no idea where I acquired this fear.

In recent years, as I’ve learned more about bees and what they do for our environment, my fear has softened to deep respect. Not only that, but I gleaned some valuable lessons from them that you can apply to your life and career!

Let's get down to bizzzzness! (I know, sorry!)

1. Find Your Niche

Bees are the only insects that produce foods consumed by human beings. Talk about being indispensable! We all have our innate strengths. Find out what you’re good at and nurture it!

The best way to be happy in your job is to find one that plays your strengths and encourages you to grow.

2. Go the Distance

Collectively, a hive of bees flies around the globe a total of three times to collect just 1 kg of honey! That’s about 56000 km!

In a more figurative sense, you may need to go a long way to reach your goals, but if a swarm of bees can orbit the earth, then you can make it to the top of the corporate ladder - or even start your own business if you dream of being an entrepreneur.

Keep going, and don't ever give up.

3. Bee Efficient

Bees must be expert mathematicians because they can somehow calculate the most efficient path of flowers when foraging for pollen with uncanny accuracy. Some supercomputers can’t even figure out this equation!

But you don’t need to stump an A.I. to follow their lead. Simply take the time to plot out your course.

Whether you're laying out your career goals or hashing out the best way to tackle a new project, proactive planning will help you accomplish your goals more efficiently!

4. Communicate Effectively

When honeybees have found a plentiful source of pollen, they’ll fly back to the hive and "dance" to communicate where the choice flowers are.

While I’m not recommending you attempt to communicate with your coworkers via whip and nae nae, developing your communication skills - whether by email, phone, or in meetings - is key to cultivating successful relationships with your clients and colleagues. (Or anyone!)

5. Recognize You're an Integral Part of the Team

Bees contribute to the hive when they are a few days old, cleaning their cells and even feeding younger larvae.

As they grow, they take on new roles like guarding the hive and building combs until they are old enough to leave the hive and start collecting pollen.

No matter where you are on your career path - or in life - you are part of a community, and your contributions matter. Instead of zeroing in solely on what your job functions are, understand how what you do contributes to the big picture, and you'll find yourself taking more pride in what you do.

6. Do More with Less

There’s evidence suggesting that out of all structures the bees could have chosen for their cell shapes, the hexagonal shape uses the least amount of wax. Who knows how they figured that one out, but clearly, they know how to be economical!

Get inspired by this and think of ways to do more with less at home and work. Try going paperless or ensuring you properly power down your computer at the end of the day. You could even try pitching casual days at the office to save cash on dry-cleaning bills! ;)

7. Never Stop Learning

Recent studies have shown that bees will learn to complete new tasks by observing other bees. Whatever your goals are, finding a mentor to help guide you is a surefire way to reach them!

Bees are also progressive learners who can gradually build their problem-solving skills by overcoming easier problems first. Take each challenge one step at a time, and eventually, you'll be able to take on even the biggest challenges in your career or your life!

And that concludes the many reasons why I salute the bees.

Save the Bees!

I'd like to end with a quick PSA here. In recent years, the bee populations have been floundering due to habitat loss and pesticides, which is hugely concerning considering we rely on them to pollinate our crops.

But we can help to build a more friendly environment for our buzzy friends just by planting flowers or creating little bee baths for them. (And doesn’t a “bee bath” sound like the cutest thing?)

Author's Note

If you enjoyed this story, please consider sending a small tip! You may also enjoy some of my other relevant stories below.