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Personal Strategies for Leadership

Reflections on the Gita Shibir Course

For me, one of the key takeaways from the Gita Shibir course has been developing a far more nuanced, well

informed and insightful understanding of the concept of Leadership. The traditional form of leadership has been

analysed and commented upon in great detail in the western world, starting with William H. Whyte's 1956 classic,

The Organization Man, and Sloan Wilson's 1955 novel, The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit. However, this form ofleadership has been found to be greatly transactional in nature and doesnt help in fostering organisational

dynamism, breakthrough innovation, high employee morale and motivation or in building future-ready

organisations. Transformational Leadership is the key for budding managers to contribute to building nimble,

creative and sustainable organisations with a healthy triple (People, Planet and Profits) bottom line. Oriental

literature, particularly the Bhagavad Gita is a treasure trove of principles and practices of Transformational Leaders.

My learning from the discourses of Swami Viditatmanandaji and the perspectives provided by Dr. M. L. Srikant and

Dr. Sesha Iyer has led me to develop 10 simple yet effective personal strategies for leadership. They are as follows:

1. Do what you enjoy, enjoy what you doThe Gita teaches us that success comes in two forms: the external/ objective achievement in the form of name,

fame, power, wealth etc and the internal/ subjective aspect of achievement which lies in attaining happiness. A

leader who is not completely at ease with what he is doing because it is not in line with his universal values and it

not in the greater good, will never have the all important internal wealth or devisampatti. Thus for leaders to be

truly successful, there must be an excellent fit between internal and external world. Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Dr.

Martin Luther King Jr and Nelson Mandela are examples of such leaders.

2. Self Development is the key to being a great leaderDr. Srikant mentioned that any manager/ leader spent 80% od his time doing routine work. 10% of his time is spent

of creative work while the remaining 10% of the time is spent handling crisis. While an emotionally mature leader

can handle the routine work, only high SQ individual can effectively handle crises and be creative. This is because

spiritually mature individuals are right thinking and have powerful energies that rejuvenates the and those around

them and inspires them to greater heights.. Thus, we must constantly strive to work on suppressing our ego and

other impurities/wrong notions, so that ourAnandamaya Kosha is neither veiled/super-imposed.

3. Positions of responsibility are a means not an end in themselvesThe immature aspire to positions of responsibility, thinking that once they attain their dream, they will be happy.

However, this is a wrong notion since there will always be unfulfilled desires that they will make them unhappy, not

matter what objective success they achieve. Successful leaders understand that a position of responsibility is a

means to serve the stakeholders of the organisation in particular and society in general. They are duty-giving and

right seeking and remain humble, open to fresh ideas and constantly seek out ways to help others.

4. Graceful acceptance is the key to managing uncertainty and stressThe key challenge for a leader as compared o any other person in the organisation is shouldering the tremendous

burden of responsibility that comes with the role, and the concomitant stress. The Gita says that the key to

managing uncertainty and ambiguity, which though central to any business environment, is a source of tremendous

anxiety and stress, is graceful acceptance. A leader works hard at things he can change but accepts the fact that a lot

of factors are beyond his control. He does not fret or lose his balance due to this.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0812218191/http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0812218191/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_in_the_Gray_Flannel_Suithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_in_the_Gray_Flannel_Suithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_in_the_Gray_Flannel_Suithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_in_the_Gray_Flannel_Suithttp://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0812218191/

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5. A leader is a visionary, he looks at long-term perspective and the macro pictureMicro-management, it is said, is best left to managers. Leaders are expected to act in a manner that is not vested or

short-term (preyas), but instead for shared long-term benefit (shreyas). A visionary leader is typically a sattvic

personality who is unattached, balances, composed and has great equanimity. He can therefore not only dream big

but also create a compelling vision for the future that others can follow.

6. A leader respects his subordinatesHaughty leaders, who do not respect their subordinates opinions, especially when they are contrarian in nature,

create organisations that are given to flattery and sycophancy. The Gita likens a leader (Muhkya) to the mouth

(mukh). The mouth ingests the food and serves the limbs (analogous to subordinates or followers) while the limbs

serve the mouth. Effective leaders understand this nature of inter-connectedness and inter-dependence and are

therefore extremely receptive to bottom-up signals, views and inputs.

7. A leader can manage both success and failureA leader does not consider his abilities, position or power to be hos own. Instead of considering himself to be the

author, he reckons himself to be merely a possessor and is therefore indebted to parents, teachers, society, the

environment and forces of nature for his success. This way, great leaders are always huble and down-to-earth. They

take success and failure in their stride. They are not attached to the outcome (karmaphala) but instead focus their

attention on the actions (karma). He is ultimately a karma yogi.

8. A leader finds the right man for the jobA leader understands that there are different stages of emotional maturity (corresponding to the 4 stages of life) and

different attitudes to work (corresponding to the 4 different divisions of labour) among his subordinates. Thus, he

understands that there cannot be a boilerplate solution in terms of using the same kind of employee for varied tasks.

He recognises and respects these divisions and strives to find the best employee-role fit.

9. A leader walks the talkA leader is respected only when he practices what he preaches. A leaders greatness is determined by his swabhava,

swadharma and swakarma. A leader who continually learns through Shruti, Yukti and Anubhava generally transforms

his organisation into a learning organisation. Similarly, principled leaders typically drive value-driven organisations.

10.A leader is self-effacing but have very strong qualitiesGreat leaders do not seek personal benefit. They do not seek the lime light for themselves but instead stay back like

a shepherd who guides his flock from behind. However, he possesses strong qualities such as Shourya, Teja, Shruti,

Daksham, Danam and Ishwar Bhavasya. His personal charisma draws on his sattvic guna and inspires others around

him to emulate him and work for mutual benefit.

As I conclude this note, I am reminded of something I once in a Stephen Covey book -

Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning

against the right wall.

I am sure that what I have learnt in this course will help me find my calling (my right wall) in life.