Lord KrishnaTeachings of Lord Krishna and his wisdom have occupied a central place in Indian culture.

His gift to mankind in the form of Bhagwad Gita or the Song of Wisdom render great service to humanity.

He is the Mission Incarnate capable of actions and achievements beyond the capabilities of human beings.

He is also a Wisdom Concentrate the true storehouse of wisdom and buddhi.

MahabharataOver five millenia ago, a massive exercise in management was undertaken with great precision and efficiency.

Its objective was to uphold the principle of righteousness against the forces of evil.

MahabharataOvert & covert management actions carried out during the 13 years of exile of the Pandavas:

Planning & organising for essentialsDevelopment of new weapons Training of warriorsStrengths & weakness analysis of rivalsAnalysis of potential allies and their resourcesStrategy for post-exile demand & negotiationsMotivation in order to minimize the impact of forest life.Cost-benefit analysis of the active conflict

Parva I The Divine Song of Management WisdomSet in the war-field of Kurukshetra before the commencement of the battle between good and evil.

Dialogue between Krishna & Arjuna.

Arjuna is horrified and anguished at the prospect of having to fight & kill his elders, gurus and friends, and informs his charioteer Lord Krishna that he has no energy to fight.

Parva IArjuna tells Krishna that he sees great evil omens, and that no good will come out of the war. He does not want victory or the kingdom, pleasures or even life itself.

Krishna explains to him that he is occupying himself with the results instead of concentrating on action.

He further explains that Arjunas thoughts point to an inadequate understanding of right & wrong as well as the demand of the situation, which can lead to confusion and inaction.

Parva IThe concern shown for men who are not worthy of it is unnecessary.

Wise people do not grieve for the living or for the dead.

Repentance and grief have no scope in activities of people involved in process of governance or management.

Parva INo one kills and no one is killed as the soul is permanent and non-destructible.

In business and governance, similarly, inputs and participants dont matter what matters is the primacy of corporate interest or objective.

Turnover of the people involved should not change the basic character of the corporate involved.

Parva IDeath is inevitable for all beings that take birth in view of the need for lifes renewal and there is no need to worry about something that is unavoidable.

Management view: Non-permanence of all goods, products and people must be accepted in order to permit more rational decision making.

Parva IOne has the right only to work or action but never to its fruits.

Rewards of actions should not be your motive work should be done for works sake.

Management view: Focus on the results diverts our attention, leading to minimal initiative, innovation and cooperation. Result should be left to the superior to analyse, and the doer should be free from this avoidable stress.

Parva IAnger and passion are the root cause of delusion, which leads to lack of righteous judgment, loss of memory and intelligence.

Peace of mind and joy of work are essential for being a successful and productive corporate worker.

Wandering mind can lead to non-concentration and inability to focus.

Parva ITwo paths of spiritual discipline Jnana-yoga (function of intellect) and Karma-yoga (path of action - function of body).

Jnana yoga: One knows what is to be done and why it has to be done. Through an intellectual understanding and acceptance of the goals and methods, the person commits himself to the task. The manager who pursues this route explains, discusses, consults and encourages participation, and then obtains commitment to the decisions.

Karma Yoga: Doing ones duty becomes the drive, and one does it with concentration and dedication. One believes that it is through work that his mind will be purified. He does work, not because it benefits him in any manner, but because he believes it is his duty to work. While doing ones duty, one does not feel that it is lesser in importance or dignity than anothers.

Parva ITwo paths of spiritual discipline Jnana-yoga (function of intellect) and Karma-yoga (path of action - function of body).

Management: There is a choice between becoming a knowledge worker (specialist or technocrat) or general worker (job involves implementing planned work).

Action is very important nothing gets done in the absence of action. Any attempt to avoid action will bring undesirable results.

Action is better than inaction.

Parva IThe actions of a great man are an inspiration to others whatever he does becomes a standard for others to follow.

Righteousness of conduct on the part of senior management serves as the guiding force for junior staff in work as well as in observance of ethics of work.

Wise and learned should act without attachment.

Parva IHowsoever humble, it is better to do ones own duty instead of attempting to do anothers work, irrespective of its greatness.

Engaging in the work of another person, when it is not your duty is dangerous.

In the corporate world, this can greatly boost productivity.

Parva ITwo negative human traits which lead people to wrong-doing are greed and anger, which are born out of the nature of passion. These are also responsible for most corporate ills in modern times.

