Is fox a cat?.... a corporate management message

Fox is an animal that is closely related to jackal, wolves and dogs of the family - canines. These groups of animals are different from cats of the family Feline, represented by tiger, lion, cheetah etc.

Most of the canines hunt in groups called 'packs'. When these animals hunt in packs, every member in the pack offers confidence, strength and help to other. Unlike cats, the canines do not have retractable claws where the claws can be withdrawn to the glove pad and can be released when required. The interesting difference is being the foxes as they have retractable claws like many member of cat family.

The retractable claws of foxes have a management message to the corporate world to learn. Unlike other canines, the foxes are solitary animals and hunt their prey alone (not as pack). When they hunt the prey singly without the support of the pack, definitely they need some special advantages or uniqueness. Definitely the retractable claws help them to be quite and noiseless while moving towards the prey animal. The claws being retractable, they are also reasonably protected from wear and tear due to regular movement.

When people choose to do things alone and show such capabilities in corporate will certainly have some uniqueness. Such uniqueness will easily differentiate them from others in the cohort.

Foxes are omnivorous animals. When they prefer to live a solitary life, accepting certain reality become inevitable. They cannot afford to be strictly carnivores and hence the foxes would have accepted to be omnivores in habit. Uniqueness with adaptability only helped the foxes to be one of the most successful animals in nature.

HR function and the corporate leaders must study the people carefully as to understand whether they carry any evidences/uniqueness of 'individual/solitary' 'performer ship'. If they show they can be wonderful assets to your organization. But also study them further to understand their adaptability as well, like foxes.

Foxes, besides having retractable claws, choose to be omnivores in their food habit. Because of their uniqueness, foxes never determined or obsessed to become strict carnivore. They showed flexibility in their food preference/selection and become successful.

Complete evidence of solitary performance capability of people without adaptability will never helps any corporate to prosper. Mere adaptability alone also never help as these group of people can only be sycophants or 'yes boss' to everything.

The management message, the nature sends to the corporate through its creation of foxes, every corporate must learn in full measure.

Look for uniqueness and look for adaptability.
Dr S Ranganathan, ClinRise Derma Pvt., Ltd., Chennai