Management Perspectives

I n today’s demanding world, inspirational leaders need a range of highly-developed skills. Knowing which skills to deploy in different circumstances and embracing a balanced approach can transform your leadership style for the better. We have all met leaders who are gifted in a particular area. However, when they apply that one skill to every situation regardless of the facts, poor results are not far behind. Leaders with such a narrow skill set are at risk of becoming the one-trick ponies of the leadership world, lacking breadth and nuance in their approach. As one former colleague described the limited style of a peer’s leadership, “When you are a hammer, all you see is nails.

” Leadership is an evolving concept that has been observed and studied comprehensively over the years. Our scholars have borne time-tested advice about strategies to deal with adversaries. It talks about the loop of competition, guarding your weakness, and finding out the competitors secrets. A prominent aspect of leadership, reinforced by the Indian knowledge system, in which it has been seen time and again, is how the king (leader) is unequivocally bound by the views of the general public.

The most prominent example emerges from Ramayan, when, based on the whispers of a washerman, King Rama administered the agnipariksha to his wife Sita after her return from Ravana’s captivity. This brings us to the present context, wherein, to discharge their rajadharma, the leaders must utilise modern management concepts such as Management by Objectives (MBO) and 360-degree feedback.

Just as ancient Indian kings were required to consult regularly with their ministers, scholars, and public representatives, today’s business leaders must take into consideration opinions and advice from all levels to develop goals aimed at the welfare maximisation of all the parties involved.

In ancient governance, as kings were expected to be open to feedback from scholars, spiritual leaders, and even the general public, the same spirit can be echoed in today’s organisations, with leaders employing the 360-degree feedback mechanism on themselves to ensure holistic, personal growth. Interestingly, in our Indian shastras, the requisite skills of a good king (leader) include generosity, charitability, hospitability, humbleness, and being free from vices and addiction, the coincidental majority of which are aligned with the right-brain concept. It is safe to say that in the modern right brain-left brain split concept, our traditional cultural teachings put a greater weight on developing the emotional quotient (EQ) in leading people. On the other hand, the analytical, logical, and detail-orientated left brain finds lesser prominence.

Another lesson for the modern business leaders and managers lies in our traditional teachings of a self-referral process for developing antar drishti by traversing the routes of antar mukhita and antar suddhi. This translates beautifully in the modern perspective. A leader must undertake regular selfintrospection to identify his strengths and weaknesses, take necessary steps to further refine his strengths, and minimise the weaknesses. The combined impact of all this leads to clearer and better insights on leading people and organisations towards the desired goals. We can link a few such modern leadership philosophies from Chanakya from his notable works like Artha Shastra, and Chanakya Neeti presented the newly coined concepts in the field of management centuries ago.

“Kaaryabahutve bahufalmaaya tikam kuyati” This shloka asks leaders to select and undertake a work of sustainable nature that materialises their efforts to bring about a transformation. That brought the concept of servant leadership, which was coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in his seminal 1970 essay The Servant as a Leader.

“Naakam chakram paribhramyati” It is an age-old saying of Chanakya that still holds relevance for today’s democratic leaders: a vehicle cannot be run by a single wheel. It leads to the development of situational leadership. It was developed by Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard and emphasises the leader’s ability to adapt their leadership style to meet the ever-changing needs of their followers and the situation at hand.

“Trayanaamekvakye sampratyayah” Chanakya says that at all times and in all situations, there should be harmony among the king (leader), minister (stakeholders), and intellectuals in order to ensure success. He says that the world would change by leaps and bounds, and the same strategy cannot be applied to every circumstance. This is where the role of a leader’s intellect comes into play. A leader at all times should ensure coordination between his stakeholders and his intellect to enhance better decision making. It leads to the development of adaptive leadership.

Based on Indian cultural values and traditions, the late Prof. SK Chakraborty of the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, who was a pioneer in the field of human values and Indian management, had propounded the ‘Raj-Rishi’ model of leadership. The model majorly highlights how leaders can inculcate values for effective human capital management rather than obtaining short-term skills. It emphasises that the ‘Heart-mind-pran’ triad forms the foundation of effective leadership. Finally, the model illustrates how control over one’s senses, or indriyas, is the most important criteria for developing into a great leader.

From Chanakya to Prof. SK Chakraborty, Indian visionary thinkers, over the ages, have leveraged the immense wealth of knowledge embedded in our culture to establish marvellous viewpoints on leadership, helping leaders tap into their unutilised potential.