Why the Embryo of Fish, Frog, Bird and Man Looks Alike – A HR Message

Embryos of all vertebrates look identical or similar in the early stage of growth. A vertebrate is a group of animals that have backbone full developed such as fishes, amphibians (frogs and toads), reptiles and birds and mammals including man.

The early stage of an embryo of all these groups of animals curiously looks alike. Only when they grow further, they differentiate to fish, frog, reptile, bird or man. In essence, they look similar and difficult to differentiate at the beginning stage and become dissimilar and distinctly different when they grow further.

Nature conveys a strong management message to the corporate man through the identical/similar looking embryos of all vertebrates. This management message both the winner and the loser must remember.

Many people often boast to others around them that they are very successful. While some would apologetically speak that they could not become successful like others despite having several talents and capabilities. Further, they own ‘lack of luck’ for the above.

If we reflect carefully the similarity of embryos of all vertebrates, in the beginning, we will get a very inspiring management/ HR message. The starting point of all successful people and those who feel they are not that successful (failures) is one and the same. The beginning will be definitely the same for the both. But what differentiates them then? It is only the later direction and differentiation makes them different.

It is always like how the early stage of embryos of all vertebrates looks alike. Only the subsequent development and growth makes the fishes different from frogs, frogs from reptiles and reptiles from birds and birds from man. The expression of real difference occurs only when they start growing and developing further. Similarly, the starting point is likely to be same for everyone. But how one chooses to differentiate, grow and develop further only that makes them different and unique. They sustain their passion, effort and commitment.

Maybe only to give this strong HR message to the people in the corporate and also to the HR trainers, nature would have kept the embryos of all vertebrates look similar in the beginning. If the people who often blame fate, destiny, astrology and ill luck ever understand this cardinal message, instead of blaming anything or anyone, they can start making things happen the way they want.

Yelling, complaining, sulking, repenting, repenting and regretting are more common in the corporate world. Always people see and interpret everything in comparison. They like to see only the ends and never bother to look at the beginning point, process, procedure, passion and efforts that are involved or followed by one to reach the other end of the shore. Learn from the similarity of embryos of all vertebrates and learn how the similar become dissimilar with time. Such learning will certainly answer your grief and also will pave your success.

The four groups of vertebrates are although totally different genetically and biologically but still they look similar at the beginning. But in reality, the winner and the one who claims to be a big loser are perfectly same but differ only in their thoughts. So one has to change the way they think and must sustain the effort to see the result.

Dr. S Ranganathan