A HR message from fear of snake

In corporate, the reference or comparison of someone to snake is very common. It means, they are as poisonous as snakes, as deadly as snakes and as dangerous as snakes. The question is why snakes have earned such bad reputation than any other animals. Why so much of fear, the snakes have caused to man or man has developed against them?

Snakes are only one of the carnivorous animals in nature. If we take lion or tiger or panther or hippo or crocodile for comparison, the fear and danger these animals can cause is much higher than snakes. In single strike, a lion can kill man. Unfortunately, the comparison of lion or tiger or any other animals are never used by people in corporate.

The parasite – mosquito ranks the top in killing human life than any other living thing on earth. The question is, is snakes really as dangerous and as poisonous as, described by man?

The most striking fact is that the number of kills a poisonous snake would have made for its defense or due to fear is any day is much greater than for its food. It means a poisonous snake kill animals including man not to eat but does so as self defense or due to its fear. Whereas, the predatory animals like lion or tiger kills/hunts other animals only to eat.

Therefore, the comparison of some people to poisonous snakes appears correct, right and perfect. The people in corporate, especially the bosses affect their subordinates adversely more due to their fear than due to necessity. If some one harms the other out of their necessity, however bad it may be, does not generally cause an undue fear or complain. But if some one harms others to death purely due to their fear, such people are always viewed with fear and caution. Such people are also referred as most dangerous and deadly.

Studies have proved that about 50 – 60% of the kill of poisonous snakes are not made by them to eat. The snakes spend their poison more out of their fear than to hunt their prey. It means, the fear of snakes only has killed the lives of other animals including man than their need or necessity.

Many people in corporate do live with fear. Out of fear they cause great havoc and tyranny in corporate. Ironically if such people are made as bosses, the damages caused by them will be definitely limitless. Certainly a science is there in comparing some people in corporate with snakes. These people are deadly and dangerous more due to their fear than any specific reason. The HR function must address this behavioural component of people. The leaders have to be facilitated to blossom from confidence and not from just fear.

Fear kills the one who hold it, it kills others and also it earns a bad reputation and name to the one who holds it. Have ‘meaningful fear’ in life and sublimate your fear to ‘caution’, ‘alertness’, ‘awareness’ and ‘acceptance’, you become successful.

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