Always a hunter is paid high, while the hunted pay its life- HR message from Sparrow and Eagle

What a sparrow and an eagle would remind us if we look at it from the corporate context or corporate scenario? Certainly the bird –myna also fit into the space of the sparrow while trying to find an answer to the above question.

Sparrow and myna are always busy, certainly busier than the eagle. They are like ‘sales people’ in the corporate. They work day in and day out but, get paid little. Most of them are always likely remains ‘small’ in the organization like a sparrow or myna in nature.

On the contrary, the eagle is like a CEO, always or mostly resting, rarely work, and its only work is to hunt and eat other animals in nature. This definition may fit well for some CEO’s not all, in most corporate. Eagle like CEO’s do exist in plenty, mostly in one man guided corporate.

Eagle work less and will be mostly watching for a weak and or un-alert prey to hunt. So are some CEO’s, do little, always take rest and taking rest even during ‘the busiest day. Indeed they are ‘the big people’ in any corporate. They are also paid very hefty salary.

Reflect the above simile and get the right management message. The universal law is that ‘always the hunter is paid high, while the hunted pay its life’.

While creating different species of life, nature indeed has set and left several examples and insights for the corporate man to learn and understand. In any corporate, the sales people are the one who work the most and generate revenue for rest of the people in the corporate ‘to eat and become fat’. But mostly they are paid relatively less salary. However, the sales people enjoy plenty of job opportunities in the business world like how a sparrow or myna can find plenty of food for them in nature.

Another management insight also the sparrow and myna tells to the corporate. How much ever food is available for the sparrow and myna and how much ever food they eat also, they remain same.

Most of the sales people play several ‘tricks’ in their expense statement and make enough gains. But unfortunately, they remain as small as a sparrow or myna in their mindset and always look for an opportunity to ‘run, count and prepare the meter readings’.

On the contrary, the eagle knows only to rest and hunt. So are some CEO’s in most corporate. The two important activities the CEO’s generally engage are

1. Resting

2. Hunting

They are largely driven by the eagle instinct. Eagle is a predator and so are some CEO’s.

Ironically, the sparrow and myna also knows how to escape from an eagle. Eagle generally never chase or hunt these two birds as they are too small a meal for eagle. This is the reason why, most CEO’s seldom attack the sales function than the marketing function.

The purpose of the article is not to malign sales people or CEO’s. But to invite them to introspect and see how true is the message conveyed by the sparrow and eagle. Eagle cannot stop hunting and sparrow cannot grow big, but people in the corporate can indeed change their attitude and can grow to any level.

The intention of the article is to bring a change, a change that would add value to the self and the corporate. Unless people know what is as ‘what is’, only then they can change to what it should be. Let the sparrow and eagle serve you with the necessary management insight.

Dr S Ranganathan, ClinRise Derma Pvt., Ltd.