Only by ignorance or impertinence would we marvel to hear the extinction of other beings
It is commonly thought that the main purpose of companies is to make profit. Companies are aware that they are not alone in the market, but are instead surrounded by other companies that, with the same objective in mind, want to survive in the war for profitability. This war unleashes a search for exemplary people and economic benefits at all costs, creating in the company what Darwin in his book «The Origin of Species» called natural selection. The employees are the giraffes, and we can differentiate between the low-neck ones (the less competitive ones), and the high-necks (the most competitive ones). Natural selection (the competition) acts on them, causing small-necked giraffes to die, while those with high-necks survive. This would seem the recipe for success: enhancing competition in the company may lead to having only the most capable exemplary people surviving. But if we look at cases from well-known companies that have done this, we see the result is completely different. A company where this happens ends up being in most cases dysfunctional, because competition occupies a prime place and becomes the central axis of the company. How should leaders manage this?
Competition with external factors is inevitable. We can consider those external threats as “constants”. These are factors which we cannot control, meaning we need to build the business strategy around it. The main source of external threat might come from competition against other companies, changes in the market, new technologies that render current technologies useless, or even new trends… these are all pressures that, if left unchecked, can threaten the stability of the company.
The dangers inside an organization are a “variable”. The possibility that others are constantly trying to make us fail so they succeed and can climb up the lather towards power and advance their careers. This can be the biggest danger that a company can face. Isolation can make employees feel useless, intimidation can bring the feeling of rejection, and constant competition can bring out the best and worse of people. This competition, in the long run, turns into the desire to harm your co-worker for your own sake. The environment created in the company is an atmosphere of tension and selfishness, which seeks, as in the example of Darwin, that tall-neck giraffes destroy the low-neck giraffes.
But here is a twist in the story: low-neck giraffes can see things from a different perspective, if only the high-neck giraffes would get them some food. The problem lies with the differentiation and separation of two types of giraffes (employees), and assuming there is no possibility of coexistence. But there is, and it is needed if an organization wants to face external threats. What makes the company survive or dissolve in this threatening environment is the employees. The people are the ones that can strengthen the company. How they socialize, react, think, believe, it is outmost important to the whole organization. Every single person and their own world can contribute in one way or another. So, in the end, there are no tall-neck or short-neck giraffes, only a tower of giraffes. They are the heart of the company, the engine behind every action. And as a variable, it can be managed.
Leaders are like the brain in a body, the ones in charge of directing all functions, of overviewing and analyzing every aspect, and most importantly, in charge of taking decisions. Without a brain, the body would function in chaos and would cease to perform and act. The role of leaders is very important, they must bring unity and enhance cooperation among the employees. They must show the strength in solidarity, the importance of each employee that affect the overall performance of the company. Where other people see problems and despair, leaders see hope and strength. By acknowledging his own weaknesses and virtues, leaders inspire others to be better than they thought they were. And they bring the people closer together to form something more than employers-employees: a team.
Ray of Wisdom 