Prepare for the presnet and prepare for the future… learn from kangaroos, dear corporate

Wise preparedness and best preparations are inevitable for success in every walks of life and more so in corporate world.   Therefore the preparation for success should have two important dimension viz.,

 

1. To accomplish the present task
2. Get ready with future task

 

More often than not, the people in corporate get lost in the present task and its completion and seldom think or plan the future assignments.  Only after completing the present task, they plan/think about the future task.  As a result of that, they create a huge gap between the present and the future.  The corporate people must realize that the future is only the extension of the present and hence their preparation must encompass both the ‘present and future’. 

 

Also to clarify all doubts of the corporate man about the planning and preparation, perhaps the nature would have created the marsupial animals – kangaroos. 

 

Kangaroos follow a very unique reproductive biology.  The female Kangaroos are known to have joeys in the marsupial pouch and simultaneously will have fetus in one uterus and an egg (ova) ready for fertilization in other uterus as the Kangaroos have two uteri and three vaginas.  In a sense, the female kangaroos are permanently pregnant.  

 

Look at the marvel of nature.  Most of the animals produce offspring and get ready for the next only after a small rest period.  Whereas Kangaroos Never wait to complete the present assignment to get ready for the next, so on and so forth. 

 

The corporate must learn the correct management message from the above example of nature.  Corporate must always plan well.  Certainly plan to complete the current task and also must be ready with newer plans like how a female kangaroo while nursing her joeys in the pouch, carry fetus in one uterus and release a new egg for fertilization in other uterus. 

 

The reproductive uniqueness of Kangaroos should be taken only as an example.  Definitely, the female kangaroos have two uteri and three vaginas and hence it is possible for them to be ‘permanently pregnant’.     The message of nature is that how the corporate people should plan for success.  When one engage deeply in ones task, remember to get ready with newer tasks once the current task is completed.  Only then the time and resource can be ‘judiciously’ used.    Only when the corporate has strong vision and passion, such planning is possible, otherwise they will just live for the day. 

 

It is not, knowing but learning is important.  Learn from the reproductive biology of Kangaroos and have your best management wisdom for success.

 

Dr S Ranganathan, ClinRise Derma Pvt., Ltd., Chennai

Know the equation of mongoose and rats…a HR message

‘Habit and habitat’ differences of different people working in the organization, the corporate leaders and the respective HR function must understand and only then they can effectively setup of the hierarchy and organizational chart.   This knowledge is well known to the nature and so is, to many species of animals and plants, especially to the mongoose and rats.  Habit of people is nothing but the basic instinct and hidden aspiration and habitat is nothing but the expertise and educational qualifications.

 

In certain countries, the mongooses were introduced to check and control the rat population as rodents cause incalculable harm to humanity.  Mongooses are known to live in burrows like most rats.  Further, mongooses also lives in the same habitat of rats like the agricultural fields, human dwelling areas etc.  Mongooses are carnivores animals live by preying upon other small animals including rats.

 

Therefore, it is naturally for any wise person to think that when mongooses are introduced, naturally they would end the regime and atrocities of rats in the given area.  If we carefully analyze the above logic, hardly we can find any blemish/lack of understanding.   Mongooses are predatory animals, they hunt rats, they live in burrows and finally they also absolutely share the habitats of rats.  But the result was not that encouraging after the introduction of mongoose.  After introduction of mongooses, the population of rats in fact only has increased and not declined.  Only after a detailed study it was understood that there was a small error/flaw in the understanding and that only has caused the entire confusion and chaos.  

 

The ‘habit’ of rats was different from that of ‘mongoose’.  Mongoose is diurnal (active in the day) animal while the rats, on the contrary, are active in the night (nocturnal).  When mongooses were introduced, the animals started killing the snakes, the natural enemy of rats in the given area.  If mongooses have to hunt rats, either they have to become nocturnal or the rats have to become diurnal.  When the natural enemy of rats – the snakes is removed, the population of rats would naturally grow. 

