High risk, big reward – HR message from Pelican

Risk will always reward. How true is the above statement? The reward has to be viewed and understood from two separate angles viz.,

1. The reward that comes as payment to the proportion of risk one is willing to take and
2. The reward that help and make one fit and perfectly capable of taking more such risks in future

Both are inevitable rewards and that can come only to the one who dares to take risk. Nature has a finest example to offer to our understanding about the management fundamental of risk versus reward.

The brown pelicans are great divers. They dive head down into water from great height. Further their diving speed is estimated to be 60 km per hour. One may wonder how the brown pelican does such great feat without hurting or injuring.

The most interesting thing is that only because of such risky dive, pelicans catch big fishes than any other birds, so competitively, successfully and aggressively. If the brown pelican ever refrain from such adventure, it had to settle only with some small fishes that come to the surface. The catch of big fish by the bird – brown pelican is indeed the reward to the risk it has taken. Only for this reward, the bird also might be taking such risk. But nature has done something to the bird to take such risks beyond its reward.

The brown pelican doesn’t get injured while diving into water from great height with great speed is only because of the large number of air sacs that are present in the skin and beneath the wings of the bird. The air sacs give the required buoyancy to the bird while diving into water. This adaptation enables the brown pelicans to repeat the above feat at ease.

The question is whether the air sacs came first to the bird and hence it could dive or only after it had started diving, the anatomical reward (large number of air sacs) along with the catch of big fishes it got needs an answer. It may be difficult to answer such question precisely. But the message is that when one takes risk, it is not just the reward to the risk, ones ability to take more such risks also increases. The ability also comes as reward and this reward is relatively permanent, may be transferable to next generation and also would directly help one to take risks and continuously benefit from it.

Do not wait for perfect time to take risk or wait till you become completely perfect and then you can take risk. This message, the corporate people must imbibe perfectly. Only when you take risk, you will be suitably rewarded and your ability to receive such rewards also would increase and you become a ‘risk taker’ (confident individual). When you happen to see pelicans in future remember the above message.

Dr S Ranganathan