Fat Cats & Other Tales!
Capt. A. Nagaraj Subbarao, PhD
Author | Professor of Strategy & Leadership | Dean | Case Study Evangelist | Navigator & Sea Captain | Entrepreneur | Food Blogger | Amateur Historian | Intrepid Walker
As my wife and I walk every morning, we see a cat. Fully grown and fat, all bunched up, it sits and meows piteously. It has this rather helpless look on its round face as it waits for food, crying at all and sundry, an obvious appeal.
Sure enough, a kind-looking old man shuffles by and pours what looks like cat food into a worn-out bowl. The cat barely changes position as it attacks the food with scarcely a stray glance. The food is soon lapped up, and the cat is napping at the spot where it was previously crying. The routine goes on day after day after day!
This raises some questions in my mind. What if the kind old man is gone? Who will feed the fat cat? The rotund fellow has lost all ability to source his food and is given to expecting a good samaritan to arrive daily. The cat has mastered the art of looking grievously alienated and very sad. However, is looking helpless a new competence? Management gurus recommend leaders show vulnerability. Is this vulnerability?
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Making any living creature helpless for whatever reason is a crime. Making them dependent is worse. Leadership is about creating strong employees capable of fending for themselves and exercising freedom of choice. There is something satisfying about working to earn a living by honest means. The excitement of testing one's wits in achieving success is a great adrenalin rush. Is it a point of view, after a life spent at work, yes it is! Look around you; nations that have lost the ability to work and innovate eventually struggle and, sooner than later, are like the fat cat, mewing piteously at everyone and all and sundry. More dangerous is the fact that helplessness soon turns to victimhood and envy for those who have achieved success.
How do I convey this to the fat cat? Some things cannot be taught; they can only be experienced. That is life.
Professor, MBA/EMBA, Dayanand Sagar University (DSU)
1 年Very relevant in today’s world. Dependence leads to lack of innovation and breeds laziness
Sr. Global BDM|Thought leader|Strategic Trade partnerICreative writer
1 年Article on point! Nice story-telling, Sir!
Project Consultant
1 年Very well written Capt, and thought provoking. Lots need to do and move away from supporting Laziness in people... KSR
|| Director - Placement & Corporate relations||Professor
1 年Very well written. The need for curiosity, trying out something new has always been the mantras for success. Fat cats who depend on the generosity of a good samaritan should be willing to accept what is ofgered than what one really wants.The fat cat needs a few dogs to get it out of the comfort zone .
Founder: Vadamoola Productivity Solutions (P) Ltd. Adjunct faculty : School of Commerce & Mgt. Studies, Dayanand Sagar Univt. Visiting :Cadeto India.
1 年This is interesting. The analogy with respect to a modern manager fits into the square very well. But, we also need to appreciate that modern managers do not come with natural managerial instincts . These are qualities which are honed by developing certain behavioural attributes. A man's (human) child is born with no skills. To the extent that he cannot even clean her/himself up for a considerable period of time. Fortunately (or otherwise) I have had the opportunity of growing up with pets of all shapes and sizes. Cats, by nature are lazy to the extent that they can sleep for upto 22 hours a day. They can sleep over again if they don't have to struggle for food. But it would be naive to question their alertness, resilience, and adaptability. So the 'Garfield' of your story, to my understanding is enjoying his 'art of living' oblivious to the attention he's garnering. Cats by nature are materialistic. Should the good Samaritan give way someday, your Garfield will be able to innovate a solution. Notwithstanding, it was an interesting read. Jai Bharat.