The Rockhopper Penguin is the smallest yellow-crested penguin. They are usually found in the sub-Antarctic as well as parts of the southern Indian and Pacific Oceans. They live on rocky shorelines and nest in tall grasses called Tussocks.

Rockhopper penguins will spend 3-5 months at sea which makes them very brave penguins since they winter in the open sea and come ashore when it is mating season.

When on land, they move by jumping over rocks, boulders, and rocky cracks instead of sliding on their belly, as most penguins do. Rockhopper penguins jump off cliffs and hop from rock to rock, jumping up to 6’ in distance on one hop. This amazing ability gives them the name “rockhopper penguins”.

So what makes Rockhopper penguins special? Their ability to always stay focused on where they are headed. Many animals have this ability, but Rockhopper penguins take a different route by hopping from rock to rock, yet always knowing where they are going and not varying from their goal.

When a leader doesn’t make the vision clear their followers could end up hopping from project to project but not actually moving in the right direction. When the leader develops a clear vision and keeps it front and center, hopping can still happen, but the movement is toward the end goal.

Rockhopper penguins ultimately get to their goal, which is typically their nest. This is a clear and compelling vision for each of them. Their ability to hop from rock to rock is strategic and as a leader when your team hops from project to project it should always be focused in the direction of the ultimate vision.