Are you a rat or cat? A corporate leadership message

How and why the nocturnal and diurnal animals have evolved separately? Both the animals need light to see things around, to find their food, avoid threat and also seek a mate. When light is inevitable for survival, why then some animals like owl, bat, binturong, mouse, rat, cat, cricket etc., have preferred to be as nocturnal animals. Whereas large group of other animals like cattle, sheep, deer etc., have chosen to be as diurnal animals.

Is it due to fear of enemies and threat, some animals prefers to hide during nights and hence become diurnal? On the other hand, the nocturnal animals in general use the ‘night fearing’ behaviour of diurnal animals to their advantage and hence become nocturnal.

The question is whether the ‘nocturnal predators’ are more successful in hunting diurnal preys or nocturnal preys? Diurnal prey animals will be naturally weak at night and hence are likely to be very alert and careful during night hours however easily they might succumb to the nocturnal predators.

Nocturnal prey animals have a lot to fear about nocturnal predators. So is for the nocturnal predators. The nocturnal prey animals are smart at night. The diurnal prey animals will be extra careful during night, so nocturnal predators have to work hard and cannot afford rest on the vulnerability of diurnal prey animals. The management message of nature is astounding that the situation remains same for both nocturnal and diurnal animals (predator and prey).

The interesting point is that the fear only would have made some animals to become nocturnal while some animals become nocturnal to take advantage of the fear of the diurnal animals in the night.

The management message the corporate need to get is not about fear but how one respond to the same. Whether you adapt to take advantage of a situation or you adapt to avoid a situation, it is only your preparedness makes the difference and not the situation.

The corporate realities are one and same for both the performers and non performers. But one chooses to perform while the other becomes non performers. It is like rat and mouse prefer nights because of fear of many threats in the day. But cat prefer the night due to the ‘scared’ rats and mouse. The question is what one prefers to be –

a) A mouse

b) A cat

Whether one should work towards taking advantage of a situation or one should accept and concedes to fear of failure, no one can guide or teach anyone. The situational reality and associated problems are same for both the ‘winner’ and ‘cowardice’ but what makes the difference is only the way one decides to manage/deal the same situation.

Nature has the best example for the corporate man to learn, follow and introspect. It is not the situation or the opportunity that makes one different from the other but how one receive, conceive and respond only defines and determines the difference.

Dr S Ranganathan