Bees and Boss

Have you seen a bee hive before? Bees and hives are pseudonyms of busyness, hardworking and energetic, and bee hives would make it as homely, togetherness and full of honey.

Good stuff.

Bees are not only hardworking; they are also self-sacrificial. When a giant hornet scout enters a Japanese Honey beehive, they surround it by raising the temperature to overheat the hornet and kill it. This defensive mechanism means that a few bees might die in order to save the hive. When a bee stings, they die, but the hormones released bring forth a swarm of bees to attack the intruder, thus saving the hive.

Now let us talk about the boss of a beehive, the queen bee.

The queen bee is born to be one. She has to fight it out with the rest before she can be THE queen bee of the hive. Once a queen, she has the power and authority to rule, so much so that she can determine the type of bees to be born.

You can say that the queen is there to make decisions. She does not hunt for honey, fight the hornet or engage in domestic squabbles. This is her life. If she has a diary, the content will be pretty plain and full of routine activities unconcerned about the events that unfold outside of the hive as long as there is honey being produced.

What about us who run businesses?

Just like a bee, the employee is hard working, energetic and will sometimes go beyond the norm and sacrifice personal time for work.

All employees strive to make the office a homely place. Just look at the number of post-cards pasted at the cubicle, and the family photos plaster at the wall.

Employees report ultimately to the Boss. The Boss has the power and authority, and he makes corporate decisions. At times, he decides who to recruit, reward and fire.

However, the queen bee can never fit the role of a boss in a business world.

As a queen, everything is routine. As a Boss, every day is a new day. Not only are there fires to fight, difficult decisions to be made, but there are also office politics, nasty clients and pests.

As a queen, all she does is lay eggs and decides the type to be born.

As a boss, we have to make decisions, build relationships with stakeholders, bring in sales and manage the staff.

As a Boss, in summary, there are three critical essential skills, namely technically competent, sound business management and good acumen for business development.

Not easy.

Therefore, the position of ‘Boss’ comes with a higher remuneration package and perks.

Employees who strive to become a boss one day must be equipped with these three skills.

Be a human boss not a queen bee. The corporate jungle isn’t a hive. 

In need of Human Resource services? 

Talk to Pong: chiangfp@rt-ca.com or +65 6603 8229.

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