Corporate leader who gnaw like squirrel

Most rodents in general and rats, squirrels and mice in particular, always chew or gnaw anything and everything around them. As a result of that, these animals cause a great problem to mankind, causing huge economic and other related losses. For a while, if we ask, why these creatures gnaw everything around them so indiscriminately. Is their intention is only to cause the problem to man and destroy his valuables. If so, why these animals have developed such hatred or enmity towards man?

The answer to the above question has a very important management message for the corporate leaders to learn and follow. The rodents in general and rats, mice, squirrels, in particular, have ever-growing teeth. The teeth of these animals continuously grow to help these animals to overcome the possibility of their teeth getting worn off during continuous eating as rodents are voracious eaters. This is indeed an advantage to the animal. But the advantage is indeed a problem as well. Even if the teeth don’t get worn off, they grow continuously. Irrespective of the need or not, the teeth of rodents, in general, grow continuously.

The rodents hence has the responsibility to keep its ever-growing teeth under check otherwise the same advantage of having ever growing teeth would become a big problem/disadvantage. If the teeth were allowed to grow without any check, the animal may not able to either open or close its mouth due the ‘long’, ‘grotesque’ and ‘order less’ growth of the teeth. Hence, the rats, mice, and squirrels constantly gnaw or chew anything and everything around them to size their teeth.

By gnawing, the rodents are really solving their problem. Some people in the corporate do constantly create problems to others and fight and quarrel with others frequently. Indeed they cause great ‘problem’ and ‘nuisance’ to the corporate. But the corporate leadership and especially the HR function has to view such people only with the understanding and not with anger.

They cause problems to others because they may be under the similar problem of most rodents. Only to solve their problem, they cause the problem to others like how rodents gnaw everything to restrict the growth of their teeth. They are doing the same more as a solution to their problem and not with the intent of causing problems to others. The unfortunate part is that even people at top management level in some organizations do behave the same way.

The HR function must understand the problem although they may not able to do much when the employer himself or herself exhibits the behaviour of squirrel gnawing.

‘Your problem’ is ‘our problem’ should be the philosophy, the corporate leadership should follow. The corporate leadership should never follow the principle of the ‘problems’ of the employees is their problem and it is different from the ‘problems’ of the corporate and vice versa. Only through an all-inclusive approach, harmony and growth of the corporate can be ensured and established.

Whenever the corporate leadership sees the damage of their valuable wood works or electrical or electronic utilities, must remember the above message. Never discard anything as useless or nothing as there is a lot to learn from it. Even from the gnawing/destroying behaviour of rodents, great management lesson can be learned.

Dr S Ranganathan