Leadership Skills for the Global Corporate Series - When the lion works with the Cat

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10 Jul 2021

Leadership Skills for the Global Corporate Series - When the lion works with the Cat - By Seema Anand Remixed - Myth and Management series Storyteller Researcher Seema Anand Seema Anand is an expert on Narrative Practices working with the uses and the implications of Oralness specialising in Story telling Seema specialises in global mythologies - comparing and retelling stories through different cultural nuances to give everyone ownership of the tales info seema anand gmail com Film Maker Creative Head Bineeta Mitra Videographer Shozeb Haider Management Consultant Smita Tharoor Blog a http 3A 2F 2Fwww tharoorassociates com 2F 3Fq 3Dblog a Copyright Bineeta Mitra and Seema Anand Production The learning This story shows some level of analytical thinking on the part of the lion It falls into the Preventing and Problem Solving area competency Analytical Thinking The ability to tackle a problem by using a logical systematic sequential approach Makes a systematic comparison of two or more alternatives Notices discrepancies and inconsistencies in available information Identifies a set of features parameters or considerations to take into account in analysing a situation or making a decision Approaches a complex task or problem by breaking it down into its component parts and considering each part in detail Weigh the costs benefits risks and chances for success in making a decision Identifies many possible causes for a problem Carefully weighs the priority of things to be done It also shows a competency that falls into the Communication and Influencing cluster Persuasive Communication The ability to plan and deliver oral and written communications that makes an impact and persuade their intended audiences Identifies and presents information or data that will have a strong effect on others Selects language and examples tailored to the level and experience of the audience Selects stories analogies or examples to illustrate a point Creates graphics overheads or slides that display information clearly and with high impact Presents several different arguments in support of a position This is a story from an ancient Indian book of leadership behaviours known as the Hitupdesh It contains stories that teach doctrines of good governance in times of war and peace For us the story highlights the victim attitude that so many people have it is more convenient to be pathetic than actually working at something Let s look at the very questionable behaviour of the cat Is it not our responsibility to understand that skills have to be constantly updated to stay relevant in a competitive workplace And yet we all know people personally who like to be the cat self- destruction is easier than the effort it takes to reinvent The fact that the cat dies at the end is to underline the harsh reality of the consequences of this dead end behaviour if you are that useless then who cares Interestingly more often than not delegates will ignore the cat as a non-entity and focus instead on criticising the behaviour of the lion He is seen as unethical and should be answerable for his lack of support If he were the boss in today s workplace he would be liable for legal action Perhaps But as far we can tell the lion did not promise the cat a lifetime of feeding he took the cat on for a short -term project The mouse on the other hand is seldom mentioned whereas we think his role is quite important His was an irresponsible action with no thought to the consequences something that is unacceptable in both professional and personal transactions This behaviour is the root of all problems It reminds us of the banking crisis the scramble for big dividends at the risk of anything and look what happened