Excellence: Delivering the arrows of skills, innovation, proficiency, and expertise imply making more way for technological advancement and competence based on finesse of mind power. The particular attitude that management require is that of purity, clarity and single purpose. Purpose cannot be dual. Excellence therefore, comes from the crux of YOGA, MEDITATION, CONTEMPLATION, PRACITICE, AND CONSTANCY. This is the core of the teachings of Gita.
Development of human resources: One critically needs to put in place, a process of assimilation and deliberation based on higher intelligence, higher consciousness, and awareness. When we do not have in place any motivation program or inspirational program to transform our resources from the base mundane repetitive labour to much more exuberantly profound contribution by bringing equal opportunities and equality and removing discrimination, we end up with organisation based on chaos. We witness this everyday. The critical issue of “how the mind flows to effectiveness of job” Gita proclaims clearly in its teachings to “learn to manage one’s own self and one’s own emotions” before attempting to manage others. Only then one will be an achiever rather than a face amongst crowd.
Teamwork: Sri Krishna exemplifies clearly that absence of motivation, lack of culture, and inspiration brings disaster, low efficiency, and defective organisation. Hence, wise policy and wise corporate directorship bring optimal utilisation of scarce resources.
Attitude to work: Gita tells us not to mortgage the present commitment to an uncertain future. If we are not able to measure up to this height, then surly the fault lies with us and not with the teaching of management schools. Attaining effective work performance by becoming the work itself ‘nishkama’ karma is the right attitude to accomplishing happiness and contentment in work.
Delegation, motivation, communication; reviewing performance and taking corrective steps whenever called for: When we delegate our corporate work to others, we must do so in the spirit of Gita:
Self-transcendence is overcoming insuperable obstacles in one’s path. It involves renouncing egoism, putting others before oneself, team-work, dignity, sharing, co-operation, harmony, trust, sacrificing lower needs for higher goals, seeing others in you and yourself in others etc. The portrait of a self-realizing person is that he is a man who aims at his own position and underrates everything else. On the other hand the Self-transcenders are the visionaries and innovators. Their resolute efforts enable them to achieve the apparently impossible. They overcome all barriers to reach their goal.
There is also another dimension in the work ethic. If the karmayoga is blended with bhaktiyoga then the work itself becomes worship, a seva yoga.
Daivi work culture - means fearlessness, purity, self-control, sacrifice, straightforwardness, self-denial, calmness, absence of fault-finding, absence of greed, gentleness, modesty, absence of envy and pride.
Asuri work culture - means egoism, delusion, desire-centric, improper performance, work which is not oriented towards service. It is to be noted that mere work ethic is not enough in as much as a hardened criminal has also a very good work culture. What is needed is a work ethic conditioned by ethics in work.
The counsel ‘yogah karmasu kausalam’ should be understood. Kausalam means skill or method or technique of work which is an indispensable component of work ethic. Yogah is defined in the Gita itself as ’samatvam yogah uchyate’ meaning unchanging equipoise of mind.
Gita tells us how to get out of this universal phenomenon by prescribing the following capsules:
• Cultivate sound philosophy of life, family, society and work.
• Identify with inner core of self-sufficiency and detachment.
• Get out of the habitual mindset towards the pairs of opposites.
• Strive for excellence through work is worship, servitude and love.
• Build up an internal integrated reference point to face contrary impulses, and emotions.
• Pursue selflessness and sattvic attitude of purity, clarity and care.
Sri Krishna Bhagawan’s advice is relevant here :
“tasmaat sarveshu kaaleshu mamanusmarah yuddha cha”
‘Therefore under all circumstances remember KRISHNA and then ACT ‘ (ACT means perform your duties).
Sri Krishna’s advice with regard to temporary failures in actions is ‘No doer of good ever ends in misery’.
One who follows Krishna and GITA’S ideal in all walks of life without losing faith in the ideal or never deviating from it, Krishna provides such humankind with needs (Yoga) and protects what such humankind has already got (Kshema).
Gita principles are hence very relevant and prudent in today’s management.
Prannamm Namaskaram
Hari Aum Tat Sat.
Jyotikar Pattni