Why lion is considered or said to be as king of the jungle? The question may appear very frivolous and nonsensical as the human beings only 'crowned' the lion as king of the jungle and none of the animals may be even aware of such 'coronation' event. Interestingly, even the 'lion' itself may not know such title has been conferred to 'him'.
When was such coronation event had happened is not known. Why the tiger was not considered for the title of the 'king' despite tiger being the biggest among all the cats. What is so unique or special for 'lion'?
Perhaps, the great management principle and reason only would have made the early man to title the 'lion as king of jungle'. The point worth mention is about the astute management knowledge of early man and how relevant the same is even today. The modern corporate must learn and follow the above tenets.
What are the generally expected or accepted qualities of a king?
1. King should be very majestic and distinguishable from the rest
2. King should respect and protect his clan
3. The entire clan should be willing to do 'sacrifice' for the king
4. The palace where king lives should be very open and visible to others even from a distance
5. King should be willing to abdicate his throne to a new king when he becomes old
Lion is a sexually dimorphic animal whereas the tiger is not. The gait and mane of a matured lion gives an august & majestic appearance to it and such distinguishable features are not present in tiger.
The corporate must always carry very distinguishable and remarkable qualities or values in the market place. The organization should be known for its ethics.
The second management principle to be learned from the above by the corporate is that the lion protects all the members of the pride from other lions and it tolerates all the members of the pride as well.
This philosophy of valuing and protecting the employees, the corporate must inculcate and follow.
The third management principle is that all the members of the pride will patiently wait for the lion to have its share only then they approach the meal. Natural willingness for sacrifice is born only when there is genuine respect and recognition.
The lion lives in open country. It never follows the hunting strategy of 'ambush' like tiger. The message to be learned by the corporate in this regard is that they should conduct themselves in a very fair and open manner. Transparency should be understood and followed by them in letter and spirit.
The last and the most important management principle is that the lion when looses its dominance, retreat and the new king gets the throne. The message it conveys is that the corporate must abdicate its 'expired beliefs' and renew them as and when required. If they remain firm with what they believe is right, growth and development become impossible. Adaptation and formation of new generation always call for abdication of certain beliefs and values.
