The Loyal Mongoose - India

Once upon a time in India there was a woman who lived together with her husband, their baby son and their pet mongoose. The small brown mongoose was a brave animal. It could kill any snake no matter how big. The pet mongoose was loyal and always protected the baby the best he could. But in spite of this, the mother did not trust the pet.

One day, the mother went off to the market to buy milk for the baby, leaving him in the care of his father. While she was gone, there were loud screams from the neighbor's house, and the father ran next door to offer his help. The baby was left alone with the trusty mongoose.

Image: Susil Sri Creations

Suddenly a huge cobra slithered into the room, heading straight for the baby's cot. At once the brave mongoose jumped up and attacked the cobra. It was a hard fight, but the faithful mongoose managed to kill the cobra, leaving the snake's blood all over the baby's room.

When the mother came back from the market, she saw the cobra's blood splattered all over the room, and on the mongoose's mouth and paws. Filled with grief and anger, she grabbed it's tail and tossed the mongoose hard against the wall. It was dead instantly.

Then...the baby cried. It lay safe and sound in his cot, the dead snake body underneath it.

Questions 

• Why did the mother instantly kill the mongoose?
• How do you think the mother felt when she discovered her baby safe and sound? And the father?
• Have you ever had regrets after making a decision? 

Management Link 

Upon seeing the bloody mongoose near the baby's cot, the mother in this story immediately killed it. She did not think or blink, nor did she even look around the room; she was overwhelmed with emotions.

Managers have to make a lot of decisions which affect people professionally as well as personally. If you let your emotions take control, you risk taking the wrong decisions. Don't let important decisions be clouded by emotions. As a manager you should always reflect and appraise the situation before making decisions, specially in case of problems. Try to avoid jumping to conclusions. Oh, and when in doubt, sleep on it!