Category: Blog

Do we decide from Heart or decide purely on meritocracy?
Should there be rules guiding the decision-making process?

Answer to both these questions is affirmative. But maybe this mythological tale from the Mahabharat may force you to think otherwise.

Drupada and Dronacharya were childhood friends. Their friendship was so strong that one day they decided they would share their possessions once they grew up. Fortune favoured Drupada who had become the king of the land of Southern Panchala while Dronacharya was in abject poverty.
Now, it’s natural for Dronacharya to be jealous but he did not feel that way. He simply wanted some help from his friend. For the sake of his wife and son, Drona desired freedom from poverty. Remembering the childhood promise given by Drupada, he decided to approach him to ask for help.

However, King Drupada refused to even recognize their friendship and said, “Friendship was possible only between persons of equal stature in life. As a child, it was possible for us to be friends with because at that time we were equals. But now I have become a king.

 “I would satisfy you nevertheless if you ask for alms befitting a Brahmin, rather than demanding your right as a friend. He added.
Drona went away silently, but in his heart he vowed revenge. This rage made him the martial arts specialist who trained all the Kaurvas and Pandavas. Dronacharya exacted his revenge on the battle of Kurukshetra from the epic Mahabharata.

The question arises, was Drupada wrong?
 His conduct was wrong surely. He broke the promise made to friend but now he had a responsibility. He couldn’t have parted with half his kingdom to a friend and throw his subjects to his friend’s mercy. The subjects trusted him; how could he deceive them. As a king, he shouldn’t participate in granting personal favours. This would set a wrong example for his council of ministers and officers. So, he did the right thing by not breaking the rule.

However, on the other side we see Lord Krishna in Mahabharata who keeps bending rules. Was that wrong? Lord Krishna maintained fairness, aren’t rules and codes of conduct created to ensure fairness?

When rules do not generate fairness it’s time to bend them and ensure they meet the purpose. Understanding the purpose of code of conduct helps the leader bend it when the situation demands it. Thus, it seems that purpose is more important than rules and fairness is of paramount importance.

So at one place rules are to be used but in case the same come in way of fairness and humanity the decisions needed to be made differently.

 

There was once a Prince in Old Japan. He was acclaimed for his extraordinary knowledge and his capacity to find the personality and character of a man from his looks. His uncle was short tempered. Sovereign Sushun, the Prince’s uncle was the leader of Japan.

Once the Emperor called upon the Prince and said “I’ve heard a lot about your incredible skills. Would you be able to reveal my future by looking at my face?”
The Prince was hesitant to answer yet he could not refuse the King’s demands.
The Prince analysed the Emperor’s face and stated, “Your Majesty’s outward appearance demonstrates that you will be killed.”

Emperor Sushun was stunned. “Would I be able to escape this fate? How do I escape this foretelling?”

“It is hard to avoid”, said the Prince, “you can only be saved if you act with patience, tolerance and self-control henceforth.” Emperor Sushun loyally followed the Prince’s guidance for quite a while. But being short tempered, he managed to do something foolish.

One day, one of the Emperor’s subjects given him a wild boar. Emperor Sushun pulled back his sword and wounded the pig with it, saying, “One of these days, this is what I am going to do to the person I hate.”

The Prince who happened to be around, shouted, “Ah, what a frightful act! Your loftiness will stimulate the hatred of others. These words you have spoken will become the reason for your death.”

The emperor, realising his mistake gave people expensive gifts to keep their mouths shut.

One of the courtiers, be that as it may, told the minister Umako, about the episode.

“The King detests me and needs to slaughter me. It’s me he is discussing!” trusted Umako. With this idea and conviction, he planned with another minister to have the king killed.

This story illustrates how the emperor was unable to control his anger and expressed it without giving a second thought, leading to his downfall. Often times, we dwell too much on our negative thoughts and make them the centre of our lives, letting them control us and our lives. Expressing these negative deliberations and thoughts makes them happen and could bring about negative consequences. Hence, sometimes one must focus on de-cluttering and reassessing their lives.

