I am not a preacher and have no desire to influence your religious views. I am not a religious person, either. Right from childhood, I have associated gods with festivals and holidays. Janmashtami reminds me of Radha-Krishna, Christmas of Jesus Christ, Eid of Mohammed, and so on.
Earlier, the names of most prominent Hindu gods were taken along with that of a goddess. It instilled calmness. Chants of Shiva-Parvati, Lakshmi-Ganesh, Sita-Ram, etc., were common in Hindu households. The goddess of learning Saraswati, the demon slayer Durga, and the dutiful Hanuman were the only notable exceptions to this practice, but they didn't terrorise common folks of any faith. I grew up without being afraid of any god or religion, though when the time comes, the god of death, Yamaraj, may take me away.
I am writing this just to express my interpretation of Gita as a guide for professional managers and will be happy to have your views. Who knows, I may be going totally off the track, deserving an immediate course correction!
As I read the Gita again, I was impressed by Arjuna's desire to inspect the battlefield before the war to identify the warriors against whom he was supposed to fight (Shlokas1.21-1.22).
सेनयोरुभयोर्मध्ये रथं स्थापय मेSच्युत।।
यावदेतान्निरीक्षेSहं योद्धुकामानवस्थितान्। कैर्मया सह योद्धव्यमस्मिन् रणसमुद्यमे।।
What was the need for the action? Being a key Pandava figure, Arjuna was aware of the entire turn of events and knew his friends and foes very well. Yet, he didn't leave the matter to the imagination. His initiative was akin to prospecting by sales personnel, a market survey by product launchers, rehearsal by artistes, and recce by certain agencies. Many sales efforts collapse due to inadequate information about customers and competitors.
Krishna, serving as Arjuna's charioteer, brought him to a spot from where leading fighters of both armies could be seen. Krishna's action reminds me of a remarkable observation of Field Marshall Sam Manekshaw, who considered absolute honesty, fairness, and justice as some of the necessary attributes of leadership. Krishna, much superior to Arjuna in stature, demonstrated leadership by being fair and making no attempt to hide the reality of the situation. A good consultant, mentor, or business leader does not misguide the stakeholders by making false claims. Unfortunately, the tendency to shoot the messenger bringing bad news continues in spite of the closure of many large business houses due to the weakness.
Arjuna's reaction was very interesting (Shlokas1.31):
निमित्तानि च पश्यामि विपरीतानि केशव। न च श्रेयोSनुपश्यामि हत्वा स्वजनमाहवे।।
(I see unfavourable signs. How can I attain success by hurting my own people?)
I have seen many projects falling victim to narrow mindsets. For several years I blindly followed Phil Crosby's philosophy of quality being conformance to requirements—nothing less, nothing more. My views got a new perspective when a newly appointed CEO opined that if the customer expects 'one', the supplier must provide 'one plus'. It does not hurt the supplier's interest, but rather consolidates it. That explains cellular phones ousting traditional cameras from the market, Amazon causing the shutdown of not only bookshops but other stores as well, and Elon Musk breaking the barriers in transportation.
The concept of out-of-box thinking and looking beyond one's selfish interests is not new. Swami Vivekananda, while establishing the Ramakrishna Mission in 1897, had described that the missionaries would work for their own salvation and everyone's welfare.
आत्मनो मोक्षार्थ जगद्धिताय च
Likewise, the All India Radio follows the motto of बहुजन हिताय बहुजन सुखाय (for the benefit and happiness of many).
Managers who only think short-term and remain concerned about themselves, may not achieve anything remarkable at the end.
Krishna's response appears later in Gita. Perhaps we will take that up some other day!
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