"You cannot give what you don't have. You cannot have what you don't give!"
Since centuries, there has been a natural urge to have a protectionist attitude towards knowledge. Knowledge was never shared openly and widely because of the fear of losing it. But with the advent of technology, you can share as many bytes as you want, you will not be deprived of your share unlike a hard-bound book.
Bonsai Manager has many such interesting topics to discuss throughout the book. What I loved about this book is the way the author has used examples of nature to explain management principles - brilliantly done! And it is such a simple book to read - I will always remember the two incidents mentioned in the book - the one on the peculiar growth of eucalyptus tree in Australia and the other one on the impact of socializing - the robin vs the blue tit bird!
The core of the book is about how stunted growth should be avoided by managers. And how intuition should form an integral part of decision making for any manager. Analysis and scientific approach to decision making should be complemented with the intuitive sense. The author shares his vast experiences from HUL and TCS; however at times I found these incidents a bit of a ramble, I would have loved to read more of his analogies between nature and management.
The author talks about BRIM - brain's remote implicit memory. This part of the implicit memory has all the processes, all the data which is stored in your brain for years and years....and in order to engrave something in the implicit memory, one needs to practice, practice and practice. Another aspect which needs to be considered is immersion - you need to be so passionate about what you do that nothing else matters! It is a great gift to enjoy what you do and do what you enjoy - only then can you immerse yourself fully and completely.
In order to avoid a stunted growth, one also needs the right kind of environment - the author talks about the case of the stunted crocodiles. Apparently, some of the crazy fads of the rich people is to keep crocodiles as their pets! And in order to accommodate these giant reptiles, the baby crocodiles are kept in smaller spaces so they end up having stunted growth. An average crocodile is about 15 mts in length, but if you stunt the growth, the crocodile is not more than 7.5 mts long! So the context of your surroundings is also very essential.
But then nature has also proven that threatening conditions cause adaptation and reallocation of resources. Snails in certain region typically grow to have a shell size of 4 mm thickness and their longevity is about 4 months; however in a simulated experiment crayfish were introduced in the same environment. Crayfish thrive on snails as the primary source of food, but interestingly the moment crayfish were introduced, the protective shells of the snails actually grew to 8 mm thickness. Because of which their longevity increased to 12 months! Even if there a threat persisting, one should not succumb to camouflage, mimicry or simulation behaviors! This is where the integrity and core values make an individual stand out!
The author narrates an interesting quote about the Toyota leader in the 1980s, when Toyota was a major threat to GM. At one point the Toyota leader was planning to bail out GM because he was worried that the lobbyists in the USA will go back to protectionist policies and in the long term it might harm Toyota! So, threats are needed for healthy competition. Managers who tend to remain in comfort zone and want to manage threats will not go very far ahead - threats actually provide the real balance!
The buzz word for a long time now has been networking! It is extremely essential to socialize and network with people around you. One of the best forms of information gathering is via socializing, and the robin / blue tit example explains this beautifully.
However, one cannot have a parasitic relationship - there needs to be collaboration and co-operation. Typically one feels that if there is a shortage of resources, it becomes a direct barrier to superlative performance! However, nature again proves us wrong. The author explains how various species in Australia co-exist although there are limited resources. One example which struck to me was how the eucalyptus tree in Australia has large holes at the base. The holes might tend to make the base less stable, but the holes provide shelter for possums which in turn leave nutrient rich droppings as a form of rent. Amazing right! This form of co-operation can be fostered when one person's gain does not become another person's loss. A manager's job is to manage this aspect!
Additionally, the author talks about how important it is for a leader to have long feelers, ability to listen, not be blinded by the folly of power. And lastly he talks about the housefly's compound eye with 4000 lens pointing in various directions. How it is important for a leader not to be blinded by the compound eye!
All in all a very interesting read, minus the parts about HUL and TCS :)
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