The Opportunist

[He is silent listener]

Yes, he is a very good listener. In a meeting, he is the last person to speak. He avoids making a comment on the issue in hand. Event if he is being pushed to say his views – here comes the most Diplomatic Answer. You are free to guess any interpretations out of the diplomatic answer. He is a clever guy. He will never give his neck in your hand. Do not under estimate him! He hunts with his silence and tremendous listening power.

[He is lone fighter]

There is a famous saying ‘ Kabira khada bazaar mai, mange sabki khair, naa kahu se dosti, naa khahu se bair’. An opportunist is good to everyone. He does not form any group, neither he belong to any group. He is a lone fighter, he only look for those things that shall benefit him. The opportunity may hit from any direction and he is always ready and in alert position to catch it.

[Avoid taking responsibility, avoid taking stand]

 He likes opportunity, but he does not commit to the responsibility. He will never say ‘Yes, I am taking this task and the responsibility to complete it’. He rather chooses to keep quiet in such situation. The silence can be taken as positive response in while task is being assigned and later. The silence works as escape goat later if task is not completed or any issue arises. The ‘Golden Silence’ is the best weapon. You can always make a blank face indicating - ‘Is it?’ 

[He has ‘saviors’]

He is busy counting opportunities. He has got ‘saviors’. Saviors are the ones who do work on ground level, finish it with full dedication and do not speak a word that they have done it for him. An opportunist has got a pool of saviors. He maintains relationship on give-and-take terms. He will provide a small token of exchange to the saviors, however he will earn most benefit out of this deal.

[He is never an emotional fool]

He locks up his emotions in ‘Pirates of Caribbean’ chest and throws in the deepest ‘Marina Trench’. Rule of thumb is no emotion at work. No attachment to any task, any project, any person or any organization. He is a player and he very well knows that play is going to end in some time. Thus, he believes in playing. However, even after being vigilant and alert, if another opportunist has grabbed an opportunity from him – He is hurt. Yet, he is at being silent and hiding his emotions.

[Is he a Leader?]

All leader are opportunists, however all opportunists are (can not be) leader. If he is a true opportunist, he can never become a leader.

[Is he a winner?]

Well, he is not a loser. He never loses. After all, he is an OPPORTUNIST.

Animal Instinct And We

[The Victim]

Hiding in tall grass, the lioness’s watchful eyes are scanning a herd of deer. Lioness’s choice is obvious victims – the weak. The weakest is the easiest. Soon, lioness finds a newborn deer cub, hardly able to run. No way, it can overpower the agility of lioness.

Mother deer instantly gets alert with the danger her cub has into. Like a mother, her first instinct is to save her baby – at any cost. She makes a call, an indication for the cub to hide in the grass. Listening to the call, cub sits in the matching grass hiding himself – unfortunately, lioness’s attention is still unavoidable.

In an attempt to grab lioness’s attention away from the cub, mother deer starts walking slowly in the near proximity of the lioness. Yes, she is successful; lioness has left the baby alone and now focused on the mother following her natural instinct – the bigger victim, the better meal. Lioness chases mother deer, grabs her neck and kills in few minutes.

Lioness is satisfied with her kill, proud of her killing skills. Suddenly, young cub wanders where it’s mother is. Cub thinks he is lost and separated from the mother. Cub starts making calls in search of mother, mother is nowhere to his avail. Instead, lioness grabs her lost attention back in the cub. Now, it is cub’s turn. There is no chance that the cub can be saved after its savior – the mother dear is dead too. In few minutes, without much struggle, lioness tears the cub into pieces.  

[The skilled subordinates]

Fully satisfied with the two kills – lioness is happy, she has earned required output. The Lion king’s hunger can be satisfied too. Lioness kills for its clan, she kills, however, who claims the meal first is the Lion. Lion is powerful, dominant and a bully. When Lion is in power, no one dares to oppose him. He is the ruthless king and law of the jungle is – power wins.

Two lifeless deer bodies are lying on the ground, whole lion pride jumps on the food, snatching, tearing the meat. The cub is finished in no delay. The young lion cubs have stolen it and ran with it to eat at far. Lion is angry, first stolen food and now he is not given preference to eat mother-deer at peace. He roars and pounces on the lioness – punching her on the face fiercely.

Lioness struggles for her life, somehow, attempts to get away from Lion’s grab and run for her life. This was her kill, however, law of the jungle prevails – power wins. Lioness is hurt. She is unable to hunt further. Other lioness in the clan takes her place – they shall kill for the Lion now onwards. The hungry and hurt lioness is left alone – unable to hunt; she is no more needed in the clan. She is now weak and venerable. The gradual and slow death is unavoidable. She shall meet the end soon.

[The powerful and the opportunist]

For years, Lion has been a powerful king. He has savagely attacked and killed many who dared to oppose him. His supreme authority has been never questioned. He has lived a proud kingship for many years. Today, his will is strong; but body has become weak due to growing age. Today’s kill is different.

The young lions are now becoming more powerful. They have shown annoyance and have tried to claim the kill first - questioning Lion’s supreme authority. Their behavior is unacceptable to the old, rigid Lion who is still living in his arrogance.

Today, as his two sons approach the kill, he fiercely pounces on them. However, today is different; today Lion gets response – a mirror image of his own ruthless behavior. The young lions jump back on the old lion mercilessly. The Lion is wounded badly and blood starts pouring out from the wounds. Lion realizes his era of power has ended. Power is transient. He runs for life leaving the clan – his pride of many years. Now, he is alone and unable to make a kill.

At night, a clan of hyenas – the opportunists, finds him. A wounded lion is an easy meal, indeed. Lion is still huge and powerful; no way, hyenas can kill the Lion. The resistance from Lion is keeping them away from attack for some time. However, smell of fresh blood coming out of Lion’s wounds is making hyenas insane. In few minutes, hyenas’ instinct for food prevails. Unable to kill the huge Lion, hyenas starts eating him alive…

[Law of the Jungle]

That is the law of Jungle and this behavior is witnessed in humans as well, especially where power is involved – be it corporate world or politics. However, amusingly the end result is same whether it is in the context of animals or humans. Sometimes, we humans justify animal instinct in us. We say its survival of the fittest – the great Darwin’s Theory. However, my friend, mind it - the outcome is also according to the law of the Jungle.