Innocent or intelligent – HR message from ‘looking fool’ Ostrich

Every one of us do things only to meet own selfish needs and no one can be really altruistic or selfless in doing any favour to others is the management message the biggest birds on earth – Ostrich conveys to us. If this management message is well understood, conflicts in corporate life can be minimized.

No one is there for any one but every one are there for everyone is the better management truth and possible extrapolation the ostrich conveys to us. Usually during breeding season, the female ostrich lay their eggs in communal nest. Finally the responsibility of incubating the eggs will fall onto a female bird in the flock however others birds in the flock will certainly offer some protection to her from predatory animals.

The question of why one female bird has to incubate all eggs of other birds as they do not want to do the job of incubating own eggs? Is it, the defense offered by other birds such a valuable prize for the bird that incubates the eggs of other birds in the flock?

The bird that agrees to incubate is not the one which is innocent, naïve or stupid or helpless. It is indeed very wise and cleaver. As soon as it agrees to incubate the eggs, it smartly identifies own eggs from the eggs of other birds and then the eggs of other birds are pushed aside or organized in the periphery. It smartly incubate own eggs and the eggs of some other birds also may get some incubation if there is any luck. But always the bird that does the job gives utmost priority to own eggs.

In fact, by agreeing to incubate eggs, it gets protection and also could primarily incubate and hatch out own eggs.

This is how every one in corporate work. Whether you assign a job forcefully or they are made to accept your job voluntarily and willingly to do, definitely they will keep some of their personal interest and importance even in such activities. Serving own interest alone can be the nucleus of every living being and only the spill over efforts can be for others.

The smart leaders when assign various tasks to their subordinates, will certainly involve and include them in the reward per se so that they are made to feel as owners of the given task.

On the contrary, the silly and selfish bosses will try to use the subordinates to promote the self interest and self glory. Such silly bosses always want to look very innovative to their bosses and for which they try to use their subordinates.

If the eternal management truth of total wellness is understood, respected and accepted and the people are made to feel they are owners and not just employed to do the job, none would ever behave like the ostrich that has agreed to incubate the eggs of other birds and then smartly removes the eggs of other birds.

Allow every one to serve own goal, agenda and interest while asking them to do the job of others. That is how Ostrich employ a female bird to incubate the eggs of other female birds in the flock.

But unfortunately many corporate would neglect the interest of people and would adventure to treat people as just bonded laborers and must do the job as per the instructions of the bosses and produce results. In the result, no stake the subordinate can have and not even a word of appreciation also will be offered to them at the end.

Never be arrogantly intelligent like the Ostriches that smartly push the responsibility of incubating all eggs to one bird, mostly that bird will be doing its own job and not yours.

Dr S Ranganathan