Strategy indicators – HR wisdom from animal world

Learning from the ‘strategy indicators’ of different animals would provide the required wisdom and understanding to the corporate leaders to know the behaviour and the leadership style of the people working in the organization.

Based on the primary strategy that people use in their daily life either with their peer group or with the subordinates or those who are above their designations, one can easily, clearly and undoubtedly establish what kind of leadership style/quality they portray in the corporate.

The strategy of prey and predator in the jungle is no way different from the working style displayed by large group of people in the corporate. Therefore the HR function must learn a lot from the observational science of animal behaviour (ethology) in nature.

Lion or tiger or cheetah or panther or pack of wild dogs or hyenas never tries to prove their strength or greatness especially when they spot a prey animal.

They love to hide and conceal their identity in every possible way and make them appear ‘small’, insignificant, least visible and less noticeable to the prey animal. Only when they conceal their true ‘nature’ and ‘intent’, they can achieve success.

On the other hand, most prey animals, although watchful and vigilant throughout, do engage in creating a massive gesture by inflating the body to scare the predator.

Certain species of frogs, reptiles etc., do engage in the above tactics when threatened. ‘Showing that I am quite big’ behaviour can be seen among most animals and they exhibit such trait when they are corned or the possibility to escape is remote.

The interesting contrast is that the predatory animals are indeed strong and powerful and are made to hunt but they always attempts to hide their ‘power’ and ‘strength’ and become ‘ordinary’ when they go for a hunt. On the other hand, the prey animals inflate the body and show they are bigger than what is understood of them especially when they are cornered by the predator.

The people who often exhibit such ‘simple’ traits of predators have rich leadership qualities. The ‘true’ leadership style of people must be clearly understood from the definition of ‘submissive’ style.

Some people in corporate always try to showcase that they are far more knowledgeable and intelligent than what is understood/perceived by others. Always they want to prove they are great. Such people really lack ‘true’ leadership quality. No true leader would ever engage in megalomaniac or wish to advertise ‘how great he is to others. Only silly people would to do such business.

In an informal and casual conversation with people in the corporate at different occasions will help the HR and the corporate to understand the leadership dimension of people as whether the ‘fear’ or ‘confidence' really ride their behaviour.

While observing people to know the leadership dimension or in other words the ‘trait’ of submissiveness should not be misunderstood as ‘fear’ and concluded that people with total lack of confidence, hopelessness and incapability only will resort to ‘submissive’ approach.

Majority of the employees in ‘single man’ owned companies often exhibit such leadership style as such style is considered by such corporate to be as signs of ‘obedience’, ‘loyalty’ and ‘commitment’.

Do introspect whether you carry ‘confidence’ or ‘fear’ or ‘submissiveness’ oriented leadership quality.