 

The management message is that, the corporate must understand the ‘habit and habitat’ of different people.  Only when such differences are understood, an effective hierarchy and boss-subordinate system can be established.  The corporate or the HR function should never approach the issue of people management casually.  Must understand all intricate aspects, however subtle and silent they may be.  Otherwise they would end with the story of engaging mongoose to check the population of rats.  The results become negative, disastrous and against the expectation. 

 

Knowledge and knowing must be done completely and thoroughly and not just superficially.  Otherwise, the intended and achieved results would go totally contradictory to each other.  Nature always serves best examples to the corporate to learn.  Let the corporate wisdom flow from mongoose and rats as well.

 

Dr S Ranganathan, ClinRise Derma Pvt., Ltd., Chennai  

HR message from ‘trapdoor spiders’…

HR message from 'trapdoor spiders'….

HR message from ‘trapdoor spiders’…

The trapdoor spider is a spider (arachnoids), instead of building webs like many other species, build/make ‘trapdoor nests’ in soil.  In fact, they teach a very important management message to the people in the corporate world.  The message is that one has to understand things well before one act.  Only when one understand or learn or know things well before doing, such acts would bring/yield the desired results. 

 

The trapdoor spiders are extremely smart.  They do not seem to waste their effort unless the success is certain. They wait in their trap patiently watching for the prey.  The moment they recognize the prey, in mille seconds, they come out of the trap, catch them quickly and drag the prey inside.  The prey, before even recognize the danger, gets dragged inside the trap by the spider.  It is said that 9.9 out of every 10 attacks/attempts, the trapdoor spider wins in catching the prey.  It is so perfect, sharp and smart. 

 

The reason being it understands first about the prey, its distance etc., and only then it acts.  Imagine, if it fails to understand and acts, much of its prey would easily escape.   Unlike other spiders, where the web can trap the prey, the trapdoor spider can have its prey only if the prey walks into its trap.  Such opportunities are relatively rare.  Hence, such opportunities, the spider cannot afford to slip or miss. 

 

The message to be learned is that the opportunities will not come like waves in the sea where if you miss one, another would follow and so on and so forth.  One has to be smart, sharp and quick.  Above all, one has to understand things well before resorts to act.   

 

Unfortunately, most people in corporate always engage in busy actions/doing things.  They want to do things continuously than think.  They invest least time for thinking and understanding than doing.  It is otherwise called as lack of planning.  By doing so, they not only waste the resource, time and effort but also a wonderful opportunity. 

 

The trapdoor spiders are extremely patient.  They are also alert to understand the opportunity and only then they acts.  Instead of being busy, be patient, listen, learn and then act, you will be successful is the management message, the nature conveys to the corporate through the small spider.

 

The extraordinary success rate of trapdoor spider, no other animal in the animal kingdom would have ever achieved.  In fact, this small spider tends to ‘know’ the opportunity (understands the prey) than ‘seeing’ and then acting, like most predatory animals.  One has to understand the fact that it is not seeing but understanding is essential.  From understanding, one can learn and with the learning when one acts becomes successful.  Therefore be busy in knowing, learning and understanding than just doing.

 

Dr S Ranganathan, ClinRise Derma Pvt., Ltd., Chennai

Sensitivity and corporate success

By being sensitive or having high level of sensitivity is not enough for success.  Then what?  Most of the corporate trainers emphasize and ask the people to be sensitive, assertive, proactive, pragmatic and articulate etc.  Fine, if one is sensitive and also shows high level of sensitivity, is that enough?  It is not me, only the nature has posed such question to the corporate.  Exhibiting high degree of sensitivity and responding sensitively are not the same, according to nature.  Hence, the corporate leaders have to teach people to respond sensitively than just disposing and exhibiting sensitivity.  Only when one is sensible, could respond sensitively.

 

Look at the plant ‘touch-me-not’, which is botanically called Mimosa pudica.  This plant is a member of the big legume family, family Fabacea.  The gigantic trees like rose wood, rain tree, Acacia etc are the real cousins of the plant – touch-me-not. 

