Squeeze the Juice and Just Sit with Elephants: Lessons in Humility from the African Bush with Business Professor Dr. Ron Dulek

In this episode, I have the great pleasure of speaking with University of Alabama Professor and Author of Sitting with Elephants: Lessons in Humility from the African Bush Dr. Ron Dulek who shares how a life devoted to teaching led him to an unexpected second classroom: the African Bush! In fact, he recounts how a desire to “squeeze the juice” out of life pushed him and his wife to buy a remote home bordering Kruger National Park in South Africa, trading comfort and routine for humility, presence, and risk.

What started off as a sabbatical-style adventure evolves into a profound, years-long relationship with a wild elephant matriarch. Guided by local safari experts, Ron learned the “language” of elephants including how to approach without threat, how to read fear and trust, and how humility, not dominance, determines safety. Over time, this careful respect leads to extraordinary moments of bonding: mock charges that end in calm recognition, an elephant falling asleep nearby as a sign of trust, and repeated visits across years that defy easy explanation.

The relationship, however, is not romanticized. Ron confronts the limits of closeness with wild animals when safety, boundaries, and the “fence of respect” become essential both in the bush and in human leadership. Drawing parallels between elephants, classrooms, and corporate life, he reflects on how leaders can be close without crossing lines, and why humility is a prerequisite for trust and mutual respect.