I would start this article with a question. Have you ever played ‘tycoon’ games on computer? OK, let me explain you one. Let’s take for example “Zoo Tycoon”. In this game, you are provided with an enclosed area where you are required to build your zoo. For that you need to purchase different animals, provide them suited cage or shelter, food, habitat etc. You need to hire workers to take care of these animals, to clean the zoo and to repair various structures. Also, you need to make passages, setup benches, Ice-cream parlours, gift shops, fountains etc. This list is too long for me to accommodate here. Then you can actually see what guests are thinking and what they want. Accordingly you can further strategize your game. Even the animals can give birth to young ones for whom you are required to take decision whether to expand the cage or make a new one. In all, you are required to keep everyone happy (the animals, workers, guests ) and make your zoo a profitable venture. This is just an overall glimpse of the game and you will get to know other intricacies if you actually play it.
Can you count the number of variables which the player need to juggle with? The number is good enough for a small virtual zoo. What if you are asked to actually start and manage a zoo? Numerous new variables would be added like market conditions, labour laws, climate, location of zoo etc. and in this case you would not be able to read the guest’s mind to strategize further. This means it would be hell lot of difficult than the simulation.
For those who believe in god, just imagine the number of variables he has to play with while managing this world, or on a bigger perspective, this universe! Well, one can easily say, “He is god, with unlimited superpowers, he can do it easily”. But still, reading the mind of people and satisfying each of them would be a mammoth task. Also, there would be condition where fulfilling one’s wish may cost other’s. What is to be done in that case? To understand this paradox better, just take an example of a game of chess. Both the players want to win the game. As god, who you would help winning? Let’s assume here that both are equally intelligent, equally prepared and other factors are all same. Then what? Ok, to play safe let’s call it a draw between the two. But you may not find a middle way always in all cases.
Similarly, a manager is required to take decisions in his day to day working. He may not be aware of all the factors and has to rely on the ones he thinks are the only significant one. The number of variables in front of him increases with his designation. Managing trade-offs can be called the biggest challenge. Appraising one employee can displease other employees. Even a small step of setting up a coffee machine can increase the employee’s productivity and inadequate stationery can lead to fall in productive hours. A manager doesn’t only have to play this assets-liabilities game but also is required to read the mind of its employees, clients, suppliers etc. To read the mind is actually to predict for which managers have learnt a number of tools but these tools and methods are not at all sufficient enough to tackle these subjective issues.
But successful managers are those who have done these predictions accurately. Now, for those who don’t believe in god, can we say the world is all run by managers only in great numbers. Each managing his small territory and taking care of the stakeholders within.
Can we now say, from above two perspectives, a successful manager is no less than a god! Ideally speaking, yes. But as all humans commit, so can the managers, the errors and mistakes, which are considered that god cannot do. Probably this is something which separates managers from god. We call Sachin Tendulkar as the god of cricket, because he commits fewer errors and is able to satisfy most of the stakeholders by his performances. Even the losing team cherish the utter pleasure of watching him playing his masterstrokes. Now speaking ideally, if there is a manager who never commits a single mistake and is able to satisfy the needs of all its stakeholders by taking long and short term decisions judicially, providing gains to all and not on the cost of anyone, then that manager is a god. And if you read the above definition with spiritual frame of mind you will find it falling perfectly in place to the definition of god as we assume him to be the almighty.
Can you count the number of variables which the player need to juggle with? The number is good enough for a small virtual zoo. What if you are asked to actually start and manage a zoo? Numerous new variables would be added like market conditions, labour laws, climate, location of zoo etc. and in this case you would not be able to read the guest’s mind to strategize further. This means it would be hell lot of difficult than the simulation.
For those who believe in god, just imagine the number of variables he has to play with while managing this world, or on a bigger perspective, this universe! Well, one can easily say, “He is god, with unlimited superpowers, he can do it easily”. But still, reading the mind of people and satisfying each of them would be a mammoth task. Also, there would be condition where fulfilling one’s wish may cost other’s. What is to be done in that case? To understand this paradox better, just take an example of a game of chess. Both the players want to win the game. As god, who you would help winning? Let’s assume here that both are equally intelligent, equally prepared and other factors are all same. Then what? Ok, to play safe let’s call it a draw between the two. But you may not find a middle way always in all cases.
Similarly, a manager is required to take decisions in his day to day working. He may not be aware of all the factors and has to rely on the ones he thinks are the only significant one. The number of variables in front of him increases with his designation. Managing trade-offs can be called the biggest challenge. Appraising one employee can displease other employees. Even a small step of setting up a coffee machine can increase the employee’s productivity and inadequate stationery can lead to fall in productive hours. A manager doesn’t only have to play this assets-liabilities game but also is required to read the mind of its employees, clients, suppliers etc. To read the mind is actually to predict for which managers have learnt a number of tools but these tools and methods are not at all sufficient enough to tackle these subjective issues.
But successful managers are those who have done these predictions accurately. Now, for those who don’t believe in god, can we say the world is all run by managers only in great numbers. Each managing his small territory and taking care of the stakeholders within.
Can we now say, from above two perspectives, a successful manager is no less than a god! Ideally speaking, yes. But as all humans commit, so can the managers, the errors and mistakes, which are considered that god cannot do. Probably this is something which separates managers from god. We call Sachin Tendulkar as the god of cricket, because he commits fewer errors and is able to satisfy most of the stakeholders by his performances. Even the losing team cherish the utter pleasure of watching him playing his masterstrokes. Now speaking ideally, if there is a manager who never commits a single mistake and is able to satisfy the needs of all its stakeholders by taking long and short term decisions judicially, providing gains to all and not on the cost of anyone, then that manager is a god. And if you read the above definition with spiritual frame of mind you will find it falling perfectly in place to the definition of god as we assume him to be the almighty.