Panchatantra with a twist: The Bird and the Monkeys

When winter came to the mountain, the gang of monkeys were unable to bear the cold. They collected the wild red berries, thinking they were embers, and blew air at them to make a fire that would warm them. A bird, Suchimukha, told them that they were foolishly blowing air at berries and should, instead, look for shelter in a cave. The monkeys rudely asked him not to interfere in their affairs. The bird persisted in trying to get them to take his advice. Incensed, the monkeys bashed him against a rock and killed him.

* * *

You see, there are instances where the lack of a management experience really shows. Most people tend to see this story as a warning against giving unsolicited advice but, to me, it shines through as a story that tells you that, sometimes, management experience can, literally, be a life-saver.

Let us see how this would have panned out if Suchimukha had management experience. To be sure, if he really had management experience, he would never give out advice gratis. In the current circumstances, of his being the outsider, he would necessarily have to be a management consultant being paid a hefty fee for his advice and with the mandate to deliver this gang of monkeys alive and kicking at the end of winter. (Why would anyone WANT an alive and kicking gang of monkeys, you ask? Check with any management consultant and you will find that they have been heftily paid to deliver more useless things than a live gang of monkeys)

"What are you guys doing, may I ask?" Suchimukha asked.

"What is it to you? That is none of your business." snapped the elderly head of the gang of monkeys.

"You are a bunch of wise people. This winter is really killing and I need to survive it somehow. I just thought that, maybe, you could give me a few tips on surviving it."

"You stupid fool! Just pick a few of those embers, there and blow on it. You will have a fire to keep yourself warm."

"Embers? What.."

"Are you blind? These red things, here. Don't touch them. You get your own from over there."

Suchimukha looks and sees wild red berries. A mocking look almost rises to his face but he curbs it. He was not a management consultant for nothing. If the client calls a berry an ember, it HAD to be an ember throughout the interaction. Polonius had nothing on him when it came to agreeing with clients.

"Yes! I see. What a great idea. Thank you."

"That's alright. Now go get them for yourself." said the monkey grudgingly.

"You are very wise. This idea with embers is really fantastic. May I share something which may make this even better? I have traveled to various places and have seen how humans handle embers."

"So, what is it?"

Behind the grudging growl, Suchimukha heard keen interest. THAT was always a good hook. Tell the client that it is your idea and he would look you up and down, and tell you to stuff it where it was anatomically painful, if not impossible, to do so. Tell the client that you have some inside knowledge of how people, whom he respects, work and it was bound to evoke interest.

"Well! They use these embers inside houses or caves. Possibly the wind does not allow the embers to flame up outside. Inside, they seem to, at least, make you warm even if they do not create a fire."

"I think, maybe, we should try it in that cave yonder." said the head monkey to the rest.

Suchimukha flew away, laughing to himself at the sight of the monkeys industriously blowing on the berries inside the cave. The only way to get people to do what YOU want them to do is to make them think that they are doing what THEY want to do.

Mission accomplished!