12/6/09
Ducks Among Eagles
Monday, November 3, 2008I am a little disturbed by the sudden surge in the requirements for an applicant to get into our company. I even know some who exceed my own qualifications and yet were not able to make it.
On our last staff meeting our big boss quoted one famous guy who said “Do not mix ducks with eagles”or something to that effect (I can’t remember the exact words, sorry. One rationale behind was that if you put eagles and ducks in the same school, the eagles will be pulled down if you adjust for the ducks in the very same manner that the ducks will not be able to cope up with the skills of the eagles. The conclusion was “DO NOT TOLERATE DUCKS.” Had I applied a year too late, would I have failed to get in, myself? Would I have fallen short of their expectations? Just what did she mean by “eagles” and “ducks”? How do they know?
The big boss is someone I look up to. She has this very persuasive charm backed up by sheer ingenuity and mastery of her craft. However, with all due respect, I beg to differ.
This metaphor presupposes a person’s capabilities by one’s nature. This is like saying that “no matter how good you are, you’re still a duck”. Oh yeah? Try telling this to Spud Webb. Seriously, if it will only take ducks to pull an eagle down, then I think that bird gives his breed a rather bad name; and if that school cannot cater to both eagles AND ducks, then they might want to consider a different business.
Just what does it take to be an eagle? Is it your school, or your religion, or the society that you were born into? Being an eagle doesn’t make you an expert predator, figuratively speaking. And with all the sharp vision and sharp claws, eagles can only see so much.
If everybody thinks alike, then no one is thinking. In the Basis team, we take pride in our diversity: rich kids, poor kids, geek squads, streetsmarts, noobs, veterans, conservatives, liberateds, et cetera et cetera and what-nots.
It doesn’t matter if the cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice. Each member of the team hails from a powerful clash of cultures and disciplines and mastery of skills that offer us a much wider perspective of where we are, where we plan to go, and how to get there, well ahead of the rest.
We help pull each other up. We learn from each others’ weaknesses, and we share each others’ strengths. We are not selfish with the knowledge that we acquire, and we make everyone at par. This is like ducks teaching eagles how to do the flying V formation. “Pwede na” is not pwede for us. We do not and we will not stop, until we get the results that WE want to see. So we do not need to hire the best. WE make the best.
I do not need to hide beneath the wings of my alma mater to prove anything. I do not need to look smart, nor pretend to have class. Who gives a sheit if I quack? I am The Bitter Bastard, a proud duck of the Basis Team…
and THIS is what real eagles are made of.
Previous Comments
so I’m currently bored right…and I checked out your blog. lo and behold…you posted a blog of the same topic just before I did. Conincidence? hehe.
Anyway, I plan to write something about this. I’m just not sure if I have enough english today to finish the blog. But my premise would somehow play around with this:
“What kind of world will be a world with just ducks and similarly with just eagles? The world has to maintain balance of good and evil, black and white, damned and undamned, betty la feas and fudgin nicole kidmans. If not this, then the world will sieze to exist. Nothing will dictate what species would live as producers and what would be at the top of the food chain. You hire all Eagles and you risk symbiosis. The Eagle’s viewpoint is not the same as the duck’s. You hire all Eagle’s and you risk your lower sight of the terrain.”
In short, mahal kita TBB. hehe.
Posted by SuperGirlSimone at November 9, 2008, 5:19 pmi wanna see what you have to write. i can sense that we’re seeing the eagle-duck remark from different perspectives. i’m interested. 
hmm, every new comer enters 5 stages of workplace adjustment and that’s the NACPE:
first you’re the “N”eophyte or the noob. cos you just graduated from college.
next you become an advanced beginner, cos, for example, you’ve earned your license as a nurse and gets a job.
the C would stand for competent.
then comes the P which means Proficient - you become proficient with your skills and knowledge
and last, you become the expert , its like you’ve been working on the job for at least five years and have mastered your work.
anyway, so much for the lecture on professional adjustment.
the reason why i was discouraged to even apply for a work as a nurse in manila because hospitals there are a bit biased. they kinda look into your alma mater and designate a certain point for it, which i think is a bit “uncool” lol. so its like if youre a UP or a UST, ADMU, DLSU graduate youre chances of being hired, well, is higher compared to if your a graduate of a university in the province. its just crap.
Posted by michael at November 11, 2008, 3:42 amlove the music, by the way. lol!
Posted by michael at November 11, 2008, 3:42 amlove the music din
cool, tama ka…..”It doesn’t matter if the cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice.”… nad it rhymes pa…hehehe..and definitely right..
Posted by Paul-devil at April 4, 2009, 3:14 pm@michael:
i abhor the discrimination.
@joedwebguy:
i can send you the mp3s if you want!
@paul_devil:
it rhymes? ok sonuds rhyming enough for me haha
a duck will remain a duck especially if the company does nothing about it. it should be able to provide that duck with the training and supervision that the duck will need in order to grow in that company.
Posted by Ed. E. at December 20, 2009, 1:00 pm
Keep blogging. You have interesting posts. God bless
recruitment should be like this. not plainly basing from school, qualifications and core skills, there are still some factors that should be considered. when i hire, motivational fit and integrity are the knock-out dimensions for me. hindi lang puro galing kumbaga.
and true, the more diverse team members, the better.
Posted by joma at November 7, 2008, 2:58 am