• Choose your vocation wisely. Follow your inherent nature. Choose a field of activity that fires your passion and is compatible with your nature. You will achieve a higher degree of recognition and success than you would in some other field. And the best part is that you will get paid for something you love doing!
• The mind-not matter-matters. Ideas make the world go round. Realizing this truth, even a hardware and appliances giant like Sony is gearing up to diversify into service-related fields. It was not the steam engine that changed the world, but the idea that steam could be used to power the engine. Practical ideas power change.
• Foster team spirit. Control the Ego. The ego has a tendency to place one apart from the rest of the world. It encourages a self-centered, egotistical attitude that is detrimental to the common good. Such a person feels: "Only I can do a good job." Life is a game where teamwork counts. Learn to delegate work. You are not the sole cog in the wheel. Nor are you indispensable. The graveyards are full of people who thought they were indispensable.
• Praise counts. When somebody does a good job, say so. Learn to be stingy in your criticism, generous in praise. However, the praise must be well deserved and genuine. Praise and recognition are. Human beings thrive on these and redouble their efforts.
• Take responsibility. Success has many mothers, failure none. If things go wrong, stand by your team. Do not duck responsibility or apportion blame. Take the blow squarely on your chin. Your staff and peers will respect you for it. And back you to the hilt in future.
• Share the credit. When the cash counter starts jingling, remember the role of every single player. Don't exult, 'I did it!' Say, 'We did it!' Be humble in success and you will sow the seeds of repeated success.
• Remember—your team is human. Do not expect every employee to consistently keep up with the scorching pace that you set. We all have different levels of tolerance. Genghis Khan once sacked his most accomplished general. When queried about this strange act, the Mongol chieftain's answer was enlightening. He was the best, the great Khan admitted. While on the march, he was oblivious to thirst, hunger or pain. But he did not realize that the 10,000 men under his command felt the pangs of hunger. Definitely the best general, he wasn't the best leader of men.
• Welcome competition. Dvaita—duality—is the law of nature. Happiness-sorrow, success-failure, pleasure-pain are an inseparable part of life. If you fear competition, the negative emotion will sap your energy. Instead, regard your competitors as pacesetters. This positive thought will keep you on your toes and improve the quality of your product/service.
• Integrity counts. The means to the goal must be as upright as the goal. To quote Swami Vivekananda, "One of the greatest lessons I have learnt in my life is to pay as much attention to the means of work as to its end." Success achieved through dubious means comes minus peace of mind.
• Stay focussed. There are times when your ideas or goals may be tossed around in a storm of opposition. Stay calm. Focussed. Practice meditation. This will take you to a higher level of consciousness and tap the enormous power of your Inner Self. It will teach you the power of silence when surrounded by motivated criticism. And enhance your self-belief.
• Cross the Pain Barrier. In an ultra-competitive ambiance, you will find the ante is upped at frequent intervals. The only way to survive and thrive is to go the extra mile—despite the pain in your legs. Cross the pain barrier repeatedly and you will soon be oblivious to pain. You're then on the highway to super-success.
• Learn to have fun. There's no better way to recharge one's cells than to take a break. Or have fun while on the task. One man who embodied this spirit was Rusi Modi, who'd spent the greater part of his career with the Tatas. For all the hard work that he put in, Modi made it a point to take his Sabbatical regularly. Make work fun. It works!
HOLISTIC WAYS One of the front-runners in gaining universal acceptance was Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's transcendental meditation. The role of meditation in calming the mind, controlling stress and creating a wholesome personality enjoys wide recognition. This in turn helps boost productivity by cutting down on absenteeism and reducing medical bills. The Maharishi Institute of Management has a separate cell that deals with corporate development programs. Companies such as ACC, Reckitt & Colman, Indian Petrochemicals Corporation, the Oriental Bank, SRF Ltd, Tata Tea and Tata Chemicals are some companies that have availed of these programs.
Another favorite is the Art of Living course of Sri Sri Ravishankar that's gaining adherents worldwide. Many employees of Benzer, Mumbai are granted leave to attend a 10-day Vipassana program. Bhatnagar underscores the importance of Vipassana: "Sometimes a brilliant insight downloaded from Nature through silence or 'non-doing' can save months or years of work." Escotel, Oriental Insurance, Wipro, Dabur and Vam Organics are some of the companies open to such programs.
Athreya says that in many companies these workshops are open to all employees, and even unions. In fact, sometimes it is the managers and senior executives who are gyaan paapis (resisting the light of knowledge). "The utilization of New Age principles has brought balance in the minds of union leaders about their broader responsibility to stakeholders, including society. Thanks to this thinking, at least some workers refrain from making populist demands on their representatives. Line executives acquire more compassion in their human relations. The relationship between line and personnel managers moves towards cooperation."
Another person who uses Vedic principles in management is Professor S.K. Chakraborty of the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, India. He heads the Management Center for Human Values, a research body based on traditional Indian ethos. The center is supported by the Bhilwara Group, HDFC, the Tata Group, UTI et al. Chakraborty opines that a lack of depth in the modern value system leads to a high level of stress. Some of the companies that have tapped the research of the center include BHEL, TELCO, Salora and Shriram Fibres.Do
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