 

The touch-me-not plant has thorns.  It is a creeper, grows on the ground surface.  It has developed high sensitivity may be only to exhibit its sensitivity.  A gentle touch or sound is sufficient to make the plant to rapidly fold its leaves.  It responds quickly to an alert by folding its leaves and remains there.   This may be one of the reasons why the plant touch-me-not remains the same despite having high level of sensitivity.   May be (hypothetically), only because of the ‘sensitivity of this plant’, its other cousins would have evolved and grown as tall trees.  Or, nature wants to leave a best example for the corporate man to learn and hence the plant touch-me-not remains the same.

 

One has to derive the right message from the above example.  Many people in corporate exhibit high level of sensitivity.  They may come up with different probabilities and possibilities.  May make several predictions about market, competition etc.  Unfortunately, they do not follow nor will take appropriate actions subsequent to that.  By being sensitive in knowing about the reality is one thing but one also has to respond sensibly by having adequate preparedness.

 

Otherwise one has to remain the same in spite of having all qualities essential for success.  Ability is not just for knowing the danger in advance and avoiding it but the ability also has to help one to become successful by defeating such dangers.  Otherwise the ability shall become ‘just’ an academic wisdom.  One has to convert the academic wisdom into usable wisdom and that is what the nature conveys to the corporate through its creation of touch-me-not plant. 

 

Learn to be sensitive simultaneously also be sensible.  Sensitivity only defines how one is responding or how one should respond to a situation.  But from such responses, what course of action one proposes to make in future is determined only by ‘sensibility’.  Learn to have both the qualities. 

 

Dr S Ranganathan, ClinRise Derma Pvt., Ltd., Chennai 

Be like a toad in your corporate

The scientists from Australia have recently discovered the most curious fact about toads, that the toads (an amphibian animal, closely related to frogs) can sense the impending earthquake much before, in fact, many days in advance.  

 

The discovery further revealed that, they exhibit several behavioural responses as a result of forthcoming seismic changes.  Is it a mere scientific discovery holds relevance and meaning only to the scientific community or it also conveys some strong management message to the corporate world?   Indeed, the corporate has lots to learn from the above discovery, sometime, much bigger message than what the scientific community has to.

 

The scientists say that, the toads that usually reside beneath dead logs, marshy places etc are gently different from frogs by being slow in their locomotion.  The toads prefer to walk than hoop or jump, like most frogs.  May be, because of this innate limitation, the toads would have evolved with such rare sense of knowing/recognizing the arrival of an earthquake in advance through many signals that are not easily known to humans.  Only then the toads could move to a safer place.

 

Many people in corporate may appear like toads, slow and not so swift in their responses.  Possibly such people are described as ‘dull headed’ and ‘least effective’ people by the corporate.   Due to such dull repute and recognition given to such people, no one listens to them in general or would take them seriously.   For anything and everything the corporate always banks on the so called ‘intelligentsia’ or ‘thinkers’ and never take the help of the so called the slow ‘toads’. 

 

The ‘so called slow toads’ in corporate may predict certain facts better and accurately than the ‘intelligentsia’.  Their reflection can be true, authentic and free from any interpretation or narration.   The corporate leaders must learn to understand the message straight from the signals or the cues than interpreting or defining them.  The average people can provide such signals more accurately than the ‘intelligentsia’. 

 

Like the scientists how smartly have discovered the rare genius of toads in sensing the earthquake in advance, the corporate leaders also must develop capability to decipher the message and meaning communicated by the ‘slow and very average people’ in the organization. 

 

Most of the time, the ordinary people can provide an extraordinary message.  But such an extraordinary message is not being available to most of the corporate leaders purely due to the indifference and pre-conceived notion of the corporate leadership. 

 

How one appears to us may not be real, in real sense.  The extrapolation and opinion of the sear (the one who is seeing) also contributes to how others appear to him/her.   Hence, more often, what one see is only an extension of what one wants to see in others.  

 

Be an investigator and scientist in your approach, look for meaning and difference with agog, abandon your conclusions and prejudiced views is the strong management message the corporate has to derive from the recent discovery of Australian scientists about the ability of toads in sensing an impending earthquake convey. 

