Management wisdom of burrowing owl must for HR leaders

Burrowing owl is a small species of owl, unlike other species of owls, is active during the day meaning not obligate nocturnal bird. The most interesting aspect of its feeding behaviour is that it is known to gather the faecal matter of various herbivores and keep it near its burrow to attract dung beetles.

Dung beetles form an important menu in its diet. The interesting point is that how the bird knows the faecal matter of herbivores animals would attract the dung beetles and accordingly it employs the same to trap the dung beetles? Most animals look out for their prey and then silently hunt them. To hunt they use several techniques.

But the trick of burrowing own is quite amazing and incredible. It attracts the dung beetles by exploiting the weakness of the beetles i.e. the faecal matter of herbivores animals.

The point of discussion is not about the burrowing owl or its intelligence but how the people in corporate should approach their task and finds solution by reflecting the above example in nature.

If the task is well understood then it becomes quite easy to devise a proper method to achieve the task. Once the task is understood the efforts required for achieving the task can be regulated to the minimum by sharpening the methods and perfecting the strategy.

The burrowing owl is seems to have understood the fact that only from complete knowledge and proper understanding of the task, task accomplishment can be maximized and not by being working hard. Most of the corporate leaders spent less time in knowledge acquisition and more time in doing the job. Some bosses would want their subordinates to be always busy doing the job than knowing why and how.

Look at the uncommon intelligence of the burrowing owl. It knows the dung would attract the dung beetles. Collecting the dung of herbivores animals is quite easy than searching out for dung beetles. Once the dung is collected and stored, the owl can afford to wait patiently for the dung beetles to emerge from it.

It is not just doing the job mechanically would offer the result but knowing the job well before one starts matters a lot. Shallow knowledge and self-boasting on hard working ability of the self would only make people in corporate poor performers. Such people may wonder why in spite of they being hard workers not rated as great performers. Smart thinking and smart planning only would help one to achieve the goal.

The above management message is known to burrowing owl. The corporate must certainly learn the essential management message from the intelligent behaviour of the burrowing owl. Perhaps the bird would have learned the art through some trial and error but it conveys a deep management lesson to the corporate people.