The leadership dimension has its origin from two key emotions viz., affection and aggression....
Is affection opposite of aggression? Many may wonder that affectionate people are never aggressive and vice versa. But one should understand that both these emotions really co-exist and support each other. In other words, only when there is affection, aggression can take its birth.
A caring and affectionate boss can equally be an unpredictable boss as well. This is the message the corporate employees have to derive from the above. Most occasions, the subordinates used to brand the bosses as very affectionate or aggressive. They get shocked when they see aggression in some so called ‘affectionate bosses’. Nature has so beautifully explained the fact that how the both emotions exist together. In truth one cannot exist without the other.
Look at the behaviour of all animals during nursing their young ones. Be it a ferocious lioness, shy shrew, suspicious deer or careless rhinoceros, all of them are very affectionate to their young ones. The very affectionate ‘mother animal’ will spontaneously turn aggressive and fearsome if someone attempts go near their young ones. There are many instances the prey animal has even killed their giant predators.
How one can be so bold, brave and aggressive when nursing the young ones. Only affection is expected out of the parents when nursing the young ones. Remember extremely opposite emotions need to co-exist only then the survival of either of the emotions is possible. Nature knew this fundamental management principle much before man.
To remain affectionate, the mother animals have to be aggressive against anyone who dares to approach the young ones. Once the young ones are killed by other animals, the emotion called ‘affection’ would disappear from the parents and the same is replaced with the emotion called ‘sorrow’. Sorrow weakens while affection offers strength.
In other words, affection is a sign of responsibility. Only when the parent animals are affectionate, they can rear the young ones. Aggression is also a sign of responsibility. Only when one is responsible, the sign of responsibility is displayed.
Accept that only a caring and responsible boss can be aggressive. Never get lost in the care and affection of your boss and think that such bosses never get aggressive.
Also one needs to know whether the aggression is ‘real or pseudo’. The pseudo aggression is sign of fear and weakness. Never read or misinterpret such bosses as very responsible. HR must know how to read the anger, aggression and restlessness of the corporate leaders as whether they are real or pseudo to track its origin and implications.
Whenever the corporate find such emotions in its ‘real state’ in some employees, such people can be your asset and if it were pseudo, indeed they are your liability.
Be a behaviour specialist of animals or an ethologist, they can teach you many valuable management lessons than any management schools on earth can really offer.
Be an avid listener, ‘learn by listening’, ‘learn while listening’ and learn from listening only then you can become a ‘perfect’ human being.
Management Book – Jungle wisdom for corporate management – lessons from university of nature by Swami Sukhabodhananda and Dr S Ranganathan
Dr S Ranganathan
ClinRise Derma Pvt., Ltd., Chennai
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