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Corporate lessons from Ramayana

The Ramayana is one of thegreatest epics of HinduMythology. It is not just a story,but also an educational mediumused by the ancient sages to

espouse the importance of doingyour dharma (duty). Lessons fromRamayana are a part of teachingleadership, management andgovernance at many prestigiousmanagement institutions. Here

are a few lessons that we cancomprehend from Ramayana andhow they can be applied in thecorporate world...

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Team motivation is vital

One of the most obviousincidences, in which usemanagement principles is veryclearly visible is that of

Hanuman going to Lanka. Hismission was to locate Sitathere and give her Lord Ramsmessage. When it becameclear that Sita was in Lanka,Jamvant asked Hanuman to go

there. He helped him inrealising his true potential andmotivated him to go in theenemys camp.

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Team motivation is vital

Lesson: Jamvant

motivating Hanuman is a

classic example of a good

Manager helping hispersonnel to realise their

potential and acting

accordingly.

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SWOT Analysis

Once mentally prepared for

the job, first thing which

Hanuman did after reaching

Lanka was to do a completeanalysis of the situation. He

did a complete study about

the Lankans, assessing their

strengths and weaknesses,

the various threats and

opportunities which he had

in the enemys camp.

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SWOT Analysis

Lesson: The SWOT (strength,weakness, opportunities andthreats) analysis is one of themost important aspects of

modern day management.First you need to ascertain thegoals, or job to be done. Then,get mentally prepared for itand have a right plan. Andthen, analyze the strengthsand weaknesses of thecompetitor and what threatsand opportunities are there inthe business.

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Work on strategic alliances

In Ramayana, Sughriv hasshown some of the bestmanagerial characteristics. Asa successful manager he had

Ram to work accordingly andgot his kingdom back from abrother who was far mightierthan him. Using his managerialskills he even had Angad towork for him. If Sughriv wouldhave been a bad manager thenthe same Angad would haveturned into one of his archenemies.

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Work on strategic alliances

Lesson: It is said that businessesare run on relations. A managerwho can nurture good relationswith the employees, clients etc,can do wonders for his company.

Lord Ram was very good at it. Hewas the master of nurturingrelations. His prowess at it was sogreat that while Ravana was lyingwounded in the battle field andwas about to die, he shared someimportant lessons which he hadlearnt in his life.

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Value your subordinates

In the same Ramayana,again and again Ravanahas shown the signs of a

bad manager, and henceled to the demise of hiskingdom. From thestarting itself he ignoredthe suggestions of his

managers and got hiskingdom in the state ofwar with Ram

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Value your subordinates

Lesson: A good manager is theone, who can get his workdone even from the rivals. Agood manager listens to what

his subordinates has to say andtries to keep them togetherespecially when theorganization needs them themost. But Ravanas

mismanagement wasresponsible for Vibhishan (oneof the wisest manager) leavinghim amidst a crisis.

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Leaders need to create more leaders

After the discovery of Sita'swhereabouts, Hanuman, of his ownvolition, set aflame the city of Lanka.Hanuman's decision of burning Lankadispleased Ram. And so after that,

Hanuman stopped taking decisions.To rectify the damage done, Ram hadto remove himself from the scene sothat Hanuman could rediscover hisdecision-making abilities. During thecourse of the war, Mahiravan,managed to abduct both Ram andLaxman and take them to Patal lok.

Only Hanuman had the intellectualand physical prowess to rescue themand eventually, Hanuman succeededin rescuing Ram. Ram had thuscreated a leader.

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Leaders need to create more leaders

Lesson: A time comes in

every leader's life when

he has to create leaders

around him. This involvesmaking people around

him competent enough to

take independent

decisions.

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No one is bigger than the brand!

The challenge in building thebridge to Lanka was to make thestones float (as all stones will sinkthe moment it is thrown into theocean). It is said that a solution

was offered by supporters of LordRama, i.e. inscribe the name"Rama" on the stone and thenthrow it in the ocean. The samewas done and it worked! At onepoint, Lord Rama decided toextend a helping hand so hepicked up a stone and threw it inthe ocean. Surprisingly it sankwithout a trace!

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No one is bigger than the brand!

Lesson: The stone sankbecause it was not inscribedwith Rama. Lord Rama wasconfident that he do not needto use his "brand" as he wasTHE "brand" and tried torepeat the magic. But it did notwork. It was not "branded"with "Rama". Moral of thestory is that the Brand is biggerthan the "owner" of the brand.A manager should feel good,when people recognize him bythe name of his company.

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Importance of communication

When Bali fought demonMayavee and entered a caveduring their fight, Sugreeva wasordered to keep a watch outsidetill Bali emerged. After nearly a

year' wait when neither Bali northe rakshasa (demon) came out,Sugreeva thought they had bothbeen killed. He went back toKishkindha and became its rulerand made Tara, Bali's wife, hisqueen. However, Bali returnedand seeing Sugreeva as king, Balithought he had been betrayed.

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Importance of communication

Lesson: The cause of mortalenmity between brothersSugriva and Bali originatedin a terriblemiscommunication. Theturn of events helped Ramado his bit. Lesson is to bebeware ofmiscommunication at anystage, whether inacquisition or inmanagement of talent.