Had the emperor not stabbed the boar and talked about killing his enemy, he wouldn’t be murdered

Similarly, we are often unable to control our ego and our words and end up offending people. Different intonations and different incantations of the same words can hurt people. A lot of thought and deliberation to our words and actions will go a long way and will only help improve inter-personal relations in the future.

There lived a King who needed to discover what his subjects thought of him. He left the royal residence masking himself as a poor man.

He met an old shoemaker in transit and asked him, “Who do you think has the easiest life in this kingdom?”

“Obviously, it is the ruler” the shoemaker answered.

Hearing this, the King had an idea. He served the old shoemaker a great deal of wine. At the point when the shoemaker was totally flushed, the King took him to the royal residence and made him wear a delightful illustrious robe. The King at this point requested all his ministers and subjects to accept the shoemaker as the King for some time.

When the shoemaker woke up, he ended up on the position of authority. He believed that he had really turned into the King by some enchantment. He was charmed by the riches and extravagances of the castle and thought it was all his to appreciate.

 Now, wasn’t this a bad decision? Letting an inexperienced man handle the kingdom? Wouldn’t he refuse to get off the throne?

However, soon he understood that he had to deal with all the important matters of the state and manage them proficiently. He needed to hear numerous reports and make decisions to run the country. The shoemaker had no clue about how to deal with this and was confounded. He couldn’t appreciate the food of the royal residence. He started getting thinner and looked exhausted gradually.

The King saw this was significantly more than what the poor shoemaker could deal with and felt sorry for him. He got the shoemaker drunk again and got him back to where he was.
A few days after that, the King camouflaged himself as a poor man again and went to meet the shoemaker. The shoemaker yelled in severity, “Recently you gave me such a great amount to drink that I imagined that I had become the King. I had a very hard time trying to deal with the issues of the state and take such a large number of choices. I needed to discuss something with some or the other minister constantly. A King’s life isn’t all that simple.”

Although it wasn’t a smart decision leaving the kingdom in a cobbler’s hands, it did bring about a feeling of realisation and appreciation in the shoemaker. Often times, we find ourselves comparing our lives and designations and other parameters with others. However, everyone has their own struggles. We are all special in our own way. Instead of comparing ourselves, we could look into our own lives and strive to improve ourselves and do better bit by bit, day after day. Comparison leads to malice but betterment leads to more opportunities and growth. The grass will always be greener on the other side but it’s our own side that we can choose to focus on.

Henry Ford was an American automobile manufacturer who created the Ford Model T car and went on to develop the assembly line mode of production, which revolutionized the industry. He was a revolutionary automobile industry innovator and legend in the American business history. He co-founded Ford Motor Company with the belief that the future of the automobile lay in putting it within the reach of the average American worker.

Henry Ford fulfilled that vision with the model T. By 1914, Ford was delivering almost half of all automobiles in the United States. The Ford Motor Company sounds like a success story but there’s a flipside to it.
The immense success proved that Ford’s model was perfect, believing completely in his idea, Ford never looked ahead.

One day, a group of designers surprised him by presenting him with the prototype of an improved model, Ford furiously ripped its doors off the hinges and proceeded to destroy the car with his bare hands.

After 20 years, Henry Ford finally consented to offer an updated automobile to the general population. The organization created a Model A however it was staggeringly behind its rivals in technical innovations. In spite of the company’s initial head start and lead over its competitors, Ford Motor Company’s offers continued contracting. By 1931, it was down to just 28 percent.

To make sure things were smooth sailing, Henry Ford continuously looked over the shoulders of his people. He even made a department to look into his people’s lives and direct their personal lives. Whenever a promising leader was rising up in his company, Henry tore him down. As a result, the company kept losing its best executives.

This approach is essentially flawed, colleagues and employees can never be monitored. One must have deep trust and belief in them and their potential. How an employee leads their life is not the company’s job or responsibility. Perhaps privacy should be given more importance in companies.
Moreover, leaders should be identified, built up, they should be given resources, authority and responsibility. Leaders must also learn to change with times, as illustrated above, Henry Ford’s refusal to grow with times led to the company’s downfall years later.

