CHASE THE SUN

The morning Sun rose majestically behind the hills surrounding the Shillong city. Soon enough it started its upward trajectory and spread its warmth into the city. The capital of Meghalaya, Shillong, lies on the eastern part of the state. Perched at an altitude of 1,520 meters (4,990 feet) above sea level, the city stretches for about 6 km on an elevated tract. It is situated on a plateau bound on the north by the Umiam gorge, on the northwest by the great mass of the Diengiei Hills that rise up to a height of 1,823 meters (6077 ft.) above sea level, and on the northeast by the hills of the Assam valley. The Umshyrpi and the Umkhra rivers, which finally merge and form the Umiam River, water it.

The majestic Sun was in all its glory when we reached the Laitkor Ground to participate in an exhibition. The tents were neatly laid out and soon enough our team had set up its wares for the visitors who would be streaming to witness the technological robotic wonders. The curiosity of humans is unlimited and so is their question forming abilities. Humans can question any concept, design and product. In a crowd, this ability gives an unusual kick to some humans who want to be seen as one above the rest. This ability marks them out and it sets the brain into a thinking mode as the debate rages to prove the concept. Of course, it is these questions which also become a key proponent of the marketing concepts as new trends emerge out of such debates. We got engrossed with many such humans and took our technological concepts and products into their hearts and minds through deft answers to their questions.

Oblivious of the humans spread all over the ground, the grand Sun was now about to reach its zenith. The ground had been watered in the morning and the heat of the Sun had by now dried the soil. Dust was now ready to get into its action. As the Sun kept on its relentless pounding with no cloud cover, the wind picked up from the adjoining heights and descended into the ground, the dust married the wind and soon enough we saw a whirlwind rising from the centre of the Ground where a stage had been rigged up. The stage provided the perfect partner for the coupled heat, wind and dust and the obstruction provided by the stage twined the wind into a Whirlwind. The Whirlwind is a weather phenomenon in which a vortex of wind (a vertically oriented rotating column of air) forms due to instabilities and turbulence created by heating and flow (current) gradients. Whirlwinds occur all over the world and in any season and the Helicopter pilots flying in the North East of India will vouch for this phenomenon.

The Sun was hitting its zenith, the Whirlwind kicked the dust into a dark pattern and now it needed a way out of the ground. As we watched in awe and looked for our cameras to capture the action, the Whirlwind did a starboard (right) turn and leapt straight towards our tent. Before we could utter Jack Sparrow, the whirlwind uprooted the big tent and churned it all around us. Our equipment and laptops flew with the plastic tables and we were now gasping for air as the tent and the equipments flew, hit each other and rolled on the ground. This part of the ground was turned into shambles and the wind gave out an eerie whistle as its eye crossed us. We gave up inside its fury and just tried to save our heads as the metals came down.

The dust devil soon met its bête noire in a small opening of a wall and died. The funnel collapsed and the dust fell down into the mother Earth. The rescuers salvaged us from the mangled tent and the operations to re-settle began. Soon enough, we were back into action and the only specks of dust were left inside the exposed hair. Our robust equipment withstood the tirade of the whirlwind and was back into the performance. We had become the cynosure of the arena as everyone came to seek our welfare and the performing robots stole their imaginations. The show went on and the Sun started its descent behind the westerly hills. The Chief Guest had seen the action unfolding and he walked towards us as the crowd thinned out. He had keenly observed the rugged pattern displayed by the robotic equipment and the humanoid component. Our team got thumbs up from him for bravely withstanding the onslaught of the whirlwind as we and our robots stood their ground.

Whirlwinds are an interesting phenomenon. Most of us have only heard about them or have seen them unfolding at a distance. We got the first hand experience of standing in its way and facing its fury. The initial battering was tough as dust and associated particles hit us like projectiles. The middle of the whirlwind was cold and silent and then the tail came down to churn the metal and the material. All this while, the Sun kept on moving towards its zenith and kept pushing the mercury to small notches higher. The whirlwind died almost as soon as it rose and left no trace of its existence.

