PREDATORS, PREY AND SCAVENGERS

If you had to be on a desert island alone with another creature what kind of creature would you choose? Predators? Prey? Or Scavengers? If you were building a team, what kind of people would you choose? Predators? Prey? Or Scavengers? Quite honestly, it depends on the business you are in. Some industries need lions, others need vultures and yet others demand bunny rabbits. There should be no judgments about the business species, but it makes sense to know who you need in your zoo and what critters you are working with and why.

General Workplace Zoo Guidelines

• Predator teams work well with predators unless they start predating each other

• Prey teams work well with prey unless they become totally passive

• Scavenger teams work well with scavengers unless they divide into predator and prey

• Mixed teams work better with good management who are zoo keepers and not predators, prey, or scavengers

It is rare that lions, vultures and bunny rabbits hang out together successfully over time. Well, it might be successful for the lion and the vulture. But success is usually a win-win-win proposition. You want your competition to be outside the office, not in the office. A feeding frenzy is not a pretty sight at work! Different people and different critters can often do well in the same location, living their different lives and functions, even when not compatible. They do require clearly established boundaries and well-defined policies that significantly lower the risk for all-out warfare or a corporate feeding frenzy. In other words, they require Emotional Management.

A poor mix of categories can accidentally create a full spin process. For example, a Bunny who tries to control the natural ravages of a Lion, could be perceived as an Emotional Terrorist to a successful Lion Team. A Vulture who tried to get too much of a dead carcass before the Lions had made their exit could precipitate a spinning frenzy of power and control. On televised nature programs this is entertainment. In the workplace this is risky, disruptive, and ultimately cost prohibitive.

Costumes or Personalities

Here is another twist on this discussion. Consider for a moment what might happen if a vulture has a lion suit? Or a lion has a bunny suit? There is a difference between a talented bunny who can manage lions and vultures, or a talented lion who can balance his power to manage bunnies, and an intentional spinner or Emotional Terrorist who has multiple costumes for his own purposes of control and manipulation.

After working with someone for a while, you may be able to see past the costume to the wonderful person underneath the disguise. You may also see past the costume to see a serious dysfunction or pathological personality disorder . Mangers deal with both real people and actors in costumes and disguise for their performances .

Sometimes a very scary person is using a sweet costume or the performance mask. Sometimes a very endearing person is using a scary costume or performance. Costumes and masks can be owned or rented. Use your observation and your intuition to observe and feel who might be a shark in a rental goldfish suit, and who might be a goldfish in a rental shark suit.

Case Example

Tyler was at the Emotional Continuity Management Training and told the consultant that many years ago he had worked with a colleague that he believed was the sweetest, most caring, altruistic, hard working guy on the face of the earth. This man was perceived by Tyler as a mentor, workplace hero, true lifesaver and guru. Quite out of the blue, this "saintly" man was convicted of murdering several family members . Tyler had truly believed this man was a sweet goldfish. But it became clear that he was a shark wearing a rental goldfish suit at work. Tyler became obsessed that he had been tricked by a murderer. He could not easily accept this perceptual rift between what he saw as a goldfish and the reality of the covert shark nature. Because he no longer had faith in his own perceptions, Tyler left the job and lowered his career expectations. He returned to some earlier behaviors and began smoking marijuana. He decided if his perceptions were that far off then nothing was real. Within two years he was in poverty. It took several years and psychotherapy for Tyler to understand that he had been tricked by a professional and that he had not been stupid just because he didn't see what others eventually came to know. Tyler took his recovery seriously and was able to continue on with his career. He described himself as a goldfish sort of guy who needed a shark suit to get by in the world. He said he was now working with other goldfish. The workshop participants let Tyler know that many of them had also met sharks in goldfish suits .

 

Case Example

Charleen reported to law enforcement officials that the robber was about 6' 4'' and around 250 pounds . The terrifying culprit threatened her life with a gun and a deep voice. When the criminal was apprehended, Charleen was appalled to find that the perpetrator was a rather small-statured, puny man who was about 5' 4" and weighed 160 pounds , had a quiet voice, and had held her up with a sock in his pocket. He had an amazing talent for looking homicidal. During a debriefing she was relieved to be told that some criminals are experts at looking like sharks while hiding their goldfish attributes.

 

Case Example

Evonne was a terror on wheels. She was on the top of her game, raring to go, with no obstacles to success. Luke was her meek, goldfish-like husband who didn't feel comfortable with his aggressive wife. He encouraged her to take her time as she climbed the career ladder. When recognized by a top-flight organization that saw her potential to be a successful venomous predator they offered her a blank check and the sky as her limit. The organization valued her carnivorous, shark-like nature because this was just what they were looking for to fill a key position. Evonne left the marriage and continued on to a very successful career. Luke stayed home and raised the babies after the divorce. They eventually were amicable and supportive of each other and valued the different styles they had in life. They found creative ways to spend time together with the children. Both remarried successfully and continued to do well.