The Eagle's Choice

 The audio, where the Human Resource person of an esteemed Organization is having a conversation with an employee and asking him to put down his papers, has been trending on Social media in recent weeks. There is widespread condemnation of the way the entire situation has been handled forcing the head of the Organization to tender an apology. This topic has also been discussed at length over drinks and coffee table conversations. Mismanagement, business ethics, poor training, lack of an understanding of human behaviour and so many other inferences have been drawn. Most conversations have ended with the token sympathy for the employee in the audio clip and the many more like him who have met or are likely to meet a similar fate.

Why am I writing on this subject?

There is an element of truth in every inference drawn above and my heart also goes out to the employee. However, I am going a little deeper and asking myself the question, “Who needs to be really blamed for this situation?”

Point 1. Marshall Goldsmith, one of the most renowned Leadership Coaches of today’s generation says that it is very easy to blame everyone else for situations that befall us. The most difficult and often the real reason for any situation is the individual himself or herself. He recommends that to grow as an individual, we need to ask many questions to ourselves every single day of our life and these questions should begin with “Did I do my best today to….” 

Point 2. According to well-known professors William Pride, Robert Hughes, and Jack Kapoor, business is 'the organized effort of individuals to produce and sell, for a profit, the goods and services that satisfy society's needs.' A business, then, is an organization which seeks to make a profit using the appropriate resources which are all working towards a common goal. 

Point 3. Competitive theory suggests that Ecological Competition is the struggle between individuals for environmental resources. When we consider this from the perspective of business, it is the struggle between businesses for environmental resources. Ecological competition therefore can act as a mechanism to drive evolutionary adaptation.

One of the most famous examples of evolutionary adaptation driven by competition for resources is that of Charles Darwin’s finches. There are at least 13 species of a bird called ‘finches’ on the Galapagos Islands. Scientists believe that all the species evolved from one ancestral species. Because food resources on the islands were limited, competition between members of the ancestral species drove hundreds and thousands of the original species to their death. Some individuals however, in a bid to survive, began to consume food that was not optimal and their physical characteristics started changing. These individuals eventually became entirely different species than the original ancestor. Over time, more than a dozen species of finches were established because of ecological competition.

Point 4. Charles Darwin in 1809 suggested “It is not the strongest of the species that survives nor the most intelligent but the one most responsive to change”. Change is a fact of life. Some individuals, like the finches, change because of circumstances while some preempt the possibility.

The proverbial Eagle lives upto 70 years. In its 40th year, its long and flexible talons can no longer grab prey which serves as food. It’s long and sharp beak becomes bent. The feathers become old, thick and heavy. The thick and heavy feathers stick to its chest and makes it difficult to fly. Now, the eagle is left with only two options: DIE or go through a painful process of CHANGE.  The process requires that the eagle fly to a mountain top and sit on its nest. Then the eagle knocks its beak against a rock until it plucks it out. The eagle will wait for a new beak to grow back and then it will pluck out it’s talons. When it’s new talons grow back, the eagle starts plucking it’s old-aged feathers.

And after this …the eagle takes its famous flight of rebirth and lives for 30 more years.

In this rapidly changing world, where the rate of change is faster than ever before, businesses must adapt to not just being profitable, but to survive. Like the eagle which suddenly finds its key weapons to secure food namely its beak, talons and wings becoming useless, Businesses need to realize that the strategies and skills that got them here and which probably were once considered niche are rapidly becoming obsolete. Like the eagle, these businesses have only 2 options. Either go through the painful process of change and wean out the old or shut shop. Period.

 

The weaning out process will include machinery, plant, processes, systems and people. Businesses, who have seen this change coming during the past decade have gradually adapted themselves and reduced the pain while others who either under-estimated the impact of this change or were over-confident about their own capabilities, invariably have been required to do an invasive surgery.

 

With Businesses adapting to this new reality, the people resources, who in most cases also contribute to the highest costs, needed to do the same. Many, like the early species of finches have already paid the price for not being competitive enough. Some, have realized the gravity of the situation and started to change into less optimum careers but one which will atleast let them survive. Others, like the 40-year old eagle have begun the painful process to completely re-model themselves. The process will be slow as they need to unlearn their skills acquired over the years, overcome beliefs (which now become limiting) ingrained in their DNA, let go of old habits which have been acquired and even shun behaviours that were once considered necessary. These need to be replaced by new learning’s which are appropriate for today’s world. At the end of this struggle, however, there will be a new beginning.

As mentioned in point 2, the objective of every business is profit. None of the businesses are in existence to enhance the quality of the resources they use to produce the end-product or service. When the businesses are doing well like it happened with IT in the late 90’s and early years of 2000, the resources became assets and businesses would do anything to acquire them. Have any of these resources complained about getting a 50% hike when the industry average was only 20%? Now, when the tables are turned, the same resources however, have become a liability. Businesses, in their quest for profits, will have no other option but to move these resources from the left to the right side of the balance sheet. The way it is done (in this case) can be debated but that would only be a case of missing the real point.

Coming to point 1, my response to the current situation is that the employee in question as well as the many others who are likely to meet a similar fate, need to ask this question to themselves.

“Did I do my best to be aware of the changing business scenario?”

“Did I do my best to upgrade my skills and remain relevant in this new business scenario?”

If the employee’s answer to both these questions is a “No”, there is no else to blame but himself. For the others who may read this and feel offended, please ask these questions to yourself. If your answer is a “No” as well, you may be the next in line.

 

Like the eagle, you have no other option….