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Believe in your team

The Rakshasa army was apowerful one, which haddefeated the formidable, devasand vanquished powerful kings.In contrast, the army of Rama

comprised of soldiers who wereperhaps aboriginal tribes whohad never encountered asophisticated army before. YetRama maintained confidence inthe ability of his army tosurmount this seeminglyimpossible odd and enthused byhis confidence his army fought toachieve victory.

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Believe in your team

Lesson: Set ambitious

goals and motivate your

team to meet them

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Succession planning

Dasarathas plans for installingRama on the throne of Ayodhyado turn topsy-turvy, but theexistence of a clear successionplan can never be denied. This is

meant to ensure continuity ingovernance. It helped thatbesides being the eldest son,Rama was liked by all and hencechosen to lead the kingdom oncehis father passed away. As perRaghuvansham of Kalidasa, whenthe time comes to relinquish hisbody, Rama divides it equitablybetween his two sons Lava andKusha.

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Succession planning

Lesson: All well-managed

companies ensure that

the career development

plans of their topperformers are directly

linked to succession plans.

Good leaders should

invariably groom themanagers under them.

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Leave the comfort zone

When Rama gets ordered toremain in the forest for aspan of fourteen years, Sitaand Rama take it as anopportunity to engage withthe ordinary citizens of theirkingdom, rather thanremaining confined to thecomforts of their palace.This helps them tounderstand the groundrealities better.

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Leave the comfort zone

Lesson: Marketing

honchos of today who

travel through the

hinterland to get a betterfirst-hand feel of the

customers pulse do a far

better job of servicing the

market.

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Excellence in execution

The plan to locate Sita getsbrilliantly executed byHanuman. The wisdom withwhich he conducts the

search and the single-minded pursuit of the goal isan example worth emulatingby managers at all levels.While crossing the sea, hedeclines an invitation fromMount Mynaaka to takesome rest on the way.

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Excellence in execution

Lesson: The manner in

which Hanuman assures

Sita of his genuineness

exhorts managers toconduct commercial

negotiations by first

setting the anxieties of the

opposite party at rest.

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Recognize and stay away from the

Yes-men!Ravana is a highly learnedand accomplished person.One of the reasons for hisdownfall is to neglect the

advice of nay-sayers. Hiswife, Mandodari, brotherVibheeshana andgrandfather Malyavaan alladvise him to return Sita toRama. Instead, he chooses

to listen to his courtiers whoplay on his ego and prideand advise him not to do so.

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Always stick to the plan

When Rama killed the demon Marichawho came disguised as the golden deer,the demon called out "Lakshmana! Sita!"in Rama's mimicked voice and died. Sita,upon hearing it, urged Lakshmana, whowas standing guard to her, to go and help

Rama, who seemed to be in trouble.Lakshmana's patient counseling against itcould not convince her. She accusedLakshmana of nurturing an evil idea ofhaving an illicit relationship with her inthe absence of Rama. Lakshmana, shellshocked by hearing such an abominableaccusation, left immediately, leaving her

alone. Ravana utilized this opportunity toabduct her.

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Have a clear vision

Rama's clear vision was to rescuehis wife Sita and defeat the evilforces. This clarity about thegoals as well as the processenabled his army to put its heart

and soul in the battle to rescueSita. A foreseen vision will alwaysbe a motivating factor to focus onthe goal and to not get deviated.Every leader needs to have aclear vision of what he is aimingfor and what will it bear him infuture. Also he needs to think inparallel to his followers who willsupport him to achieve his goals.

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Beware of dubious attractions

Sita, in the forest, got madlyattracted by a beautiful goldendeer. She refused to heed toher husband's counsel thatsuch a deer could not be anatural one and it could be ademon in disguise. It is herincessant pestering to acquirethe deer to be her play-matethat forced Rama to go behindit. It paved the way for hergetting separated from himand she got forcibly abductedby Ravana.

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Maintain cool during crisis

Following Sita's abduction, Ramawandered destitute and pennilessin the forests searching for Sita.The Ramayana is full of poignantdetails of Rama's sadness and his

memory of Sita. Yet this grief didnot prevent him from searchingfor allies even when the enemywas unknown. Even throughoutthe battle with Ravana, Ramamaintained his courage even atthe darkest hours and in doing soinspired his army to not onlycontinue the unequal fight, butalso win it.

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A premium on values

Sticking to some core valueswhich are steeped inrighteousness eventuallyleads to success. The main

protagonist of Ramayana,Rama, is depicted inRamayana as an epitome ofvirtue. He is an ideal king, anideal son and a pragmaticperson. He sets high ethical

standards in warfare andinvariably sides withdharma, or righteousness.

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Empower subordinates

When Vibhishan defected, Ramatook him under his protection. Hethen had a talk with the various armychiefs some of whom disagreed withRama. Instead of punishing them,Rama assuaged their suspicions andgot them to accept his decision.Everybody felt that their opinionshad been heard and that theirobjections had been clarified.Empowerment of subordinates toquestion his decisions was a key andunique quality of Rama which one

cannot but help comparing withRavana who never allowed anybodyto contradict him.