If there’s any question my friends will remember me for, it’s definitely: which do you prefer, the cockroach or the lizard?
Most of my friends pick the lizard. To them, the lizard is a friend of the house- like a spider, the lizard preys on other insects like flies and mosquitoes.
Historically, I’ve always picked the cockroach. Its hard exterior shell is a texture I’m more comfortable dealing with than soft, slimy lizard skin.
That said, I’ve been reflecting on my views on this topic: whether the cockroach or the lizard may truly, objectively, be better than the other. the answer, is as Prof Ben likes to say: it depends.
The cockroach, when attacked, is hard to kill. It adapts, reacts quickly and fights to survive. The lizard, on the other hand, takes a different strategy: it wins favour by helping the house owner rid his house of flies, mosquitoes and other small annoying pests. The lizard avoids being culled by bringing value to the house it borrows as home.
while we may have our preferences in a real life encounter with either of the two, in business, we can choose to emulate either one to survive an onslaught. We choose the cockroach when faced with a hostile environment and imminent death- just as the Airbnb guys famously did. And we choose the lizard when we have an opportunity to sow the seeds of goodwill, in hopes that one day, our efforts will result in us being spared annihilation.
Neither is better, one or the other. Both have evolved over time to pick a strategy to survive. We, too, can adapt to each strategy- both can exist together as one.
Raph