President Theodore Roosevelt said, “The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and the self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.”
To lead others well, we must help them reach their potential. This means being on their side, encouraging them, giving them power and helping them succeed

At times we wonder, “Am I a leader or a boss?”
The answer is simple: we all perceive ourselves to be a leader. No one likes to be a boss who is detested by their subordinates. There’s nothing wrong with assuming we are leaders, provided we work towards attaining the qualities of a true leader.

While reading Mahabharta, we may wonder “What gave Yudhishtra, the right to gamble away his kingdom?” As a leader should you protect your team or trample them as if you own them? When Yudhishtra gambled and lost his kingdom, he was asked to put one of his brothers on stake, he chose the weakest one -Nakula. He didn’t choose Arjuna or Bheem. He let the weakest suffer.

At that time, Yudhishtra was king of a small kingdom, but he did not display the characteristics of a king. He had to endure misery for thirteen years, even Lord Krishna could not help. There are several tales of his lessons in humility and patience during this time.

In one story, the thirsty Pandavas were desperately looking for water. Upon reaching a pond, a heron warned them and said they can only drink water if they answer a few questions. One by one they drank water ignoring the warning, all of them died. Yudhishtra was the only one who lived. When he reached the pond, he paused, answered questions and drank water. He displayed a significant shift in attitude; Earlier, an impulsive person who gambled away his kingdom, he was now ready to pause, think and answer the question. He displayed an important shift in his attitude, he was more patient and prudent.

The Heron rewarded him by allowing him to revive one of the brothers, Yudhishtra asked for the weakest one Nakula. Formerly, he had gambled away Nakula considering him the weakest but now he was protecting the weakest. His father had two wives and he was the surviving son of one and he asked for Nakula to lessen the pain of his step mother, so one son of each mother survives. Thus lessening his step mother’s pain. Yudhistra has now become the protector and understood that he exists to help the helpless. He became a protector and a mentor. His prudence and compassion was rewarded and the heron brought all his brothers back to life.

The story teaches some important aspects of a true leader. He needs to practice patience, become more prudent, not impulsive. Moreover, he needs to have a larger focus on the overall well-being of the team and his organization, he has to become a mentor, protector and help his team.

Henry Ford was an American automobile manufacturer who created the Ford Model T car and went on to develop the assembly line mode of production.

He was a revolutionary automobile industry innovator and legend in the American business history. He co-founded Ford Motor Company with the belief that the future of the automobile lay in putting it within the reach of the average American worker. Henry Ford fulfilled that vision with the model T. By 1914, Ford was delivering almost half of all automobiles in the United States. The Ford Motor Company sounds like a success story but there’s a flipside to it.
The immense success proved that Ford’s model was perfect, believing completely in his idea, Ford never looked ahead.

One day, a group of designers surprised him by presenting him with the prototype of an improved model, Ford furiously ripped its doors off the hinges and proceeded to destroy the car with his bare hands.

After 20 years, Henry Ford finally consented to offer an updated automobile to the general population. The organization created a Model A however it was staggeringly behind its rivals in technical innovations. In spite of the company’s initial head start and lead over its competitors, Ford Motor Company’s offers continued contracting. By 1931, it was down to just 28 percent.

So, one thing is to be remembered. Each and every person wishes nothing sort of success for oneself. Hence at every moment the customer looks for a product better than present. Whoever satisfies this demand succeeds. Another is constant product upgradations shows them their chosen brand is alive.
Hence success is in no way a destination but a continuous journey. Not for nothing they say. To succeed is one thing but to remain at that position is a completely other thing.

There was one action which Henry ford used to take to slow down his competitors and his own smooth sailing. Henry Ford continuously looked over the shoulders of his people. He even made a department to look into his people’s lives and direct their personal lives. Whenever a promising leader was rising in his company, Henry tore him down.

This resulted in only accelerating the company’s descent, the company kept losing its best executives.
His approach was essentially flawed. Watch one’s product. Listen to customers. There is lot to decipher from their silence too. On the other hands, colleagues and employees can never be monitored. One must have deep trust and belief in them and their potential. How an employee leads their life is not the company’s job or responsibility. Privacy must be given utmost importance in companies.

