Entrepreneur’s trap

Most entrepreneurs, corporate leaders and celebrities, in general, suffer a lot from loneliness even when they are in the midst of a crowd. Do they suffer isolation or solitude or a resolute state? This is mostly because with time the people encircled them for own self-gratifications would disappear once the importance of these leaders is lost.

Do such similar situations happen in nature also? When a tree grow to a huge size, the surrounding space beneath the tree canopy is greatly preferred by many shade loving and co-dominant trees/plants as the soil beneath would be very rich in organic manure due the decomposition of fallen leaves, good moisture retention in the soil due to the shade and some level of protection for the plant during its early growth. In most cases, no co-dominant trees could outgrow the huge tree. The reason being is that the under storey and middle storey in most cases are occupied by weeds and climbers. These weeds and climbers never let the fertile space to be used by other co-dominant trees and hence other co-dominant trees could rarely grow well.

It is generally believed that the tall trees never allow other tall trees to grow below them. But it is not true. The weeds in the under and the middle storey only inhibit the growth of other dominant trees.

The coterie or the core group of people of the entrepreneurs or the celebrities in general never let any other good people to enter the space or become important due to their exemplary merit. The core group sycophants always create some suspicion on the motive of the newcomer and keep the space fully and continuously reserved for the people within the coterie and not for the new entrant.

If an entrepreneur gets into such spider net created by his core team, the organization would suffer greatly. Many organizations failed to grow beyond a level purely due to the influence of such coterie. Every decision and planning are done by the entrepreneurs are generally done only due to the influence of such coterie.

The coterie will have their specific interest to serve and hence all their influence or interventions will have ‘self-serving interest’ more than the interest of the organization or its people.

Entrepreneurs, celebrities and other tall leaders need to be very vigilant and skeptical about the people in the coterie and how they can influence various decision processes and ruin the organization or image. If the lower storey and middle storey of a giant tree are filled by weeds and climbers, it is natural the giant tree cannot do anything to prevent them. But in the case of the lower and middle storey of the entrepreneurs are occupied by self-serving selfish people can be eliminated by the entrepreneur because only with their consent such people encircle them. Hence, they alone can do something to change the state of affairs.

S Ranganathan