What I Learned from Working Around Big Cats

For 30 years I worked in the Human Resources profession.  You can learn a lot from working with people and their personal/professional challenges.  You learn how to appreciate what you have; that life isn't as bad as you might think; and sometimes just being in the right place at the right time is what gets you ahead in life.

But the most profound lessons I learned were from working around the big cats. Here's a list of my Top 10 Lessons Learned from the Big Cats:

1. Always bring your A-game to work.  Don't go to work sick, hurt, or tired.  Working around big cats can be dangerous if you don't pay attention to your work because of physical or mental distractions.
2. Be careful of your actions for you never know who is watching you.  Big cats are very smart and they get used to your usual routine.  If you change your routine or forget to do something (like returning the lock to the gate for instance), believe me, the big cats are watching you closely and will take advantage of your mistakes.
3. You get more positive results from positive reinforcements.  Yelling and screaming at the big cats rarely results in motivating a big cat to do something (much like yelling at your own kitty at home).  The big cat will either yawn back at you or charge the fence line to get you to remove yourself from the area.  However, if you dangle a piece of meat or favorite "toy" in the direction you want the big cat to go, chances are the big cat may move in the direction you want him or her to go.
4. Know what motivates your big cats.  If you don't know what motivates your big cats, then how can you get them to do what you want?  Not all big cats are interested in meat, especially if they are not hungry.  So study up on your cat and learn what motivates your cat to move.  
5. Have a back-up plan.  Not one plan fits all cats.  Try several motivational tools before ...
6. Knowing when to strategically disengage.  Remember, never give up, just try again later with a different motivating plan.
7. Check your work before others discover your mistakes.  See #2 above.  Check and double check the gates, locks, and the big cats themselves.  If they are paying particular attention to the gate or enclosure walls, that might be a sign that something is amiss!
8. Pay attention to your work environment.  Never turn your back on a big cat.  Keep big cats in visual at all times. Don't work too close to enclosure walls in case a big cat paw snakes out and grabs your legs! There list of don'ts is so long, but I think you get the picture.  Know your surroundings, know where your cats are at all times, and know where you can obtain emergency supplies if you need them.
9. Surround yourself with competent people.  Working with risk takers and ignorant people may not serve you well. When working around big cats, you need to be in the company of competent workers who know what they are doing.
10. Don't let others stand in the way of your dreams or ambitions.  Nuff said there.

Well, there you have it--lessons learned from the big cats that can be applied in any profession.  I'm curious, what have you learned from your own fur-family members?