The episode left me thinking about the whirlwinds in our lives. Everything around us seems like a song and a stage is set. As we move towards the stage of life, the wind starts churning the dust around it. Soon enough a whirlwind runs towards the hapless humans and crushes anything that comes its way-including well thought out dreams!! The swirling winds assume the dimensions of time and all that one can do is to wait to let the barrage pass away. Standing tall in the troughs of times is a hallmark of fighters. The whirlwind of time has no dimension. The fighter awakes at the first light to begin his journey. The Sun needs a chase as the darkness is destined to follow as the Sun dips. The lurking whirlwind needs just the right amount of heat, wind and dry dust to kick up its fury. The whistling whirlwind has no direction and it unleashes its might to anything that comes its way before dying down.

The Sun has its own share of flares and it is the bearer of all life recognized on this Earth. Its intents cannot be questioned. Sun follows its mundane routine days in and out. Sun is the symbol of life and whirlwinds represent the vagaries of time that the life experiences. The humans have to withstand the brunt of life as the Sun keeps on moving the counts of time. Brave humans stand the onslaught and wait for the whirlwinds to pass away. They collect the remains and build a new future. The new future continues their chase of the Sun and in turn the time. Those who give up keep on lamenting and repenting and their chase of the Sun and time ends as they refuse to stand after the barrage of the whirlwind.

Life is a great bet and at each stage the stakes keep increasing. The rising stakes are easier to fall as life encounters whirlwinds. The Sun needs a chase and the fighter collects his stakes, builds the life and continues the chase to live the life. So, keep chasing the Sun and take the challenges head on. The whirlwinds are just a phenomenon and do not last forever. The rising Sun demands chase. So, get up and get moving- do not let the chase die down.

   

WHO AM I?

Life is a funny bet-you win some and you lose some. In the end, humans cannot keep a score and give up on the bet. It is at the fag end of their lives that the humans end up auditing their lives, its bets and the one question that keeps haunting them is- Who Am I? This is a stage where the child inside humans returns again and many crave for a re-run as they finally discover as to who they actually are!! Fortunately, in the scheme of life there is no reset button and majority of humans rue their lost times and opportunities to attain the glory that was theirs for the taking.

25 June 1983, India had reached the Cricket World Cup finals at the Mecca of the game- The Lords. The pitch curator had nothing to lose as the host team England was already out of the finals and he left a grassy pitch for an encounter which was proclaimed to be an one sided affair. The mighty West Indians were just supposed to steamroll the meek Indians and pick up their 3^rd World Cup Trophy. The Indians had nothing to lose and they began with losing the toss as well. The bespectacled West Indian Captain Clive Lloyd has had a look at the grassy pitch and he called out his bowlers to have a go at the motley Indians.

The Indian Captain Kapil Dev was young but daredevil at heart. As he came back to send his openers out to face the mighty West Indian bowlers, he said, “Good luck boys, let us enjoy the game!”. How true it turned out to be!! The Indian team was reduced to 161 for the loss of 9 wickets and the gutsy Syed Kirmani hung out with an unsung Balvinder Singh Sandhu. Sandhu dug in his heels and the score reached 183 before Kirmani lost his stumps to the giant Michael Holding.

The Indians huddled together and the dressing room conversation was led by the Captain Kapil Dev. It is said that Kapil just told his boys to make the West Indians fight for each run and 10 good deliveries which can bowl them out. Kapil’s men knew that it was a unparalleled moment in their respective lives and each one gave his heart out to christen themselves from the Indian Cricket Team to the Kapil’s Devils. They had got the answer as to Who They Were or simply each one of them achieved the answer to the eternal question- Who Am I? Sandhu got Greenidge with a peach of a delivery, Kapil ran 20 yards back to take an unimaginable catch of Viv Richards and the wobbly Mohinder Amarnath gobbled up the West Indian lower order to stitch a historic win. The banter of West Indian fans reduced to a hush and the journalists in the ground had a tough time as they had to shed their crafted West Indian victory story into a new thought process. The 11 Indians shook up the entire Nation out of its slumber and achieved a forever “Hall of Fame” image. These men knew who they were and their lives were fulfilled forever as they entered their names into the life’s register forever as achievers.

