Beware of being influenced

Leadership is a sticky wicket. When the person in charge permits himself or herself to be influenced by the team members, or groups it could lead to a lot of chaos, injustice and even failure in the long run. 

The Panchatantra records a tale which reflects such a situation. A crow, jackal and elephant happened to belong to the inner circle of lion’s friends. They lived happily till a camel came along. The lion was impressed by the good natured animal and accepted him as a friend.

However, his old friends could not digest the presence of a newcomer. They often told the king that the camel should be killed. The lion invariably ticked off the bizarre idea of breaching the trust of the docile camel. Years rolled by. The lion fell sick. He was no longer able to hunt. His friends fetched him his meals every day.

The equations amongst the friends had not changed. The original trio looked upon this situation as a golden opportunity to send the camel to his death. By now they had also realised that their king did not harbour any animosity for the camel. So they worked out a plan collectively.

They told the king that they could not find any prey that particular day and he could eat one of them. They would be only too happy to give up their lives to nurture the life of their dear friend. They also cited scriptures which celebrated such a selfless sacrifice of friends and loyal citizens.

The lion accepted the
idea, albeit half heartedly. Accordingly, the crow, jackal and the elephant offered themselves as victuals to the lion.

They rejected one another on the grounds of being either too small or too big for consumption. The camel who was completely unaware of the wily net cast by the trio took the bait and offered himself to the lion.

No sooner the words were uttered; the trio praised the camel and pounced on him immediately. The lion joined them with the impression that the camel had chosen to martyr himself as assign of his solidarity. 

Invariably the odd man out brings out the worst among old companions out of a sense of inexplicable insecurity. At such time it becomes the onus of the leader to verify facts before plunging into actions which can prove to be detrimental in the long run.