Trap to trap or to live....HR must ask to its people

Why antlion lives in own trap? An important management message one can get if such question is asked.

Antlion lives in own trap only to trap its prey. Antlion is a small insect that used to build funnel shaped trap in loose sand or soil. Small insects or ants when cross the nest of antlion, they fall into the funnel shaped trap due to the loose sand/soil and would get buried. Immediately the antlion would catch the prey.

When corporate people set trap for others, unknowingly most of them will be living in own traps. Instead of performing, they will be busy either building traps or will be living inside the trap that they have built for others.

Setting traps for others necessarily would make one to be in the same trap is the management message, nature conveys through the example of antlion.

Antlion has definite reason to be so as that is how it has evolved. But the corporate people cannot afford to exhibit the behaviour of antlion.

In most corporate, the bosses will set traps for some of their subordinates and vice versa and some how they want to trap each other. But unfortunately such people will be living in the same trap with the sole mission of trapping the subordinate (s) or the boss. The question is will such leadership style ever be contributory to the organization? Will such people ever make any difference to the corporate?

Look at another anomaly. Why all predatory animals live in jungle? Only in jungle they could get their prey. To trap the prey, they have to live in the habitat where the prey animals live. But why the prey animals also live in the same jungle? Can’t they move out of the jungle and choose some other place where the predator pressure is less or nill?

The prey species are almost trapped into the fear of predator. Hence they do not move out of the jungle as they appear not to have the knowledge or intelligence of sensing an area free of predators.

Although the rhythm and routine of life essentially requires some level of ‘imprisonment’, but being a prisoner of own making will do no good anyone. Unfortunately most of the people in corporate are seriously engaged in self defeating, purposeless game of trapping others than doing anything worthwhile in life.

Antlion although lives in own trap but is quite successful. That is how nature has created it. Therefore the corporate must search out all antlions in corporate and must help them to release to freedom from the self imposed prison.

Every action or style must yield success both to the individual and to the organization. That is the management principle on which nature operates. The corporate leaders must learn this art and accordingly must lead the team.

Dr S Ranganathan, ClinRise Derma Pvt., Ltd., Chennai