HORSES or DONKEYS — Who do we need ?

 

• Who does an organization need … Horses or Donkeys
  • The answer is … Both ; each has a role to play . Donkey’s role is to carry load , Horse’s role is to run
• The problem is not either / or , problem is that we employ wrong person in right role
  • When we place a Horse in a Donkey’s role , it is inefficient and when we place a Donkey in a Horse’s role , it is ineffective
• Management principles I distil from these learning , are :
  • To realize that different people can be different ; there are no clones of the type we desire . Some of these differences are ‘ Constitutional ‘ , they relate not just to what a person appears to be , but to what one fundamentally is . Don’t be naïve to presume that our dedication , our tools / techniques will transform a Donkey into a Horse – God has not been able to achieve this feat . One can hope to convert a lazy horse into a high energy one , but not effect a genetic transformation . No amount of efforts , hard work , dedication and materials can convert a barren land into a fertile one , … in the least it’s not worth your time .
    • This fundamental realization will help use right technique including training with the right animal ; what works on a donkey will be different from what works with a horse .
  • Above realization will help getting the right person in the right place
  • To be able to do all of above we need to have an ability to be able to recognize and differentiate a Horse from a Donkey
• Finally success is not defined based on how many horses , how many donkeys you have , but by how you place your resources and play with , that maximizes the results