When a person is overtaken by greed or anger, his faculties of logical thinking are rendered ineffective or non-functional.

The fire of desire is insatiable a constant enemy of the wise.

Parva IWhenever righteousness declines and evil and wicked assume sway, He manifests himself in human form.

In management terminology, He is the CEO. Whenever deviations from the right path are noticed, the CEO should take corrective and restorative actions. It is his responsibility to establish Dharma, or the rule of law.

Parva IKrishna explains to Arjuna the qualification of the most superior Yogi the one who looks on all as his own self, experiencing the delights and sufferings of others as his own.

Management Perspective: If corporate workers celebrate the success or performance of others with unbiased happiness, the forces of positive energy would amplify the performance of the entire corporate body beyond expectation.

Parva IKrishna elaborates on the qualities he looks for in his devotees (can be compared to the qualities a CEO looks for in the employees):

Equal mindedness in praise or blameContentment with what is availableSilence of spirit Without possessiveness of ownershipAnd firmness of mind

Parva IAccording to Indian tradition, the mind is composed of three basic forces called gunas (qualities) which describe the character of individuals and their thought process:

Sattva (purity) is pure and immaculate; it gives light and health to life, and exhibits attachment to happiness and joy.

Rajas (passion) the basic source of thirst and attachment which quickly binds the soul to selfish actions and their fruits.

Tamas (inertia) principle of inertia resulting in inaction, dullness and delusion.

Tamas causes the mind to move on a low level, rajas scatters the mind and makes it restless and sattva gives it a higher dimension.

Parva ISattva produces bliss, love, joy, excitement, enlightenment, contenbment, fearlessness, forgiveness, kindness, compassion, humility. It is without any stain or blemish.Rajas produces pride, vanity, conceit, the urge to rule, dominate, achieve compete, win and consequently jealousy, anger, deceit and abusiveness.Tamas generates ignorance, indecisiveness, mental blindness, fear, greed, forgetfulness, rashness, hearlessness, arrogance and lack of self-control.

Those who are rooted in Sattva rise upwards, those who are Rajasik remain on the middle ground, and those engulfed by Tamas sink lower and lower.

Parva IA sattvic sees work as rewarding by itself, to be done without desire, hatred or attachment; rajasaics seek to fulfill desires through work, while tamasaics relate themselves to work without concern or seriousness.

A sattvic performs his duty with enthusiasm and does not lose his sense of equanimity even if the work does not succeed; a rajasaic is happy when the results of the work are beneficial to him, and sad otherwise. A tamasic is lazy, procrastinating and willing to cheat.

Sattvic personas are likely to make more appropriate decisions than rajasics and tamasics.

In Indian tradition, it is possible for any person to become anything he wishes to become, provided he strives for it. Therefore a tamasaic person can also acquire sattvic gunas.

Work performance as playThose who enjoy their assigned work are destined to perform better.

Your own resistance to work, or your dislike for the person who assigns work to you, diminishes output and quality.

Everything that Lord Krishna did, whether as a child or a cowherd, or later as a warrior or charioteer, he did with a smile and a charm, and had no trace of anger, arrogance or agony while enacting pranks or subduing forces that came to harm him.

All acts of work or karma, however difficult, should be performed with a smile on the face. It improves work environment, enhances the impact of the work, and creates wider acceptance and appreciation, reducing work tension and negativity.

Dignity of WorkWork is the most important aspect of human life. Each person has to engage in some productive work, to earn or otherwise.

There is no work that is too low or unworthy of attention.

The thought of work as low or high lies in ones brain only since nature has not made any such discrimination. It is the negative energy thought that classifies work as low, and that should be avoided.

Krishna as Arjunas charioteer watered and groomed the horses and maintained the chariot in battle. He washed the feet of his friend Sudama himself without handing over the responsibility to anyone else.

Commitment AppreciationValue of commitment or to honour what one has said, orally or otherwise, has great significance in human relations.Commitment adherence determines the long-term dependability of a leader, on the one hand, and the ability of followers to abide by what is said on the other.Krishna promises his aunt that he will ignore the insults or pranks of the wicked Shishupala, and bears everything that Shishupala does until it is time for him to fulfill the prophecy of slaying Shishupala.

Effective Situation & Competition AnalysisProfessional managers usually undertake a SWOT analysis prior to the launch of a project or product.