Moreover, best leaders routinely identify new leaders by giving people resources, authority and responsibility.
Also, as company grows leaders must also learn to change. We can see here how with times, Henry Ford refused to grow. This ultimately led to the company’s downfall years later.
President Theodore Roosevelt said, “The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and the self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.”

So, the lesson’s learned to become good leaders:
1) Believe product and customer relationship is very dynamic. The change is necessary to be measured, understood, and implemented. Product has to be under development virtually for ever.
2) People work best when they are trusted, and their privacy not disturbed. Otherwise, their efficiency is lost much before one finally loses them.
3) Humility, open eyes, humanity and planned succession is a pre-requisite for maintaining long term leadership.

These points mean, we must listen to employees and help them reach their potential. This requires the leader to be on their side, encouraging them, giving them power and helping them succeed.

We all believe, his life is better than mine. The grass is greener on the other side.

This story of a Cobbler and the King provides a very nice understanding to this Universal Truth.

There lived a King who needed to discover what his subjects thought of him. He left the royal residence masking himself as a poor man. He met an old shoemaker in transit and asked him, “Who do you think has the easiest life in this kingdom?” “Obviously, it is the ruler” the shoemaker answered.

Hearing this, the King had an idea. He served the old shoemaker a great deal of wine. At the point when the shoemaker was totally flushed, the King took him to the royal residence and made him wear a delightful illustrious robe. The King at this point requested all his ministers and subjects to accept the shoemaker as the King for some time.

When the shoemaker woke up, he ended up on the position of authority. He believed that he had really turned into the King by some enchantment. He was charmed by the riches and extravagances of the castle and thought it was all his to appreciate.

Now, wasn’t this a bad decision? Letting an inexperienced man handle the kingdom? Wouldn’t he refuse to get off the throne?

However, soon he understood that he had to deal with all the important matters of the state and manage them proficiently. He needed to hear numerous reports and make decisions to run the country. The shoemaker had no clue about how to deal with this and was confounded. He couldn’t appreciate the food of the royal residence. He started getting thinner and looked exhausted gradually.

The King saw this was significantly more than what the poor shoemaker could deal with and felt sorry for him. He got the shoemaker drunk again and got him back to where he was.

A few days after that, the King camouflaged himself as a poor man again and went to meet the shoemaker. The shoemaker yelled in severity, “Recently you gave me such a great amount to drink that I imagined that I had become the King. I had a very hard time trying to deal with the issues of the state and take such a large number of choices. I needed to discuss something with some or the other minister constantly. A King’s life isn’t all that simple.”

Although it wasn’t a smart decision leaving the kingdom in a cobbler’s hands, it did bring about a feeling of realisation and appreciation in the shoemaker.

Often times, we find ourselves comparing our lives and designations and other parameters with others. However, everyone has their own struggles. We are all special in our own way. Instead of comparing ourselves, we could look into our own lives and strive to improve ourselves and do better bit by bit, day after day. Comparison leads to malice but betterment leads to more opportunities and growth. The grass will always be greener on the other side but it’s our own side that we can choose to focus on.

Many in Body one in Mind. Vince Lombardi- The American Football Coach, known as the best coach in history, once said- “Individual commitment to a group effort. that is what makes a team win, a company work, a society work, a Civilization work”

On November 18th, 1962, Rezang La, Ladakh 123 soldiers of our army Kumaon Regiment, frost bitten, without winter clothing just wet fleets and with very limited food faced an impossible task. Under Major Shaitan Singh fought a battle against 3000 well-armed, well fed Chinese soldiers under very chilly winter conditions of -30 degree centigrade. Result repulsed more than seven attacks and killed over 1300 enemy army. They fought till the last man with only 6 found alive. Their strength UNITY.

