“During Industrial Visits (IV), college kids have fun, but do they learn anything? What’s the return on the hard-earned money invested by their parents? That’s what smart principals ask.” This was Anupam Dutta, CMO, Sterling Holidays, which owned Nature Trails Resorts (now owned by Thomas Cook). In response to Anupam’s challenge, Woosh Biz curated and conducted a two-day course ‘Jungle Out There’ (JOT). JOT surpassed all expectations and is now conducted for Schools, Colleges, Post Graduate Programs and Corporates as the learnings universally apply to all who live in this veritable jungle – corporate life and life in general. JOT has three defining lines each inspired by a beast.
Live Like A Tiger!
The apex predator that lives and walks alone. Powerful, independent and fearless. Disciplined, persistent and resilient – every day, it prowls the territory carved out for itself, in search of prey. No other predator dares to encroach.
As a professional, you too must be independent-minded. Don’t make excuses or blame others – dominate your domain. If you are a Chef, no matter how big or small, the kitchen is your territory. Guard it fiercely. Ensure things are ship-shape. Leave no cause for complaints or fault finding. Know your work and aim to be the best; not average – the best. Know that YOU are enough!
Lead Like A Lion!
The lion is passionate and protective about his family (called Pride). Lions live together yet regularly fight amongst themselves. A lion can’t run fast or for long, so it can’t hunt – the lioness hunts. But if, due to famine or drought, there is no small prey available, the lionesses fall short. Then the lion steps in and leads the attack on an elephant, hippo, rhino etc.
A leader should not be egotistic or selfish. Because leadership is not about power or dominance. Great leaders, lead with love. Be passionate about your team, your work, and the impact you’ll have on the lives of people. As a confident and self-assured leader, don’t be afraid to admit your mistakes. Encouraging views that contradict your own opinion leads to better decisions and positively impacts the team. Hire those whose knowledge and skills are greater than your own and complement each other. A strong F&B Service team, for instance, will have an expert each for wines, spirits, cocktail making, handling guests, liasoning with government officials… Because it is not humanly possible for one person, even the leader, to know everything and do it all.
Collaborate Like A Wolf!
Wolves are wise, expert communicators and amazing collaborators. The Alpha (#1) and Beta (#2) lead the pack. The third line of command – the Deltas – have specific areas of expertise. Some hunt, while others scout or stand guard. The elders care for the wounded and advise the Alpha. The weak wolves care for the cubs. So even an old, weak or injured wolf is never abandoned.
Right from school, we are conditioned to compete in academics, sports and games – which have a win or lose outcome. But in careers and business, the win-lose mindset graduates to lose-lose. For instance, without a warning, you penalize a vendor for a product defect. Now, on a day when you need delivery earlier than usual, he may delay it. Over time, this unhealthy competitive spirit leads to lose-lose.
Collaborating within a small team or family is relatively easy. The challenge is to collaborate with Vendors, Agents, Clients, Govt Departments and others in the same field as yours… For instance, Woosh Biz is a Vendor to Nature Trails by Thomas Cook, who is a Supplier to Khushi Holidays, who is a Vendor to Schools and Colleges (Trustees), but the Course Coordinator is a Professor and the end users (Beneficiaries) are Students. Communication moves up and down this chain along with last minute requests, changes and rescheduling – naturally, there are miscommunications. To collaborate, we must have trust, respect, understanding and cooperation. We must never grudge the benefits the others are receiving, but should celebrate the benefits this association yields each of us.
Collaborations are like Fixed Deposit interest; the benefits seem small but over time as the magic of compound interest kicks in, the benefits jump exponentially. Personally, I’m experiencing the benefit of collaborative associations built over decades.
Now you go ahead and… Live Like A Tiger! Lead Like A Lion! Collaborate Like A Wolf!
(Dominic CostaBir, Director, Hospitality Training Institute (HTI) and Woosh Biz, is a first generation entrepreneur. A veteran with 30+ years of experience and India’s best known hospitality trainer, in ‘Third Eye’, he provides a perspective beyond plain sight).
