Running a Small Business: People Are Animals by Nicholas Kringas
People are animals.
Back in my undergrad work at Syracuse University, a friend of mine asked me to watch his fish for a week while he went home. He dropped the fish tank off to me so I could feed the fish, clean the tank, keep the fish company, and whatever else you’re supposed to do with fish.
I don’t remember how we got to this situation, but I bought a tiny little shark and added it to the fish tank with the other fish.
Apparently, you’re not supposed to mix aggressive fish with happy fish that mind their own business or the sucker fish that are just trying to eat some algae off the glass.
That shark drove the other fish insane. Literally.
The shark would love to speed around, scaring the others nonstop. The super large goldfish wouldn’t even eat his food with the shark around. The shark even attacked the large goldfish on several occasions leaving him with a bite mark in his tail.
The little see-through fish with small colorful stripes attempted to stick close to one another for support.
In anticipation of the shark showing up, all the fish swam around nervous and slept with one eye open.
Every single fish eventually died, even the shark! It happened quickly, in a matter of days. One by one they died. Perhaps the shark died because the bowl was too small or because he had no one to bully. Not sure.
How does this fish story relate to business? Be super careful what kind of fish you put together. Not only employees but executives as well.
That reminds me of another animal to people comparison.
My hero, Mr. Dan Kennedy, says that all race horses are different. Some like to live in the front of the stable, while other horses like to stay towards the rear. In the front there is more traffic and action while in the back it may be darker, definitely quieter with much less action.
The issue is that horses cannot inform us where they would like to be. That part is left for us to figure out.
People are the same way.
Some like to be in the mix and want to be around others while other people like to be left alone.
Most of the people, like horses, don’t don’t even understand when type of environment brings out the best in them. We need to figure it out for them. Sad but dead on.
Keep this in your head when putting together a team to work together and when hiring and training new people. Most of the time they just want the job because they need the money.
You have to look past that and try to find out which type of horse (or fish) they are. It is not always possible to see this before you hire, but do all you can to place each person in the best position and in the environment most likely to enhance their abilities, as opposed to stifling them.When I manage a group, I hold the picture of a team sport in my mind. In basketball, for example, you can have great players but if they don’t work well together as a team, they may not win many games.
It has been said that a majority of people are let go from a job because of their personality and inability to work well with others than for their capability to do a good job.
About the Author
Nick Kringas has spent all of his life in the family restaurant business. Even though he loves all aspects of running a business, his passion is small business internet marketing. He has recently created SEO Spartan, a Weschester Search Engine Optimization Company so that other serious entrepreneurs can take advantage of his internet marketing expertise.
Animal Logic “Rose Coloured Glasses”