Leveraging Positivity in Management: A Lesson from the Hunter's Dog

A keen hunter often ventured out with his rifle, now aiming at flying birds since wild animals were scarce. His dog possessed a remarkable ability: it could run on the surface of river water. If a shot bird fell in the river, the dog would dash across the water's surface, retrieve the bird, and return. One day, while hunting with a friend by the river, the man shot a bird, and his dog effortlessly glided over the water to fetch it. Turning to his friend with excitement, the man asked, "Did you see that?" The friend's response was, "Yes, your dog doesn't know how to swim!" Despite the dog's miraculous capability, some people always interpret a positive aspect negatively.

The learning from the above story:

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In the realm of management, perception plays a pivotal role in shaping outcomes. The story of the hunter and his dog, with its underlying theme of negativity versus positivity, offers valuable insights into effective leadership and team dynamics. In this narrative, the hunter represents the leader, the dog symbolizes the team, and the friend embodies the external environment or stakeholders.

At the outset, we encounter the hunter, a figure driven by a passion for hunting. His consistent pursuit of prey mirrors a leader's relentless quest for success in achieving organizational goals. Despite the absence of traditional game, the hunter adapts, demonstrating resilience and creativity by targeting flying birds. This adaptability reflects a leader's ability to pivot strategies in response to changing circumstances, a critical skill in today's dynamic business landscape.

Central to the narrative is the hunter's dog, endowed with a unique ability to run on the surface of river water—a feat that defies conventional norms. In the context of management, the dog represents the team members, each possessing distinct talents and capabilities. The dog's remarkable skill illustrates the potential within every team member to surpass expectations and overcome challenges. As a leader, recognizing and harnessing these individual strengths is essential for fostering a high-performing team.

However, the friend's response—"your dog doesn't know how to swim!"—serves as a stark reminder of the prevalence of negativity in the workplace. In management, negative attitudes and perspectives can impede progress, eroding morale and stifling innovation. The friend's remark reflects a mindset focused on limitations rather than possibilities, highlighting the detrimental impact of pessimism on organizational culture.

Despite the friend's cynicism, the hunter's question—"Did you see that?"—embodies a spirit of optimism and celebration. As a leader, acknowledging and celebrating successes, no matter how small, is key to nurturing a positive work environment. By emphasizing achievements, leaders can inspire confidence, motivate their teams, and reinforce a culture of optimism and resilience.

Moreover, the hunter's unwavering belief in his dog's abilities underscores the importance of trust and confidence in leadership. Trust is the foundation of any successful team, fostering collaboration, open communication, and mutual respect. By instilling trust in their teams, leaders empower individuals to take risks, innovate, and explore their full potential.

In the realm of management, the story of the hunter and his dog serves as a compelling metaphor for navigating challenges and fostering positivity within organizations. By embracing adaptability, harnessing individual strengths, celebrating successes, fostering trust, and combating negativity, leaders can cultivate a culture of resilience, innovation, and collective achievement.

In conclusion, the hunter's dog exemplifies the untapped potential within every team member, while the friend's negativity serves as a cautionary reminder of the dangers of pessimism in the workplace. As leaders, it is imperative to foster a culture of positivity, resilience, and trust, empowering teams to overcome obstacles and achieve success. Just as the hunter celebrates his dog's extraordinary ability, so too should leaders celebrate the accomplishments of their teams, no matter how small. In doing so, they pave the way for sustained growth, innovation, and excellence in the ever-evolving landscape of management.

A bundle of joy

Sometimes in 1992 when i was posted at Farakka then my wife and son Anish had gone to Kolkata to my in laws place for vacation. When they returned then they had brought a surprise item which probably i would have objected. It was a one month old dog of Spitz specis, a bundle of fur. We named him Furry.

For a few months it had round face with stub as a nose but gradually it started getting transformed to a dog with pointed face. Slowly Furry became an integral part of our family. The kids of the locality started referring us as Furry's father,mother. He became the center of attraction for all the BHEL kids and reason for jealousy of street dogs. So in front of the gate of my bungalow either there would be crowd of admiring children or barking street dogs.

In the house he would be constantly following my wife and most of the time would be squatting in front of the kitchen, while my wife would be cooking. There was no dog food for him, it was the same food what we would eat. In the meanwhile within a year it grew up to it's designated size and shape.

I was the Project Manager of BHEL at Farakka for 2x500 MW project. BHEL had a township adjacent to NTPC's township just by the side of Ganges. I was staying in a bungalow and other enginerrs were staying in C and D type quarters. There was Field hostel for bachelors. More than 140 BHEL emloyees were posted as site and almost all were with their families. Often there would be squabble between the families and as Project Manager i was supposed to resolve those. Issues like someones daughter absconding was my problem. Even i had to organise to dispatch a dead body of an employee to BIHAR by putting the dead body in a the boot of a car. Sunday was the day when i would be listening to the grievences of the employees and resolve their personal problems. There was a culvert.

