In October 1999, in New Zealand, some 300 pilot whales died – stranded on a deserted beach. It was later discovered that the whales had been pursuing a large shoal of small whitebait and in the relentless chase and frenzy that followed the small fry had lured the ‘big fish’ to their deaths. There is a good business lesson to learn here, and that is, don’t be continuously chasing the small fry all the time because: (1) they never satisfy. (2) You can end up running out of steam for relatively insignificant gains. (3) You can end up on the rocks! And (4) the bigger fish always escape to be caught by someone else!

R. Ian Seymour