Right or wise decision?...HR must know from Cheetah

Why the cheetah and leopard avoid lion? How the Cheetah or Leopard knows the lion as threat but the same Cheetah or Leopard fight back and could frighten away a pack wild dogs or hyena? How they know when they should exhibit their strength & fight and when they should concede and retire from the scene? Interestingly a single hyena that had been scared by a pack of wild dogs easily hunts a wildebeest, the animal much larger that its own size?

Does it mean that all animals think well before they act? Is it true that they know own strength and the strength of their opponent? Is such ability/reasoning spontaneous or these animals have already converted their learning obtained either through observation or through own experience which they retrieve and use? The Cheetah runs away by leaving its hard earned meal when it sees a lion, whereas defend its kill against a pack of hyena or wild dog.

Such shift in behaviour is all about leadership instinct. The Cheetah that willingly looses its hut to a lion is only because it does not want to loose its life. Whereas when a pack of wild dogs or hyena tries to snatch its kill, the Cheetah fights back to some extent and if at all it had to loose its hunt, only due to the large number of hyenas or wild dogs.

The corporate leaders and HR people must understand the ‘mind dynamics’ of different predatory animals’ vis-à-vis different situations.

A manager will certainly fight with his immediate boss as he will have to fight otherwise his immediate boss will take undue advantage over his weakness (submissive). But the same manager may remain silent and endure all the nonsense if the ‘super boss’ (CEO or President). They never show any resistance like how they were with their immediate boss.

It is like Cheetah that tries to fend its prey against a pack of wild dogs or hyena but it drops its prey and runs away from the scene on seeing a lion. The ego of lion will not allow it to have Cheetah in the same area. Hence more than snatching away its kill, it would first attempts to kill the Cheetah. Whereas a pack of wild dogs or hyena are always interested only in snatching the kill of Cheetah and are not interested in killing the Cheetah. Therefore the Cheetah in one instance fight to defend its meal but in other instance, it escapes and never bothers about loosing its hunt (achievement).

The immediate boss cannot remove their subordinates from the organization but thee CEO’s can.

The true meaning and value of ‘life’ and ‘achievement’ are well known to these predatory animals. Imagine if the managers ever picks up an argument with ‘super boss’, it would ends up in disaster and nothing else. The ego of the ‘super boss’ cannot tolerate a manager picking up an argument with him/her. The ‘super boss’ in general wants look ‘supreme’ either by merit or by authority. In most cases, they will not have any merit and hence they excise their authority to prove their supremacy. There are so many occasions the owners of some companies have sacked their employees only because they have questioned them.

The discussion is aimed only to provide some insight to people in corporate.

Just reflect the courage and fear of a Cheetah. When the issue of defending ones achievement, one would fight but if the opponent can pose a threat to life, it is wise to loose the achievement and save life. When it is not wise to argue better say you are great. That is what most people do in corporate.

The decisions should not be taken to prove someone about your capability or your courage to take decisions, but it should serve purpose, it should be wise and beneficial.

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

Desire, Dream and Destination – Social Entrepreneur Forum