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How to fill the leadership gap or space or vacuum is a big problem in most corporate. When a CEO or President or a functional head quits the organization, the corporate would find it hard and difficult to fill the gap or find a suitable alternative. Most of the people who were working under the said bosses might carry only the mindset of a ‘subordinate’ and hence may not be worthy to head or lead the team.

The corporate in most instances either recruit or elevate someone from within the organization. In single man owned corporate, the final boss decides, mostly based on his or her personal likes than merit. The question of how such gaps should be filled. Is it filling the gap or ensuring the continuity of the job in a ‘perfect’ manner is most important?

The above question requires a detailed search and understanding. A real meaning can be derived only from a best practical example. Nature offers the best example for the corporate to learn. Such learning essentially comes from a species of fish called as ‘Wrasse fish’, created by nature. The Wrasse fishes are a group of brightly colored, carnivore fishes that inhabit in Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans and mostly they prefer to live in shallow water habitats.

Usually a male fish holds several female fishes in his ‘school’. The Wrasse fishes are ‘protogynous hermaphrodites’, means a female can change her sex to male and vice versa according to the need of the situation.

The most astonishing thing about Wrasse fish is about their leadership switch. When the leader of the school, the male fish dies, the most dominant female in the school immediately turn to ‘male’ and takes over the leadership gap.

The important message is that it is not the next dominant fish that has taken over the leadership gap. The next dominant fish has changed totally and has acquired all the qualities that are required to lead the team and become the leader. The Wrasse fish first ‘developed’ the eligibility and fulfilled the ‘prerequisites’ to meet the challenge. They knew the leadership qualities as well in advance.

Promoting people to next level should always be done based on the ‘merit’. Such ‘merits’ people should develop out of their effort and the corporate also must provide adequate support to the above.

Acceptance of a leader is possible not by force or creating a choice less situation to people, that often happens in single man driven corporate. Only when the leaders show the adequate leadership qualities and develop them regularly can gain respect of the team.

The corporate HR has lot to learn from Wrasse fishes. The behavioural science and social organization of Wrasse fishes gives the best example for the corporate to learn about how to develop and fill leadership gaps in corporate.

Dr S Ranganathan, ClinRise Derma Pvt., Ltd., Chennai

Learn more from the following management books

1. Jungle wisdom for corporate management – lessons from the university of nature by Swami Sukhabodhananda and Dr S Ranganathan
2. Nature – The Entrepreneur by Dr S Ranganathan