Neil Armstrong was the first man to have stepped on moon. A look at Neil’s life reveals that he was an aerospace engineer, naval aviator, test pilot and an university professor. Before becoming an astronaut, Armstrong was an officer in the U.S. Navy and served in the Korean War. After the war, he earned his bachelor's degree at Purdue University and served as a test pilot at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics High-Speed Flight Station, now known as the Dryden Flight Research Center, where he logged over 900 flights. He later completed graduate studies at the University of Southern California.

A participant in the U.S. Air Force's Man in Space Soonest and X-20 Dyna-Soar human spaceflight programs, Armstrong joined the NASA Astronaut Corps in 1962. He made his first space flight, as command pilot of Gemini 8, in 1966 and thus becoming NASA's first civilian astronaut to fly in space. On this mission, he performed the first docking of two spacecraft, with pilot David Scott.

Armstrong's second and last spaceflight was as mission commander of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, in July 1969. On this mission, Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin descended to the lunar surface and spent two and a half hours exploring, while Michael Collins remained in lunar orbit in the Command Module. Along with Collins and Aldrin, Armstrong was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Richard Nixon; President Jimmy Carter presented Armstrong the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 1978; he and his former crew-mates received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2009.

During his life after the space odyssey, Neil would have received unmatched attention. He would have traveled and met scores of humans, each one of whom would have just looked at him with great awe and pride. A mere shake of his hand and a feeling of rejuvenation would have criss-crossed the minds. Neil Armstrong definitely would have got the answer to the proverbial question- Who Am I? He had to clear many qualification examinations to be the first human to step on the Moon along with Buzz Aldrin. Did he ever know that after him and Buzz, there would a phenomenal gap which many astronauts are still dreaming to fill up!! The bar of achievements keeps on increasing to gain an insight into the question- Who Am I?

Almost all humans have the ability to decipher the “Who Am I?” conundrum. The strengths and weaknesses play a game in the mind and the battle is more or less won if the correct choices are exercised. The external factors too play a key role in the exercising of choices of the human mind. Humans can break all barriers if the odds are against them and it is only when they give up that the battles are lost. A streaker generates raw courage to storm the play field. So does an astronaut who just counts his nerves before stepping out his gravity less environment to take a space walk. A pilot encounters vagaries of G forces to carry out a breathtaking spiral as fuel ignites his engines at his command. A soldier picks up his gun and meets the enemy head on to live or let die. A student works hard to scale his aim. The examples are numerous and galore as humans stretch out in their quest to find the answer to their own “Who Am I” quests.

Life can never be a bed of rose. Each human has to go through its vagaries and the World strives on its inherent chaos. This inherent chaos in the World is a direct outcome of the varied solutions that humans generate to achieve their respective answers to the “Who Am I” theory. Someone has rightly said that time is a good healer. But the corollary is also true that time is a bad beautician. The earlier the humans achieve their answers to the “Who Am I” quest, the better they can deal with the speed at which time turns their lives around.

Herbert Spencer coined the phrase “Survival of the Fittest” in his Principles of Biology (1864), in which he drew parallels between his own economic theories and Darwin's biological ones, writing, "This survival of the fittest, which I have here sought to express in mechanical terms, is that which Mr. Darwin has called 'natural selection', or the preservation of favored races in the struggle for life." In their quest for “Who Am I”, some humans outrun the others as their aims keep on making them carry out deft maneuvers. Their lives are pacy, hectic, exciting and do have a tendency to taper off towards the biological end. On the contrary, the humans who do not reach the conclusion of their “Who Am I”, lead a tapered life from the start to the beginning. Their aims wander far and wide and in the end they get the tag of “also ran” albeit for some distance.

