Found the following interesting
article in Economic Times. And it suits so much to our corporate life and the
actions we pursue…
Hindu Gods are distinguished from
each other by the symbols they carry. Shiva, the ascetic, for example, is
identified by his trident and rattle drum. Brahma, the priest-teacher, is
identified by his books, rosary and pot. Vishnu, the leader-king, is identified
with four symbols: conch-shell trumpet or shankh, discus whirring around his
index finger or chakra, a mace or gada and a lotus or Padma. Come to think of
it, a good leader also has only four goals to get this work done. His very own
shankh, chakra, gada and Padma. Only, one does not identify his tools using mythological
vocabulary.
Vishnu’s shankh or conch-shell
trumpet is blown to announce his presence on a battlefield. In Vedic times,
this instrument was used by the commander to rally their troops. Warriors also
used this to demonstrate their stamina before their enemies for blowing a
conch-shell trumpet was a measure of lung-power and mind control. Every warrior
in the Mahabharat, from Krishna to Arjun had their own very own conch-shell.
The conch-shell can be viewed as
an instrument of communication. The first rule of leadership is to be an
effective communicator. Your team must know, who you are, what you capabilities
are, what your vision is and what you expect them to do, and why, and how this
will help in achieving your final objective.
Your competition also needs to
know that you are powerful and they must avoid confrontation. Unless you
communicate, nobody is aware of your presence. ‘Blowing your own trumpet’ and
getting your thoughts across is necessary, if anything needs to get done.
Vishnu’s chakra, which whirs
round his index finger, is both a weapon as well as a symbol of life that
Vishnu’s sustains. As a weapon, it strikes a target, trims the unwanted and
undesirable elements like an electric saw and returns to Vishnu’s finger like a
boomerang. As a symbol of life, it indicates time (what goes around comes
around in this life or in the next) and space (the circular horizon of our
world view).
The chakra can be viewed as a
symbol of review. A good leader’s job does not end with communicating what he
desired and what he expects from his team. He reviews their progress regularly
by organizing daily meetings, weekly meetings, monthly meetings. In these
meetings, he checks what has been done and what has not been done. He ensures
that the team has not drifted from the goal. He discovers what has worked and
what has not.
He identifies new creative
thoughts and anticipates possible hurdles. This he does again and again and
again. Repetition is the key word. With each review, things get trimmed and the
vision gets sharper and clearer so that a new horizon of possibilities emerge.
To keep your team on track, the
traditional method is to use the system of reward and punishment discreetly.
Vishnu’s carrot and stick approach of leadership is represented through his
mace or gada and his lotus or Padma. The mace is like a teacher’s ruler, to
punish those who do not do what they are supposed to do. The lotus rich with
nectar and pollen, which attracts bees and butterfly, is for those who do what
they are supposed to do and more.
The one he uses to strike down
the rule/law/system breakers. The other he uses to reward the rule/law/system
followers. Thus he keeps his team on the straight and narrow, ensuring they
achieve what they set out to achieve together. The one ensures that errors are
not repeated. The other ensures that best practices are always followed.
In some organizations, the four
tools generate fear and anxiety. When this happens, both the goal and the tools
have to be relooked at. Is the goal driven by reality or falsehood? Is it
motivated by greed? Is the conch-shell trumpeting or the rotation of the wheel
excessive? Is the mace too harsh or the lotus too stingy? In some
organizations, the tools serve no purpose.
People continue to do what they
are supposed to do, moving in different directions, with no alignment to each
other. When this happens, the communication has to be reooked at. Has the
message gone through correctly or is the message changing repeatedly confusing
all or is there a message at all?
The message of ten contains only
the goal – what must be achieved. The conch-shell, however, must all
communicate how it much be achieved. The aim of the review is to focus on the
how – if the prescribed methods are working or failing, the reasons for the
success and failure. Often review meetings are not used for review what has
been planned – they are used to generate new ideas and discard old ones.
New whats and hows to replace old
whats and old hows. Review meetings can generate new insights but it must never
be at the cost of the planned agenda. New ideas must be parked, reviewed later
and then communicated accordingly. Otherwise, the review loses its purpose and
the conch-shell produces cacophony, with things going in every direction.
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