Lord Krishna as a Management Guru

Lord Krishna as a Management Guru

1. Lord Krishna as A Management Guru Effective Management Lessons From the life of Shree Krishna

2. Lord Krishna as A Management Guru Lord Shri Krishna is the most revered Gods in Hindu mythology . He is also considered to be the well-known biggest leaders of all times . He was a good communicator , orator and had a great sense of dealing with complex people .

3. Lord Krishna as A Management Guru He is worshiped as the 8th avatar (incarnation) of the Lord Vishnu and also as the supreme God in his own right . He is the god of love, tenderness and compassion in Hindu religion, and is one of the widely revered and famous among Indian divinities.

4. Lord Krishna is worshiped as the 8th avatar (incarnation) of the Lord Vishnu

5. He is the god of love, tenderness and compassion

6. He is the god of love, tenderness and compassion

7. He is the god of love, tenderness and compassion

8. He is the god of love, tenderness and compassion

9. Lord Krishna as A Management Guru Teachings of Lord Krishna are infinite. His names and forms are innumerable. Lord Krishna who is an entity unto itself is a proven charismatic leader and manager. He imparted his teachings through his exemplary life and actions. Let us reflect and take a glimpse at the illustrious facets of Lord Krishna .

10. Lord Krishna as A Management Guru

11. Lord Krishna as A Management Guru An exemplary- a leader, a hero, a protector, a teacher, a philosopher and a friend : all in one. Krishna was one of the most pragmatic Lords of all times.

12. An exemplary- a leader, a hero, a protector, a teacher, a philosopher and a friend : all in one

13. Lord Krishna as A Management Guru The best manager and a leader who imparted valuable lessons to all. He propagated theory of bhakti and good karma in Bhagavad Gita.

14. The best manager and a leader who imparted valuable lessons to all

15. He propagated theory of bhakti and good karma in Bhagavad Gita

16. Lord Krishna as A Management Guru The Holy Book Bhagavad-Gita elucidates several important management lessons for all.

17. Krishna as the Management Guru Lord Krishna is the master of finesse and there is a lot to be learnt from him. Following are some of the management strategies useful for leaders.

18. Krishna as the Management Guru

19. Friendly Approach Even though Lord Krishna had a tough task at his hand , that of making the Pandavas win against the Kauravas, he never lost his control, cool or act carelessly. That is exactly how a leader should be: patiently maintaining his calm under pressure.

20. Friendly Approach

21. Friendly Approach

22. Even though Lord Krishna had a tough task at his hand , that of making the Pandavas win against the Kauravas, he never lost his control, cool or act carelessly

23. Friendly Approach Leaders who lose their cool can disengage an entire group of employees with a single emotional outburst . There’s no room for leaders losing their cool. Instead, they should develop leadership skills that make emotional outbursts unlikely when staff members fail to perform as expected.

24. Leaders who lose their cool can disengage an entire group of employees with a single emotional outburst

25. Leaders who lose their cool can disengage an entire group of employees with a single emotional outburst

26. Friendly Approach Positive Work Environment There are many ways to create a positive workplace. Attitude is essential people should be respectful and friendly towards one another. Bitchiness or backstabbing should not be tolerated. Not just by supervisors, but among colleagues as well. If anyone has issues, the supervisor/manager should always be available to help resolve such problems so they don’t linger and taint the rest of the workplace.

27. Positive Work Environment

28. Flexibility Lord Krishna lent an ear to anyone who wanted to speak and consult him whether it was Arjun who did not want any war or even the Kauravas whose objective was to get victory however, in the end Lord Shri Krishna did what he felt was right . You too should be like this in the corporate world. Always follow your instinct.

29. Lord Krishna lent an ear to anyone who wanted to speak and consult him

30. Flexibility Flexibility is an increasingly important trait in a rapidly changing economic and social environment. Flexible leaders are those who can modify their style or approach to leadership in response to uncertain or unpredictable circumstances. In addition, flexible leaders can adapt to changes as they come.

31. Flexible Leadership

32. Flexibility They can revise their plans to incorporate new innovations and overcome challenges , while still achieving their goals. Flexibility is not only about surviving and thriving in new situations. 

33. Flexibility Adaptable leaders can also implement new behaviours into old, existing situations. This allows them to express creativity in their work and find new ways to solve problems. Flexibility is the willingness to try new behaviours, regardless of whether one is currently undergoing a time of change in their company.

34. Flexibility

35. Accessible A good manager must be accessible to all and employees shouldn’t doubt in talking to him. Likewise , Lord Shree Krishna too was open and accessible to everyone. He did not differentiate between people on the basis of color and caste. 

36. Lord Shree Krishna too was open and accessible to everyone

37. Accessible Outstanding leaders are intentional about being accessible . Generally speaking, the more successful you become, the less accessible you will be. Outstanding leaders make a concentrated effort to be accessible and available to those who need them.

38. Outstanding leaders make a concentrated effort to be accessible and available to those who need them

39. Outstanding leaders make a concentrated effort to be accessible and available to those who need them

40. Dharma/ Duty When Arjuna was in a doubt about fighting against his own brothers, he reminded Arjuna about his Dharma or duty. Likewise , although there are times when you might not enjoy your work, but you still have to do it.

