LIC & BUMBLE BEE
Way back in 1986 when I had just started off in my professional journey, I got introduced to this concept of Bumble Bee.
If the rules of aerodynamics are applied to a bumble bee, then it cannot not fly. Because the area swept by its wings is far less than its weight. Not enough to give it a lift to fly.
But still it flies.
Simply because it wants to.
I did study management and have been part of brand management & advertising. And later having served in the monolithic organisation called LIC, I found it quite like a bumble bee. Its weight is far more than the area it sweeps. So, it shouldn’t fly. But remains #1 insurance company despite 24 years of tough & intense competition.
LIC has excellent advertising and very well laid out organisational structure with clear chain of command.
However, the most interesting part is that none of the people working in the sales department are from sales per se. People join as assistants in the clerical cadre and rise from the ranks to hold important positions in the sales department. With virtually zero exposure ever to various aspects of a typical sales department, they come around to making important decisions. The frontline agents have very basic education. After a certain time of their induction into LIC, they are on their own. But they are extremely committed. Behind them is the latent force of their development officers. The products are never tested before launch. The sales teams are not briefed about the new products. The feedback is rarely taken seriously. There is only one way of performance appraisal i.e. comparison with last year’s figures. There is no market intelligence per se. There is no research. And there is only one way communication.
Yet, LIC is where it is.
This all boils down to the fact that our endeavours carry far more weightage than the management jargon. Management principles came much later than the entrepreneurial success. Performance & hard work can any day overtake the conceptual knowledge.
Likewise, there may be factors in our lives which may point to the fact that we cannot fly, yet like a bumble bee, if there is a will & determination, we can still fly.
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