The one good delivery of Balvinder Singh Sandhu, that running catch of Kapil Dev, the wobbly action of Mohinder Amarnath and the first step on the lunar surface by Neil Armstrong are all some points of life where these humans got their answers to their “Who Am I” question. We all can keep scourging our lives in oblivion, reach somewhere, make no one happy and keep us away from attaining our respective “Who Am I?” answers. All through our lives, we can keep supporting other’s quests for their own answers to the “Who Am I”- that is what human life is all about. But all that we need to find is – Who Am I?

Have you found your answer?             

THE KINGDOM

The Red Bull Team had taken off on a bright and sunny afternoon at the Bangalore Air Show. The conditions were perfect with Bangalore’s climate reporting mild heat and a cool breeze was adding to the fun for the spectators. The 03 aircraft flew off the tarmac and soon they were sizzling the skies. Their deft maneuvers and wing to wing flying skills bedazzled the spectators. Coming into the arena from the eastern side of the runway, the planes attempted an inverted loop. The spectators gazed as the two aircraft came closer and closer and suddenly the wing of one aircraft brushed the propeller of the other one. It was now an emergency and the 66 year old lady in command of the plane with the damaged wing had an emergency at hand. She had to battle a crippled plane, vagaries of speed and atmosphere. The plane banked to the starboard side as the broken and mangled wing disoriented the flight trajectory. Inside the cockpit, the mind and senses of the lady raced to the hilt. Well trained in her art and balanced in her mind, she eased the throttle of the veering plane. The runway inched closer to the plane and the lady had her calculations set right. The acrobatic plane landed safely and the 66 year old pilot walked out of her crippled plane. The well trained mind and a soul of steel had averted a disaster and let the premium event to unfold its wares. The speed of the action unfolded the looming danger to its hilt but the calm mind of the Pilot saved the day for a premium event.

George Washington was huddled with his group of advisers, colleagues and military leaders. He was the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. The debate was raging to christen George Washington as the “Father of the Country”. But inside George raged a personal battle. He considered the Country’s honor and its establishment as a powerful Nation much ahead of his personal glory. The concept of the “Father of the Nation” did not rule his mind and he set about to set up the Constitution of his Nation which remains the Law of the Land and guides the United States till to-date. George Washington maintained his composure whilst under pressure from all the sides and let the Nation grow out, rather than establish a Kingdom. He was in a position to easily become the King and etch his name forever in history. The speed of George’s decision settled many a factions fighting to gain control of the throbbing and upcoming nation and guided the growth into a definite pattern. As the leader of the first successful revolution against a colonial empire in world history, Washington became an international icon for liberation and nationalism. He is consistently ranked among the top three presidents of the United States, according to polls of both scholars and the general public. George retained his decisive power and continued with his core aim- to liberate the society and progress the Nation. Washington had a vision of a great and powerful nation that would be built on republican lines using federal power. He sought to use the national government to preserve liberty, improve infrastructure, open the western lands, promote commerce, found a permanent capital, reduce regional tensions and promote a spirit of American nationalism. At his death, Washington was eulogized as "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen" by Henry Lee.

On weekday mornings, I power up my 4 Wheels, flare up the Radio and cruise to work. The drive to the Company is done in a single lane as I keep my wheels focused on the single track, which I have discovered, keep my vehicle safe. At times, on unknown tracks and roads, I do end up meeting red lights and I listen to words of wisdom from my human navigator and life partner. But all that I lose is a few minutes to reach our destination, albeit, safe and sound. The journey time is well utilized to connect with the day’s work plan and a Bluetooth wired speaker comes in handy to connect a few calls to people who matter that particular day. The speed is set by me and the journey is well lived.