 

Dr S Ranganathan, ClinRise Derma Pvt., Ltd., Chennai   

Parsimonious parent…learn the HR wisdom from crocodiles

Parental care instinct is poor and primitive among reptiles when compared to mammals and wide variety of birds.  The crocodiles are the best example for the limited/parsimonious parental care instincts and responsibility shown by different reptiles.  If we read the above lines with limited understanding, only half truth would emerge and even from the half truth, the modern corporate has lot to learn.   Indeed, the crocodiles have a point to prove to the corporate. 

 

Crocodiles don’t incubate the eggs like birds.  They dig a pit in the soil and burry the eggs.  The eggs would later hatch out.   The crocodile always ensures that its nesting site is closer to water so that the baby crocodiles can quickly reach the water.  Because of the large number of eggs the giant reptile used to lay, naturally the large number of baby crocodiles do emerges out simultaneously.   Most of the baby crocodiles easily find their way to the stomach of its predators during its journey from the nesting site to water.   The irony is that how the crocodiles are the most ferocious predators on earth, so are the baby crocodiles, the most favourite prey of many predatory animals. 

 

The interesting management message to be learned is that although the mother crocodile does not incubate and hatch out the eggs, but it do help the baby crocodiles to safely reach water.  The mother crocodiles used to carefully gather and carry the baby crocodiles in their moth and release them safely in water. 

 

Imagine the jaw powder of a crocodile is unmatchable.  No animal in the entire animal kingdom has such powerful jaw force.  With such jaw force, the mother crocodile carefully and safely carry the babies in their mouth.   If the mother does not render such help to the baby crocodiles, none of the baby crocodiles would ever escape the predation. 

 

The management message is that the mother crocodile, although does not engage in parenting and ‘caring’ the eggs like many other animals, but never fails to render  ‘help’ the babies when such ‘help’ is absolutely needed. 

 

The management message is that even if one does not care others, but should not refrain from helping them when needed.  Help them even if you don’t care them is the message perhaps the nature wants to convey to the corporate through its creation of crocodiles.

 

Most people in corporate remain indifferent and render no help to others when they holds no responsibility to care them.  One can remain careless to a reasonable extent but cannot and should not remain indifferent and rendering no helps to others especially when others remain helpless.   Guard and help even if you don’t care. 

 

Every corporate employee must help and guard the interest of the corporate and its overall welfare even if they don’t care. 

 

Dr S Ranganathan, ClinRise Derma Pvt., Ltd., Chennai

Worry or wise….choice and being choiceless, a corporate wisdom

Most people in corporate often yell and complain as they have no/limited choices and hence they have endure lot of problems and suffering.   It means, if one has variety of choices, there will be no complaint or grief in life and hence the scope for suffering also shall be less/remote.  

 

Is it true, multiple choices really minimize ones sufferings and problems?  Or the multiple choices are the result of certain problems? 

 

Look at the life of bears.  Bears are omnivores animals (eat both plants and animals as food).  Whereas the lion, tiger etc., are strictly carnivorous (meat eaters) animals and similarly the deer, zebra etc., are strictly herbivorous (plant eaters) animals.

 

The bear being an omnivorous animal has wide choice of foods viz., plants and animals (deer, fish etc) when compared to herbivore or carnivore.   Bear eats, grass, root tubers, hunts deer and other animals and even catches fish etc.  Interestingly the bear is the only (?) the ‘big mammal’, that hibernates (winter sleep) during winter.  During hibernation, the rate of metabolism, heart beat and other physiological activities slows down significantly. The animal goes to deep slumber for months, continuously.  During hibernation, the bear also will not eat, drink or excrete.

 

On the contrary, the strictly carnivores animals like lion, tiger, cheetah or hyena etc., does not hibernate.  So are the herbivorous animals like deer, zebra, hippo or giraffe etc.  

