Over two thousand years ago ‘Bhagavad Gita’ preached the timeless wisdom of the now western management concepts of vision, motivation, leadership, planning and decision making.
Text: Ramya Srinivasan Photos: Various Sources
Debashis Chatterjee uses the spiritual classic Bhagavad Gita as a source of management lessons for corporate leaders in his book “Timeless Leadership: 18 Leadership Sutras from The Bhagavad Gita”. The author, who served as the director of Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode from 2009-2014, deftly combines his experience in the field of management education and research with his insights on the Gita.
The book was originally published in 2012, aligning comfortably with the growing popularity of Indian mythology in fiction and non-fiction works. Writers such as DevduttPattanaik, AshwinSanghi, Amish Tripathi and AnandNeelakantan have been exploring the possibilities of mythological characters and tales in today’s world. While some of these works are adaptations, others are a different take on timeless epics.
Perhaps it is the chaos in today’s times that has led these authors to go back to the board and look at the basics – in this case, at epics which arguably fictional or otherwise have a nuanced portrayal of good and evil, of actions and consequences, of dharma and karma. Today’s audience is also seemingly mature enough to accept variations and even grey shades in their gods – like a marijuana-smoking Shiva or a not-so perfect Ram in need of more spunk. This is a refreshing approach to an otherwise stale repetition of general folklore. It looks like this trend is here to stay.
Unfolding a Sutra
In this kind of literary climate, “Timeless Leadership” manages to pique the reader’s interest with its discerning references to the Gita. Chatterjee presents 18 chapters, and in each of them, he defines a particular sutra and goes on to explain its import with anecdotes, quotes from the holy text and its relevance to leadership.
A few examples of sutras in the book include “leadership is the art of undoing”, “leaders are integrators” and “leaders are masters of their minds”. Some of these appear intuitive and are not completely new concepts in the domain of leadership manual. However, the frame of reference here, that of the Gita, adds an interesting dimension. For example, in presenting the sutra on ‘Invincible Wisdom’, the author says that ‘leaders create alternative reality.’
Another excerpt from the Gita reads – Arjuna stands befuddled in front of Krishna and says, “My mind is confused about whether to fight or to give in. Tell me decisively what I should do.” Chatterjee equates this to how our turbulent minds are caught in their own GPS (Grief, Pity and Shame) system. “Fear of the boss, pressure of deadlines, grief over job losses, long hours of separation from family, self-pity and shame resulting from underperformance – all of these could paralyse a person at work.”
And just like how Krishna guides Arjuna through his confused state of mind by, presenting an alternate reality, a true leader has the capability to introduce a perspective which is worth fighting (or working hard) for.