Mayflies to HR – Struggle versus Vision

Mayflies are one of the most interesting insects that have a unique lifecycle. The life cycle of mayflies serves an important management message to the corporate, especially that are run either as family show or by the entrepreneurs directly. The mayflies are popularly called as ‘one day fly’ as the adult fly would live only for 24hr.

The interesting point is that the female mayflies lay eggs in water, post-mating. The eggs sink to the bottom of the pond or lake and later become ‘naiads’ or ‘larvae’. The larvae survive for months to years by eating algae and other plants in the pond, lakes, streams etc. After spending years of larval life, they grow to an adult insect and moves to the surface of the water to mate. The life of the adult mayflies is as short as 1 day or 24 hrs. Whereas, the larvae are known to live for about 2 years.

Why the life span of the adult mayflies is as short as a day while the larvae live for nearly 2 years or more as larvae. In 24 hrs, the adult fly mates lay eggs and then die. Why such uniqueness exists in the life cycle of these insects.

Every employee passes through similar lifecycles in the corporate. The people, from the day they join a corporate, struggles to become something. There is a great struggle in sustaining the job and struggle to progress or become something. They always run after promotion, recognition, and newer designations etc. Most employees in the corporate invest or engage a major portion of their life in the ‘run’ to become something.

Assume that once someone has reached the highest position as CEO or Head/ President/Vice President in some corporate as a result of their continuous struggle, more often lives short in such designation. Why? Like the larvae of mayflies, most people live a life in struggle/effort/search to become something for a very long period. But, once they become something that they aspire to become, lives short.

The adult mayflies undoubtedly justifies their short life span as they complete the purpose of mating and egg laying in less than 24 hrs. Do the corporate people when they become CEO’s/Presidents/Vice Presidents etc., complete a meaningful role as the mayflies?

At the top position, people seldom survive mostly because people are ‘struggle’ centric than ‘vision’ centric. When they were living with great struggles to become something, the goal to ‘become something’ was only driving them. When they become something, they are left with just ‘struggle’ and the purpose/goal is lost. That is why most of the best performing employees become hopeless and helpless bosses when they become leaders.

The corporate must understand the people as whether they operate from the ‘struggle centric’ axis or are driven by the ‘vision’. If the corporate fails to understand the people for the above distinction, they might appoint ‘mayflies’ as CEO’s or Presidents to run the corporate.

Dr. S Ranganathan