This one’s for the animal lovers among us.

In the mighty African jungle sits the cheetah. At 80-130 km/hr, we know her as the fastest land animal on the planet.

She has her eyes set on the majestic impala – an antelope, who’s definitely a flight risk any moment now.

Technically speaking, the impala is at an immediate disadvantage. She is smaller, slower and less athletic than the cheetah, whose acceleration/deceleration skills are legendary.

So the cheetah should get the impala every time, right?

Surprisingly no.

Recent studies show how prey animals, like zebras and impalas, use an evolutionary trick to outsmart their predators. Instead of running away at top speed, they pick a moderate pace to flee.

Why? This allows them the flexibility to manoeuvre sharply at the last minute and change course, deftly escaping their predators.

As it turns out, 2 out of 3 times, the impala wins. Three cheers to the underdog!

There’s a lesson here for both animal enthusiasts, as well as businesspeople.

Today’s competitive marketplace is just as unpredictable as the African jungle. Just because the odds are visibly stacked against your company, doesn’t mean it needs to cave under pressure.

In the final stages of the hunt – or competition – what matters is not how fast you can go, but how agile you are to flex your tactics on short notice and play on your strengths to outsmart competition.

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Only this digital core can give you the power to stay strategic and agile, to innovate rapidly and effectively, and thrive in the next normal.

As we unfold a new chapter, I wish you a fantastic New Year. Should there be challenges in 2021, may we draw strength from intelligent technologies to stay resilient and beat the odds, every time!

By: Venkat Nanduri