The other day, my rear view displayed 2 helmets doing a zig-zag on the busy highway. The bikers were out to their places of work and zipping the lanes in a zig-zag fashion. Balancing their machines precariously, they would come dangerously close to the plying vehicles, rein in their clutches, shift gears, brake hard, release brake, shift weights, let the clutch go and accelerate to go ahead. It all appeared like the video console of our school days wherein we would put a Rs 10/- token into the machine and zig-zag the virtual race car or the bike. Soon, the token money would be over and the virtual machine will come to a standstill wherever on the screen it was at that moment. The screen would go blank and wait for the next token. One of the biker veered towards my 4 wheels and I kept my attention on his dare-devil move. Keeping my gas pedal at a steady speed, I saw him crossing my wheels and any change in my thrust could have just grazed his rear wheel. He was now ahead and repeated the smooth shifting of the bike’s mechanisms. The other biker was also busy doing his calculations. This was the time, my mind raced and I positioned myself into the biker’s minds. I could see the maze of cars as far as my vision travelled. They were all being driven in a manner which has no scientific concept. The waves of the sea follow a sine-wave pattern but a traffic wave has no known pattern.

Sitting on my elevated platform, I cruised my mind with the bikers and suddenly realized that I did not know the mind waves of the drivers ahead of me. I did not know who those people were and what were they thinking as they all raced against time and commitments to reach their respective destinations. Their pressure on their respective gas pedals was different and their clutches and gears meshed with different efficiencies. The bikers had not calculated this phenomenon. They were masters of their machines and their movements but their eventual drive depended to a large extent on the humans ahead of them. The bikers had only one aim- to cruise, stop, bank and cruise. The drivers ahead of them had different aims and thought processes. I powered up my 4 wheels to keep the unfolding action in my vision.

Then came the moment which bikers had not calculated. The road took a right bend at a bridge and the traffic’s pace was now highly uneven as the lanes were being shifted to meet the upcoming exit. The bikers were now zooming together on a small clear stretch. The small car in front of them was oblivious of the chasing bikes. The lady behind the wheel shifted her gear and the car jerked. The error of the speed had taken place. The car stalled for a couple of milli-seconds but that was big enough for both the bikers to crash into the rear of the car and the inevitable happened. The luck holding the game for many minutes crashed and so did the bikers as they skidded and soon were doing zig-zag on the road minus the bikes. The traffic came to still as many braked hard to save the fallen heroes. As the right most lanes cruised along, the jam started to build up. As, I crossed the car which had crashed the bikes, I could see that the rear view mirror had a fancy screen gadget onto it and the purpose of the rear view was defeated. The biker run was ended and the bikes lay prostrate on the road.

The speed of the decision lies in the human mind. Each one of us tries out to establish a kingdom and eventually end up setting a fiefdom. Neither Kingdoms nor fiefdoms are permanent. Eventually, the future questions all the decisions that are taken in the past. The efficiency lies in controlling the speed and making the right maneuvers to settle the issues amicably and with justification. The big truth that needs to be embraced is the validity of the decisions of today. The moment that goes by throws up newer challenges and these challenges emerge from the envelope of the older challenges. The actions to meet the challenges can be diametrically opposite to the previous actions. The moments and time are big companions. They both keep stealing the efficiency of humans with each tick of the clock. The roads of life too keep banking sharply. The most trained human beings also end up meshing into other’s flight paths, the best of the minds agree to disagree and the lack of rear view mirrors can spoil the dreams of speed’s fantasy.

