What is management? Well, the question has been answered hundreds and thousands of time by many ‘management gurus’ all over the world but still the businesses are struggling to put this word in the right context. When we are still struggling to understand the meaning of this word, we can learn the real management from the one who has created the entire human race, this universe – Shree Kirshna!
Let me make it simple. Try to visualize Lord Krishna as an ideal manager and the first imagination that comes to mind is of Lord Krishna (Akshay Kumar) in OMG (Oh My God!) Movie, who stood by Kanjibhai (Paresh Raval) when Kanjibhai decided to stand alone at one side while the whole world was on the other. Kanjibhai won the case with the support of Lord Krishna like the Pandavas won battle of Mahabharat. It is evident that common factor responsible for both the victories is none other than Lord Krishna’s managerial skills. Reason for citing an example of OMG is that it becomes easier to understand lengthy yet useful management tactics through such references.
While we have been presented to managerial & leadership qualities of Lord Krishna through various art forms quite a few times; reiterating the management qualities of this spirited soul must be on our to-do list as part of his birthday celebration on Janmashtami.
Krishna, one of the most celebrated Gods in India, was not just a Motivator but also a Strategist. He was a perfect Visionary besides being an excellent Communicator. Sum of all these and many other such qualities create flair of management expertise in Lord Krishna which makes him a leader par excellence.
Here are Lord Krishna’s 4 key managerial qualities which every manager should learn:
1. Tactful Communication tricks:
Lord Krishna was undoubtedly Smart Communicator who knew how to put across the point so as to mar two birds with a single stone. His mastery in communication was backed by several parameters like logic, intellect, emotion quotient, rational interpretation and ego management ability; which made him a convincing negotiator. Being good communicator is a prerequisite to be better manager.
Classic example of this is when Krishna allotted his resources to Arjun and Duryodhan before the battle of Mahabharat. Having been perfectly aware of the choices of Arjun and Duryodhan, Krishna asked both of them to choose between him and his complete army. This way he created a win-win situation for both the parties because Arjun believed in the capabilities of Krishna whereas Duryodhan was happy to get Krishna’s mighty army.
2. Skilled Strategist:
Lord Krishna worked for righteousness throughout his life but he also made it a point that whenever situations demanded, he practiced artful manipulations without compromising with fundamental rules of morality. Blessed with the virtue of devising proper strategies, Krishna was a ‘Skilled Strategist’ in true sense.
Here the most suitable example is the instance of Krishna’s guiding Bhim during the fight between Bhim and Duryodhan. Krishna smartly devised a strategy of instructing Duryodhan beforehand to cover his thighs when he meets Gandhari. So that whole body of Duryodhan is empowered except his thighs. Later on he used this to guide Bhim during the fight. He instructed Bhim to attack Duryodhan below his navel (i.e. at his weakest point), which ultimately killed the later.
Moreover Krishna as a strategist didn’t hold himself back if any strategy didn’t work. In case of strategy failure Krishna used to keep a Plan- B ready. Eg. Krishna believed in the capabilities of Karna. So he tried to convince Karna to join Pandavas as the eldest son of Kunti. But Karna, being man of words refused to do so and he remained loyal to his friend Duryodhan. Krishna adopted alternative plan i.e. to approach Indra to ask for the body armor from Karma, thereby taking away Karna’s strength. In order to be a strategist like Lord Krishna, one has to develop the habit of innovative thinking to address various issues.
3. Magical Motivator:
The world recognizes Lord Krishna as one of the best Motivators though ‘Bhagwad Geeta’ (Compilation of Lord Krishna’s Preaching to Arjun on the battle field of Kurukshetra), which is Guide of Life for many. Like Krishna who can empower people by motivating them when they are off balance; managers today have to keep on gearing up the spirits of their team members in the face of growing challenges. Motivator does not only inspire but also guides for a path to be taken up.
Ability to see ‘impossible as possible’ is the first step towards being skilled motivator.
4. Ingenious Time Management:
Lord Krishna win the hearts because of his ingenious time management. He managed it so well that he could take out time for his friends (Sudama, Arjun, nine sakhaas), lover (Radha), wife (Rukmani and Satyabhama), his devotees (Narsinh Mehta and Meerabai) and everyone who seeks his support. While talking about his time management skills, how can we miss to recall that Lord Krishna spares time for ‘Rasslila’ too?
Thus alongwith celebrating Krishna’s birth by following rituals let us celebrate this Gokul Ashtami differently by taking a pledge to follow his ideologies. So that we can observe true devotion towards Lord Krishna by infusing the spirit to improve our living style in accordance with his teachings.
Since Lord Krishna always led by example, his guiding principles are easy to digest and will always be ‘ray of hope in the darkest time’ for the management professionals.