On 4th December 1971, 120 of our soldiers plus one jeep mounted MMG fought with attacking 3000 Pak army with 40+ Patton Tanks under the great Major Kuldeep Singh Chandpuri successfully halted the attack then and there. Again, the main reason for this victory against all odds was the unity amongst the team the leader providing the binder.
Unity is one thing that is of great importance in an organisation. We should try being many in body but one in mind. Many in body one in mind means working together for the same purpose and cherishing the same values while preserving our unique identities.

We must transcend all differences amongst us to become as inseparable as fish and the water in which they swim. This means eliminating all divisions and conflicts between ourselves and trying to rid ourselves of egoism. Being as inseparable as fish and water also means having a spirit of mutual respect, understanding and support, valuing each other just as fish treasures the water.

Preserving and holding onto our individual and unique identities is important as well. Giving up our identity, ideas and opinions will lead to stagnation and there would be no diversity or growth due to the absence of counter ideas. However, it is also important to get rid of our ego and accept other ideas and come down to a single conclusion. Our loyalty should lie with the organization, all the decisions and ideas should be formulated keeping the company’s goal, vision and mission in mind. If doing away with our ideas helps the company in the long run then that’s what we must consider.

The Buddhist text of Lotus Sutra has the principle of cherry, plum, peach and damson. Flowering fruit trees endure the harsh cold of winter and as spring approaches, each blossom in their own time. They blossom with their own unique and beautiful flowers. Each thing the cherry, plum, peach and the damson is its own entity. Their fruits have unique flavours and requirements. Similarly, we are all unique and must stay that way to maintain nature’s balance just like the fruits.

It is only with diverse ideas and thoughts that one can come to a conclusion. For example, a cloth can only be made if it has both vertical and horizontal threads. Only vertical or only horizontal threads will make a very weak fabric. Similarly, all of us with our diverse and unique personalities should be united when it comes to the organisation. We should all be inseparable as fish and water yet different in our own way like cherry, plum, peach and damson.

In the organization, we must be different in our own way, with our own personalities and personal inputs. However, we must not be so single-minded that we forget the common purpose and mission as well as vision of the organization. It is essential for our growth to be in tune with ourselves as well as the organization.

We all are aware we need to do the right thing always. But in a recent movie I came across a different paradigm. The Dumbledore most noble hearted character in the legendary tales of Harry Potter asks someone, to do what is right and not what is easiest and thus seems right. A tale from our mythology also speaks about this.

Years ago, there was only a narrow bridge across the river Ganga. A learned sage stepped on it and at the same time the king stepped on it from the opposite side.

“Step Aside!” The king thundered.
“But I stepped first so I have the right to pass first” the sage replied.
“But I am the King, and I can push you back”
“Yes, but I am a respected sage and philosopher. Lots of people love me and seek my blessings.”
“I built the school where you teach” the king retorted with pride.
The argument continued and turned nasty. The King pushed the sage.
Furious, the sage cursed him and said, “You behaved like a demon so you will turn into one!”
The King turned into a demon and gobbled up the sage. The people lost a King and gained a demon instead. All suffered, including both. Nothing was left for either of them anymore.

So, what mattered more? Crossing the bridge or crossing it first? Pride, anger and shallow thoughts & lack of deep principals may drive us on such roads quite often at-times.

Often, we lose sight of the objective and focus on proving the other person wrong and show them their mistake. In our obsession to be right, we lose sight of the goal and lose.Wanting to be right becomes a trap and an ego satisfying path.

One has to make a choice between being right or winning. One could be right and win but if one has to make a choice, it can lean towards letting our ego go and taking a step back. Sometimes, maybe it’s better to compromise instead of being right.

Similarly many times we hold on to customers handed to us and despite taking help from our colleagues we wish to bring in business only out of personal effort and ignoring the fact that one of our colleague was in a better position to close him. In the end company loses the customer and we end up licking our wounds feeling frustrated at the lost effort.

Finally, we are there to make our company win and become big not ourselves. Losing a battle is much more honourable if it helps win a war.

Steve Jobs spelled his success Mantra as “I don’t really care about being right, I just care about success. I don’t mind being wrong, and I’ll admit that I’m wrong a lot. It doesn’t really matter to me too much. What matters to me is that we do the right thing.”