Spitting spider managers are desirable for modern corporations. Unlike other spiders that wait for prey, spitting spiders are proactive - they immediately spit silk and venom to bind and paralyze prey. This shows that corporate leaders should not passively wait like normal spiders, but actively monitor employees like spitting spiders. By regularly engaging with employees, leaders can provide early guidance to weak performers and help them improve, rather than just finding issues during annual reviews. Effective leaders take after spitting spiders in their proactive approach to understanding employees and addressing weaknesses promptly.

1. Spitting spider managers/leaders are the most wanted people for the modern
corporate these days. For the effective management of people and task, the
leadership style of spitting spiders is needed and inevitable.
Unlike other species of spiders those wait patiently for a prey to get trapped in the
web, the spitting spider is indeed not that patient. If it finds a prey like silverfish or
moth etc., it immediately spits the fiber in liquid form along with the venom at the
prey. The liquid silk of the spider binds and coils the prey and makes the prey
immobile. Further, the venom ensures that the prey is totally paralyzed. If the silk of
the spider failed to resist the strength of the prey, the venom will definitely ensure
the goal of the ‘spitting spider’.
Why the ‘spitting spiders’ catch its prey by using such ‘crazy’ technique? With least
energy expenditure and labor, it can catch the prey comfortably, when the prey
automatically falls into the web. All the species of spiders except the spitting spider
catch the prey by employing the ‘wait and catch’ technique. What management
teaching the spitting spiders conveys to the corporate?
Many corporate bosses do behave like normal spiders. They never intervene or try
to understand the performances and the leadership qualities the people working
under them until the performance appraisal dates are announced. They relax lazily
and wait for the time to do the above job. If they learn the art of prey catching from
the spitting spiders, they will understand that waiting for the appropriate time is
not wise.
Active catching is what the spitting spiders follow and it is not interested in catching
the prey when it is trapped in the web and struggle for help. The corporate leaders
and the bosses must not loose time in knowing the work details of the people.
Although during performance appraisal of the people, they will get to know about
the details of their performance, but waiting for such long time will never help the
organization in any way. If they intervene regularly and at the right time, course
correction is possible and accordingly a likely poor or non-performer can be helped
to become a ‘super performer’.
It is not the subordinates ‘telling’ the bosses about what they have completed or not,
but the bosses must ‘know’ what is happening at the other end by using their ‘sense’.
The message is that the corporate leaders should not wait and waste time like an
ordinary spider that the prey will come and trap in the web by itself. They should
be proactive like a spitting spider in knowing the weak employees. Only when the
weakness or defect in the performance is understood in advance, the candidates can
be guided to the right path to ensure that they also keep pace with the rest.
Dr S Ranganathan, ClinRise Derma Pvt., Ltd., Chennai
Learn more from the following management books

2. 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