I would be sitting on that for delivering judgement, i used to call that as throne of Vikramaditya, all the staff would be surrounding me. During that time Furry would make it a point to sit in front of me as though he was maintaining law and order. He would be sprawled on the road nonchalantly watching the body language of the people surrounding me. if someone raised any voice he would shut him by a bark. I must admit that he became center of attraction of the colony, I had got a badminton court made of cement with permanent lighting for employees to play after office hours. Many a times Furry would come running out of the house, jump across a big nullah and grab my pant while i would be playing a game of badminton. It was sight to watch, all the children would cheer Furry who would gleefully pull my leg literarily .

i have not taught him the game of throwing ball which he would pickup. It was the other way round, one day i was sitting in the lawn when he brought his ball to me, i took it, he looked at me expectantly using his mental force for me to act. I casually threw the ball, he happily went and brought that back to me but was reluctant to give it to me. I forced it out of him and then again threw, thus he trained me how to play with a dog. One day he entered the house with a Bidi stuck in his mouth, i scolded him for that mischief. Jokingly i used to tell before my son could start smoking Furry had stolen a lead on him. Another day he entered the house with a 20 rupee bank note in his mouth, i was happy that at last he had started earning. I would tease my son, "'Look,he is already earning whereas you are yet to start earning."" After his arrival we were pretty handicapped while making long journey, to take him by train was pretty cumbersome as copassengers might object. So all my trips to Kolkata was by road from Farakka. I wanted Furry to see Darjeeling during 1993 Durga Puja. i requested my friend J K saha who was posted then as Superintendent Engineer at Siliguri to fix up a hotel at Darjeeling where they would allow dog and he organised one such hotel. So four of us me, my wife,my son and Furry hired a cab for Darjeeling. We stayed the night at West Bengal Electricity Board's guest house and next day we pushed off for Darjeeling.The change of place effected Furry he stopped eating regular food so we gave him Cadburry his favourite diet. He became the most popular guy at Darjeling Mall.

Quite a lot of tourist from Kolkata would pet him and would enquire from us how could we bring our dog as they too wanted to bring their pets. The local dogs were jealous of his popularity but they would not bark like the street dogs of plain, they were curious and surround him, sniff him. I got transferred To Kolkata as General Manager in October,1994, made the journey back by road. In Kolkata he became fond of eating peda with milk and rice. I would purchase peda from one particula shop at Ballygaunge Station Road where we were staying then, just opposit to the hous of P C Sorcar,Junior. One day the owner of the peda shop commented to me that we guys like peda very much. I noded my head and said, "'Yes your peda is top class."" In Ballygaunge Furry was stuck in a flat after growing up in wide open space of Farakka, we too had to figure out how to tackle his mood swing,slowly he got adjusted. Though as Head of the region i could have hired a bungalow with open space but we preferred to stay in South Kolkata as my inlaws were there. After spending 6 years in Kolkata i got transferred as Executive Director to Bhopal. Sometimes when i look back to my Bhopal days then i realise that more than me Furry enjoyed the wide open space of ED,bugalow.

But then he had to make a punishing journey by plane in a cage.As per rule i got a cage made for his travel. He was put in cargo hold.

He travelled with my wife from Kolkata to Delhi by flight, i received them at Delhi. We spent a day in our flat in Delhi then we travelled by AC first class in Bhopal Express. To book the full coupe one of my colleagues from BHEL,Bhopal got booked in same four seats coupe so question of copassenger complaining was not there.

He had wide area to romp around. The vegetable garden. the wheat field withing the compound of ED,bungalow, yes our yearly  consumption of wheat  is rice and vegetable were grown in our bungalow. He would chase the birds, squirrels and all sorts of insects. But we had to keep a close eye on him as lot of snakes were there though those were chased off by mongoose . My father who at that   time was mostly staying with us would have Furry as his company. Furry used to chomp happily the wrist of my father which was bonny. I retired in June,2003. July,2003 we left Bhopal by same Bhopal Express and same arrangement of a fourth passenger from BHEL. From Delhi again the poor guy has to travel to Kolkata inside a cage as we took a flight. His stay in Kolkata was not much eventful, he started having various ailments. He had become old by dog age and left us in February,2005. We gave a proper burial to his earthly remain in a dog cemetery located at Behala. We were shocked as though one of our close relatives had left us. We could still see his bite marks on the legs of all our chairs, as he would spend most of the time below the chairs wherever me or my wife would sit so we never purchased a regular sofa as those have no open space at the bottom instead we have cushioned chairs. In our house there is a collage of lictures of Furry hanging on our bedroom wall.