Feeding Time

We live in a society almost totally dependent on money. Our predicament is the attitude that business power is proportional to business wealth. Sure, the first million is the hardest to get, or for the select few, maybe that has become the first billion? What drives us to this extent? Perhaps mankind is the greediest, money-hungriest, and most self-centred animal species on earth?

Humans are rather fortunate to be on top of the brains chain as without our tools and weapons-development ability, our global-food-chain position isn't high. Consider if we were left to fend for ourselves, yes ... just another extinct species by now. Our claws aren't strong enough, our teeth aren't long enough and we're too slow to ever catch and kill anything worth eating. And defending ourselves against the global carnivores would have posed a few problems.

Although still dietary delights for a few select species, the human race did extricate itself from the animal-world primary food chain. We also modified many of our initial primal habits. Considering this, why is it that so many business players still insist upon exhibiting animalistic traits on a daily basis? What instinctive yearnings still remain?

Well, little has changed over the last few million years! The animal kingdom operated by the survival of the fittest, strongest, quickest and smartest, with physiological needs only. They competed for food, water, shelter and procreation rights. The business world is also the survival of the fittest, strongest, quickest and smartest, ... and the wealthiest! Competition is fierce. Having the best premises is akin to the best shelter, there's little difference between family procreation and business expansion, and any nutritional requirements are satisfied from the resulting created wealth.

Consider a pride of lions (apologies for any household similarities). The main male spends most of his time feeding, digesting and basking. His lionesses, being better at it, do the hunting and gathering. He tops the pride feeding hierarchy, then allows his favoured partners to eat, and the rest following in power order (fighting ability). The 'King Of The Beasts' ... or could we say the 'Chairman Of The Pride'?

Boards of Directors have mastered the art of justifying their own massive compensation package increases at the expense of employees. Another apparent talent is the conning of stakeholders as to the fairness of their decisions. The feeding hierarchy in a major organisation is similar to the lion's, the Chairman, the Directors, Senior Managers, the 'rest'. Smaller organisations also display similar characteristics, but the media aren't interested and there's no political mileage to be gained. Bankruptcy simply exaggerates the feeding priorities, ask the losers in many of the recent worldwide corporate collapses.

In business, there are many other similarities with the animal world and names to match.

Wild Horse: That's you, your organisation in normal operational mode. You're free to roam, at any speed, and if need be you can walk backwards albeit a little awkwardly. Hurdles are simply jumped when faced. Don't get penned in though. Keep your options open.

Piranha: Frenzied attacks are rarely survived. Imagine a piranha a hundred times bigger? They'll buy your company to close it down or burn you out with price competition, even if it means selling their products at a loss. The longer you participate (suffer) in the price war, the more your sales decrease, resulting in further company devaluation. Their final buy-out offer will be approximately stock value plus only a touch of good will.

Shark: The bites taken are large and painful. They target your larger accounts, and once you lose those customers it's extremely difficult to win them back. Your revenue base is taken from you, limb by limb.

Boa Constrictor: This snake squeezes the life out of its prey before feeding. The take-over technique is to squeeze margins but to rarely sell at a loss; perhaps they have smaller pockets than the piranha? The same result however, it just takes longer.

Cuckoo: Looks for nests it can occupy. They search for struggling businesses. They'll buy your business activities inexpensively, not your company, and remove the current management. With a staff restructure and a company name change, the same or similar business will operate.

Vulture: Ever-hovering, waiting for an opportunistic feed. These customers? wait until your company is in its last throes. You're cutting your losses and selling stock at below cost before the doors finally close. They pick you clean, haggling the price down further. It's not just the public; your competitors will stock their own shelves at your expense.

Mole: Often being paid by a competitor to gather information, they appear genuine. The mole is regularly pre-targeted as a staff member in the replacement organisational structure.

Chameleon: Never trust anyone in business totally, as they can all change colours. A leopard may not change its spots, but chameleons are everywhere.

Monkey: Cheeky time wasters, a waste of space in business. These 'tyre kickers' of the business world never buy; they are the window shoppers inside your shop.

Mosquito: These are your customers; typically they always want a little blood. They are an essential part of the food chain, but you must know how much blood you can afford. A depleted blood bank can cause shock anaemia, the flow-on effect not being very pleasant. _____________________________________________

Are we not a bunch of animals in business disguise? Zoo domination is the crux, and it's happening everywhere. Are you prepared to lie down at feeding time to be devoured? If not, in business you must be as fit, quick, strong and smart as possible. The business tools are there to help and they are not expensive.

Grazing animals know predators exist and are instinctively always alert, looking, sniffing and listening. At the slightest hint of danger the alarm is raised. The predator usually stalks the young or the weak, the struggling, the easy kill, ... an easy meal. Didn't we learn anything? Similarly, in business, predators are everywhere. Being predictably complacent, we rarely use our eyes, ears and noses, and by the time we decide to use our heads, it's often far too late. They're already nibbling.

Wealth is not the only source of business power; internal and external knowledge also play major roles, and useable knowledge available when required, provides even greater strength. If you do become potential fodder, as a strong successful organisation it will take your competitors longer to crack your defences, and a buy-out will certainly cost them more.

Are you positioned as the pre-dinner drink, or as the after-dinner coffee? As an easy target you'll be the first to go. For your own protection, invest a little time and money, use the available tools and learn the essential business skills and knowledge required. It may mean business survival? _____________________________________________

Sadly, perhaps society's physiological needs have expanded to food, drink, sex, shelter, AND MONEY? It's confirmed; society is to blame. ... We should however be thankful that today in most societies they have rules against eating your competitors and assuming rights to any of their partners for self-pleasure!

Copyright © 2003 Steve Underhill, All Rights Reserved.

About the Author Steve Underhill is a business consultant dedicated to helping SME's understand more about business techniques. Outside consultants are expensive, so why not internally enable your organisation at a fraction of the cost. Business Rationale offers many Business Products, and two E-Books titled "1000+ Free Business Tips & Ideas" and "Strategic Management & Planning". http://www.businessrationale.com

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