The calm and watchful humans keep their horizon well under their vision. The champion marathoner does not look down when he competes; he looks straight ahead and keeps pacing harder and harder. The time keeper sets the pace and then falls behind as the clockwork of the human mind takes the tandem moves with the limbs. The Kingdom does get established but with a time frame of existence. The only thing constant in this world is change itself. Change we must by keeping a sharp lookout for minds working around us. The brute power has no takers amongst today’s humans. The Kingdoms need to be rehashed to a new setup of collaborative and constructive thinking. Finally, it is the thinking power which makes the difference between a leader and a follower. The follower would always follow a selfless leader and a selfless leader would always create a just Kingdom. The Lady Pilot and George Washington maintained the sanctity of their thoughts to achieve their respective aims. The bikers kept their own brains functional but could never locate the modified rear view mirror and crashed.

The wave does favor humans at some point of their lives. Catch the wave and ride the crest to secure the balance to meet the trough. The Kingdom would last to meet yet another crest. 

  

THE GENERAL'S (CEO'S) DILEMMA

“It is essential for victory that Generals are unconstrained by their leaders.”                                                Sun Tzu                                                                                                                                                                  

The lonely General stood erect on his ground. His gaze went far as his eyes could see the unfolding battle. He was not lonely because he was left alone or deserted but he was lonely in his thoughts. His grey cells were placing the options in the right corners of his calculating brain. Watching the dust rise on the battle field, he was concentrating hard to bring forth his tactics. He was pushing his brain to generate the best attack philosophy and had an onerous task of fighting against a mighty enemy. The advantage was that the battle was being fought on his home ground and the infiltrating Army had surrounded the General’s domain. The General had established himself as a warrior and a philosopher. His reputation had started traveling to the nooks and corners of the World as a grand strategist. He was a keen student of SWOT Analysis and had developed a unique capability to penetrate the enemy’s mind. His capability to achieve loneliness shut his outside World and he knew only himself and his thoughts which would churn out the battle game. His thoughts firmed up and he churned out clear instructions and explicit commands to his battle ground commanders. General Sun Tzu then waited and watched as his Commanders decimated the enemy’s Army which was 10 times larger than his own Force. The victory established the General’s traveling credentials into a firm belief.

Sun Tzu’s commanders fought fearlessly as they knew that there was no turning back. The Kingdom had to be defended and the costs had to be paid by the enemy and not his men. War, after all, is a matter of life and death. Like the General in a War, the CEO’s in today’s business world are always fighting an uncertain future. The strength of adversaries today cannot be calculated and the big data poses its myriad challenges to “not so lonely” minds. The matter of death by the surrounding enemy motivated Sun Tzu’s soldiers so that they could live to see another day. Today, the CEO’s face the same General’s dilemma as they push the employees to achieve higher ROIs to keep their brands afloat in the churning oceans of global businesses.

General Sun Tzu had a considerate King as his ruler. The King understood that his limitations would not let him survive the onslaught of the marauding enemy. He subdued his own dilemma by entrusting General Sun Tzu and then let Sun Tzu achieve his loneliness. General Sun Tzu was a keen practitioner of three Golden Rules:-

(a)          The key to success lies in intelligence.

(b)         Outwitting the enemy was more important than winning the battle on the first day.

(c)          A limited Force should not go head to head in a battle unless death is the only option.

With no external influence, all that Sun Tzu had to worry was for his own actions. His crystal clear thoughts flowed out into a guerrilla strategy against a more heavy and slow enemy. Sun Tzu’s warriors attacked the outposts of the enemy relentlessly and destabilized the enemy forces. Today’s CEO’s could do much better with constant and calculated maneuvers, deceptions and surprises. Resources have to be well utilized and each resource is to be accounted to capture more business. The elements of costs have to be controlled at each step as each failure leads to higher costs to the business. Controlled guerilla tactics and precise calculations can avoid bigger losses due to hasty and mighty expenditures to meet project timelines. What more- precise calculations by most modern computers, best trained minds bought at a price and new generation analytical techniques are always available to the CEO’s of today. The resources have immense flexibility in their operational modes and need the correct tweak at the opportune time.