Krishna, during the Mahabharata war, took precise analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of his adversaries, including the source of their invincibility and means of circumventing the same.

Need for managers to be systematic and thorough in advance analysis and assessment of negative and positive factors, and their magnitudes, prior to the launch of a project, product or service if the desired success is to be ensured.

Respect for RealityGreat leaders have a unique capacity for quick and correct assessment of reality, and assume appropriate line of action. They assume full responsibility for uncommon decisions taken under challenging situations.

If a difficult decision becomes necessary under challenging situations, it must be taken without fear of criticism. Long-term effects of the decision are more important than immediate perception by people.

False prestige should not be allowed to stand in the way.

Strategic InterventionIntervention at the right time is necessary if inconvenient results are to be avoided.

Eg. of strategic intervention by Krishna: when Draupadi was being disrobed by Duryodhana and no one came to her rescue, he responded to her plea by making her sari so long that she could not be disrobed.

While professional managers are expected to delegate part of their responsibilities to others, they have do intervene or render help if there are signs of deviation.

An Efficient Facilitating AgentRole of problem-solving, de-bottlenecking or the task of facilitation is important.

An efficient facilitator must be capable not only of providing the corrective inputs, but his manner should generate wide and enthusiastic acceptance.

When Vidura came to Panchala on behalf of Dhritarashtra asking the Pandavas to return to Hastinapura, Krishna facilitated their decision to return despite their reluctance to do so. He also persuaded them to accept 50% of the unproductive kingdom offered to them without displeasure.

Multi-tasking expertOnly managers gifted with extraordinary capabilities and superior time management can practice this technique successfully.

Two essentials for multi-tasking an inbuilt capacity in the worker to handle multiple tasks, and the availability of significant works to serve as raw material for this task to be operative.

Krishna simultaneously destroyed demons and asuras, acquired knowledge of science and arts, rebuilt a kingdom of righteousness at Mathura, built an empire at Dwarka, planned and guided the battle of Kurukshetra etc.

OutsourcingAn integral part of globalization, outsourcing entails acquiring goods or services produced primarily to meet the requirements of a client the production of which will be costly and cumbersome at home.

Lord Krishnas greatest act of outsourcing was during the Mahabharata when he motivated and enabled the Pandavas the invincible celestial warriors, to slaughter the evil forces supporting Duryodhana. He freed the earth of evil sources (for which he had taken the human form) through outsourcing.

Outsourcing is ultimately beneficial both to the outsourcer and the outsourced.

Intense RapportIn order to be successful, a leader must put all the people working with him in a comfort zone by establishing a good rapport with them. This will lead to an environment of positivism and cooperation, and the achievement of goals.

Intense rapport is a situation of intensive interaction, independent of time and space, where junior participants do not hesitate to connect or request for help, and mutual pleasure is felt in serving or being served.

Eg. Krishnas treatment of his childhood friend Sudama.

Internal Conflict ManagementConflicts are an inevitable and inherent part of any organization.

It is human nature to conflict and criticize only its manifestation and degree differs, as per participants involved and the intensity of their interactions. Such conflicts can cause considerable damage if not handled carefully.

Lord Krishna practiced Madhura technology to handle the huge Yadava clan. This entailed leading by example, active appreciation of virtue and merit, non-material motivation, supervised delegation, and management of mind as means of superior control.

Anger ManagementAccording to Bhagavad Gita: From anger comes delusion, and from delusion loss of memory. From loss of memory comes the ruin of discriminative power, and from ruin of discrimination, the person perishes.Anger manifestation cause performance disturbance in the corporate environment. It leads to negative energy, and has the subtle impact of generating silent resistance to suggestion, cooperation, initiative and innovation.Lord Krishna suggests that there should be only constructive and measured expression of anger (righteous indignation), in support of what is correct and opposition of what is wicked, evil or incorrect.

Talent RecognitionA good corporate professional should be able to quickly spot talent in a subordinate and enable the same to grow to superior levels as per the need of the situation.

Talent must be recognised, brought on board, valued, trusted, respected, promoted and managed.

For instance, Lord Krishna recognised the talent of Arjuna and used his talent to its full potential.

Time ManagementThe wheel of time always moves and is never static.Time makes the Circle of Life and keeps everything in perpetual motion.Time and timing are important for any human venture.Lord Krishna selected the timing of the battle of Kurukshetra in right relation to season, soil conditions and availability of food and fodder.