"Playing Prince Charming"

Source:A fantabulous article

I seriously have to check with my kid. Did Prince Charming really kill the dragon and save the princess? The Charming One, if I remember right, had this irritating habit of running after women with a single glass slipper - trying to fit that singular framework to every foot in the kingdom... must have studied management for graduation. Anyway, the late Sumantra Ghoshal (along with Heike Bruch) had, in a very interesting article, pointed to the possibilities of slaying the dragon and saving the princess - as fine corporate strategies *.

Before exploring the beautiful analogies coined by the gifted minds, let us ponder on emotions. For it is about emotions - raw, pulsating and pounding - that Ghoshal et al speak about in their article. And the art of tapping and redirecting it to the desired destination, in a corporate setting.

Well, for a sensitivity test, check out this stunner by Seamus Heaney **, and guess the emotion behind it: -

"The bloody light.
To hell with it.
Close eyes and concentrate.
Not crown of thorns, not suptre reed,
Or Herod's court, but ha!
You had it! A, harrowing, yes, in hell:
The hackle spikes
That Plato told of..."

(Confused thoroughly? Don't worry; Heaney has that effect sometimes on unsuspecting minds!)

If you are sensitized to raw emotion now, of the negative variety, it is this that Ghoshal speaks about... an ineffable mix of anger, hatred, shame, fear - all in a heady cocktail... which actually empowered Philips Electronics to make a come back in 1990 when their new CEO took over and subjected the company to a shock therapy by saying, "This is a fight - not a game!" ***. Now, don't sue me - this strategy of shocking a complacent or lethargic company into performance is called, "Slaying the dragon".

Mind you, a lethargic company is very different from a complacent one. Both share low energy levels but there is a subtle difference. The lethargic has negative quality and low intensity of energy level. The complacent one has positive quality and low intensity of energy. And both are equally bad for the tummy.

So what does the doc advise?

A magic potion consisting of enthusiasm, energy and enjoyment in winning the performance goals - like Sony Corp, constantly reinventing itself. This is called - "Winning the Princess" - by making the vision everyone's dream! Herein, both the quality and intensity of energy levels in the organization are very positive and high.

Or, surprise, surprise... try anger and competition with that fierce passion bordering on the negative... that is what Oracle follows - "Slaying the dragon" - with high levels of negative energy getting unleashed.


There is no judgment herein. The druid knows that what is good for Asterix need not be good for Obelix. After all didn't someone fall in a certain something even before he could walk? So, go ahead, say the Gurus. Move from Resignation Zone to Passion Zone. And kick off those wreath of past laurels while you are huffing into the Aggression Zone from your erstwhile Comfort Zone. Try anything to get your company out of that low energy, inertia ridden apathy it is floundering under... either kill dragons or win the princess... but for Chrissake, get moving!

Obviously, it will all depend on the leaders at the helm. Whether they are naturally Charming or Growling. The management proclivities, along with the history of the company and the environment, will decide if the company goes in for unleashing negative energies or positive ones. Either way, the Prince gets the kingdom. The only difference is the emotion with which he wins the girl. Very enthusiastic and peppy! And very pleasant.

Thus illustrated by Victor Hugo *: -

"To do everything on an astonishing scale,
To be a combined Rabelais-Michaelangelo,
That's what the Lord is like, and I just accept it."

Let us bow before the memory of Sumantra Ghoshal