 

The question is why when the bear has such wide choice of food has to suffer the scarcity of food and hibernate?  Whereas the obligate carnivore and herbivore do not undergoes such process.  Does it mean, the obligate carnivore and herbivore never suffer from scarcity of food?  The animals that hibernate or aestivate (summer sleep) are the ones does so only when the food is scarce and condition is extremely bad (too hot or too cold).   

 

The evolution has a different management message to convey to the corporate world.  The broad choices always come from scarcity and not from abundance.   Further, the broad choices also come only to overcome the weakness/limitation and hence such ability should never be considered as strength by itself.  

 

May be because of the broad choice, the bear, for example would have adapted to live even in the ‘polar region’.  Since they employed the omnivorous choice they could easily and successfully live in polar region.  When the scarcity of food and adversity (winter) overpower the ‘broad food choice’ (omnivorous) of the bear, perhaps they would have developed another choice – hibernation to the deal such adversity. 

 

The management message to be learned by the corporate people is that never grieve over the limitless choice of someone.    Similarly, never feel sad for the fact that you are left with limited/few choices. 

 

Further, never treat that having abundant choices is sign of strength.  It may offer strength but such ability is only the outcome of some possible limitations.  Work towards your success and never count on the variety of choices either you or other may have.  Choice is only a ‘means to success’ and the choice by itself never can make one successful is the message the corporate people have to learn from the omnivorous bear.  Not the choice, but what you choose only is important.  Let you be hence, wise. 

 

Dr S Ranganathan, ClinRise Derma Pvt., Ltd., Chennai    

Corporate management wisdom of bear cubs

Sooner you learn the art, sooner you become successful is the management message the bear cubs reveals to the corporate world.  The young animals, be it cub, calf or pup or fawn or lamb etc., are the soft and easy target of most predatory animals.  That is why the parental care and parental instincts are high among most animals including humans.    Further, many species of animals invest a lot of time and effort in parental care and brood care.  However, the responsibility caring and guarding the young ones is not the sole and the only responsibility of the parents.  The young ones also must learn the art of safeguarding themselves. 

 

For the bear cubs, learn quickly to climb onto tall trees is the safest and easiest option to save their life.  Hence, as soon as they are born, they quickly learn the art of climbing onto to trees even on the trees that are completely vertical.  The long claws help them to hold onto the tree trunk while climbing.  As soon as the cubs see the predators like wild dog or hyena, they immediately climb onto a tree.  Faster they climb up a tree, safer they become.   This self defense is required for the cubs only when the mother bear has gone out in search of food after leaving the cubs alone near the den.  When the cub climbs up a tall tree, the predatory animals find it hard to catch them as they cannot climb trees. 

 

The message is clear.  The people in corporate must climb the ladder of hierarchy quickly and must occupy the higher position soon and only then they become successful.  Like how it is the responsibility of the cub to quickly climb up the tree and must learn and perfect the art of climbing the tree fast, the people in corporate also must perform smartly and strategically and must find their way to reach the top position.   Unfortunately, most people get stagnated in the middle and lower manager level designations even at the age of late forties and sometime may continue in the same position till superannuation.   As a result of this career stagnation, they feel highly insecure and scared like the plight of a bear cub on ground especially when the predators are near. 

 

The management messages of the bear cub are

 

1. Learn quickly the art of success instincts
2. Reach the top quickly

 

It is not when an opportunity is known and absolute, one should try ones luck, but instead one should make it happen especially when there is threat, insecurity, least options and lack of help and support, and become successful.  The bear cubs quickly climb the tree top only when they are helpless (the mother has left them alone and had gone out in search of food) and are further threatened by the predators. 

 

It is not filling up an opportunity that exist in the corporate is called ones success but creating an opportunity through ones merit and talent only defines ones success.  Only such success would take one to further success. 

 

The people who stuck at some levels/designations must necessarily learn the management message of the bear cubs.     Never look for an opportunity and never look for godfather or help or support from your corporate.  But learn the art of being successful and put your merits and talents to full use when situation is bad and uncertain and become successful.      

 

Dr S Ranganathan, ClinRise Derma Pvt., Ltd., Chennai