Pineapple and Corporate Leaders – A HR Message

Only the matured leaders can lead people to success in any corporate. This is not just a statement but is a gospel. The question is how to know who is matured and who is not? Before knowing about how to know the matured leaders, one must know the possible consequences and calamities that can be caused by immature leaders if they are made to lead the organization or are put in the helm of affairs.

No one would say that they do not know anything about the fruit pineapple or would say they do not like its delicacy. Indeed, pineapple is a very tasty, juicy fruit. But know the truth that the unripe pineapple fruit is toxic and can produce worst health problems if eaten such unripe fruits raw. Nature has its own management reason and has a hidden wisdom. To get juicy, tasty pineapple, one has to allow and help the pineapple fruit to grow, mature and ripe. Only the matured/ripened fruit offers delicacy. If someone due to their impatience eats the young fruit will have to pay the price as they are toxic.

Similarly, the people with less leadership ingredients/qualities are if appointed or made to lead the corporate, can in fact spoils the organization than leading the organization to success.

Many single entrepreneurs driven corporate and those run by family units often appoints their favourites and sycophants in the helm of affairs with the philosophy that they will be loyal and hence are capable. Only outstanding quality these people would have exhibited is in the field of ‘sycophancy’ and none in the corporate can ever beats them. Such organizations will progressively perish because the people who lead the organization will not have any value or vision to lead the organization.

Such corporate leaders can only team up people against people absolutely not in the interest of the organization. The problem is not with such leaders. They are yet to mature/ripe. Once the people are properly developed/trained/mentored, may do wonderful job like how delicious the pineapple become so once it ripens.

Every subtle aspects of nature, there is a great management truth/message and wonderment. But the corporate has to decode them only then such wonderful messages can be learned. The people – people problems and boss – subordinates problems in most corporate are not due to the existence of any real problem. Only the leadership imbalances or vacuum causes the problems.

Therefore while selecting the people to lead the team and the organization must remember the management message of how toxic is the un-ripened pineapple and how it becomes delicious and juicy when it ripened. So are the leaders.

Dr S Ranganathan