In War, sheer numbers does not accrue a tangible advantage. Brute military power has seen many a debacles during the conflict. Similarly, a CEO needs to understand that mere numbers may not lead to more revenues. Limited numbers with precise maneuvers and supporting environment can crunch the numbers to the best advantage for a CEO. The in-depth knowledge about the environment and the competition puts a CEO in a position of advantage. The CEO must keep an eye on the horizon and the signs of rising dust must be analyzed correctly. A joining force can also support the enemy forces and fritter the advantage of the winning General. A wise General keeps his supporting forces at standby and has a constant connect with the counterpart General. Invoking support means loss of precious time to mobilize the support mechanism. This time gap can decide the fate of the battle. The CEO also has to keep his supporting elements ready for any eventuality.

General Sun Tzu demonstrated a moral influence. He remained unfazed as his smaller force kept the tirade against a larger enemy. His explicit orders and clear commands aptly supported his moral fiber element. He was willing to accept his failures and celebrated his success as the success of raw courage of his men. He dreamt and let his men achieve his dream. A CEO has to equally demonstrate his moral thread to his team. He has to take the final call when required and keep a sharp look out for the failures in his team. The team has to be churned and goals have to be portrayed clearly. The CEO’s actions cannot display ambiguity. A lonely General is not disturbed by his King and likewise a lonely CEO is under watch, but not disturbed till a trend emerges. After all, there is one big difference between a General and a CEO- the War may die any day, but a competitive Company is always at War.

A General, who has to win the War, analyzes his battlefield first and this analysis is absolutely thorough and meticulous. This analysis can be impartial provided the General is lonely. His thoughts should only be towards his strategy towards the War and nothing else should disturb his peace and tranquility. After all, the General is on the battle ground and not the King! Loose inputs and doses of wishful thinking can derail the best of the plans. Each order has to be weighed correctly and keeping all the circumstances in the calculation matrix. The enemy behind the closed door is not visible to the naked eye. A smoke screen can hide the cannon and it can be moved to a position of great advantage. A calm General keeps his gaze steady on the theater and his eyes pick each movement. He does not let the enemy open the door and emerge with a cocked gun pointing at him. A CEO also keeps analyzing the trends of market and his reaction is well thought when the market opens. He listens carefully, analyses thoroughly and acts quickly. The General and the CEO both have to act at a quick pace to capture the open ground.

The General does not let his commanders die in vain and neither does he let them get routed in battle. A rout, if it is happening, can be clearly seen. The battle worthy soldiers has to be motivated to lead a final assault to derail the winning enemy. This might spring a new surprise or even demoralize the enemy. It is a great truth that societies grow again, even after a rout. The General whether in win or in defeat keeps the challenge alive for his enemy. The enemy should weigh the challenge and decide future actions. A CEO also faces the similar dilemma as the Company’s fortunes start oscillating. He has to fight with his might and smell opportunity even under tight circumstances. CEO’s decisions can lead to twists in the corporate plans and he should be wise and bold enough to make those changes.

The General and the CEO are two sides of the same coin. If the General is the symbol of authority, then, the CEO is the symbol of prosperity. Authority and prosperity are invariably and inexplicably linked to each other. They are rather always entwined in a close embrace. The dilemma is the beginning of a grand strategy or a deep pitfall. Lonely General and lonely CEOs look hard at the horizon to align their thoughts and keep striving till they reach their desired end states. In every clash, one side has to accept the defeat. Sometimes, it is best not to fight at all and rehash the complete strategy paradigm.

The General and the CEO have to stay behind and oversee the unfolding game. The Commanders would look back for the correct advice. The high position gives ample opportunity to decipher and generate the correct action. Ensure the action and let the dilemma fade away into oblivion. Do not let the enemy behind the closed door to come out all guns blazing. It is better to blow the door away if it is amply clear that the enemy is hiding within the premises. After all, the cost of replacement of a door can never equalize the loss of a well trained human. Suppress the dilemma and ensure the action.