41. Dharma/ Duty

42. Dharma/ Duty If you don’t like your current job, you probably want to find a better job. But in order to get a better job, you need to do excellent work at your current job. So you can build a solid reputation, get stellar references, and attract new career opportunities.

43. In order to get a better job, you need to do excellent work at your current job

44. Strategy For the Mahabharata war, Krishna planned ahead. He knew that the Kauravas would leave no stone un turned to win the war and so he made a point to note all their tactics and moves. In the corporate world too, one should always be prepared.

45. For the Mahabharata war, Krishna planned ahead

46. Strategy

47. Strategy Strategic planning is important to an organization because it provides a sense of direction and outlines measurable goals. Strategic planning is a tool that is useful for guiding day-to-day decisions and also for evaluating progress and changing approaches when moving forward.

48. Strategic Planning

49. Strategic Planning

50. Strategy Lord Krishna was master strategist who used problem solving approach throughout his life. He with his tactical skills won Mahabharata war for Pandavas. He proves that a person who is skilled in planning action or policy will win for sure in war and politics. A plan of action is important to achieve long and short-term goals.

51. Lord Krishna was master strategist who used problem solving approach throughout his life

52. Strategic Planning

53. Detachment In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna tells Arjuna that one should remain detached from Maya , so that one can fight clean in all areas of your life. Similarly, at the workplace too, one should not get emotionally involved with anyone , lest his work suffers.

54. Detachment

55. Detachment Mentally distracting oneself from work during out of work hours can help restore emotional, cognitive and spiritual resources lost because of long hours, work stress and demands.

56. Similarly, at the workplace too, one should not get emotionally involved with anyone

57. Mentally distracting oneself from work during out of work hours can help restore emotional, cognitive and spiritual resources

58. Detachment Research has found significant associations between psychological detachment and well-being such as job burnout and life satisfaction . Getting away from work mentally, emotionally and behaviourally is most important when we are stressed, have a high workload or overloaded.

59. Detachment

60. Support Krishna was unflinching in his support to the Pandavas even though the Kauravas came to him for help, he knew his priorities lied with the Pandavas. At the workplace, if you take a stand for any person, make sure to help him all throughout.

61. Support

62. Support Employee support means giving the people who work for your business the right tools to get the job done. An important aspect of this strategy, and too often neglected, is the acknowledgment that employees need moral and mental support from their superiors, managers and company owners.

63. Employee support means giving the people who work for your business the right tools to get the job done

64. Employee support means giving the people who work for your business the right tools to get the job done

65. The Many Faces Krishna was polite and gentle and at the same time, he could turn into clever and shrewd, depending on the situation . At the workplace too, one should display their characteristics, depending on the situation.

66. The Many Faces

67. The Many Faces Leaders also wear several masks. They could be polite and gentle. They could be loving and compassionate. But if the situation demands it, they could also invoke dread and fear amongst their team members. Just like Krishna, they possess a multi-faceted personality

68. The Many Faces

69. The Many Faces Geraldine Brooks, a Vancouver-based Jungian psychologist, says, “ People usually wear a mask corresponding to their work role. That’s because all work roles come with certain social expectations”. For example, senior managers may wish to appear calm, authoritative or in control. Customer-service personnel may want to seem friendly, personable and approachable .

70. Geraldine Brooks , a Vancouver-based Jungian psychologist “ People usually wear a mask corresponding to their work role, that’s because all work roles come with certain social expectations”.

71. The Many Faces Dr. Brooks says we all need masks to function in the world and deal with the demands placed on us by others. “If we didn’t have masks, we wouldn’t know how to act”

72. The Many Faces Masks can be helpful at work, especially if an individual is going through a personal difficulty. Being able to maintain a sense of purpose and accomplishment at work by playing one’s part, even when grieving a loss, for example, can give an employee temporary relief from tumultuous feelings.

73. The Many Faces

74. Inner Voice In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says that one should always listen to their inner voice, which is that of a soul . No matter where you go in life or what you do, always listen to your instincts .

75. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says that one should always listen to their inner voice, which is that of a soul

76. Inner Voice In the Bhagavad Gita, he says that one should listen to their inner voice, which is that of a soul . No matter what you do or where you go in life, always listen to your instincts. 

77. Inner Voice Some of the best advice we have all got be it while making big personal decisions or making critical business decisions is the same: Follow your inner voice. Recent data suggests that intuition provides extra sensory artillery that helps integrate thoughts, thereby enabling better decision-making.

78. Inner Voice

79. Inner Voice For instance, Tel Aviv University’s Marius Usher found that when people made choices based only on instinct, they made the right call up to 90% of the time. Other researchers have estimated that 80% of successful CEOs have an intuitive decision-making style.

80. Tel Aviv University’s Marius Usher found that when people made choices based only on instinct, they made the right call up to 90% of the time

81. The Wise Advocate: The Inner Voice of Strategic Leadership

82. Perseverance Krishna never wallows in self-pity. If something goes wrong, he makes sure to fix it before it gets too late. At the workplace too, one should avoid brooding over their mistakes. One should look at correcting them as soon as possible.

83. Perseverance

84. Perseverance Perseverance: Steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success. Perseverance is an essential element when you need to achieve a high level of success. It is a great tool to use, and it doesn’t require any college education or training. It comes naturally and requires a strong will.     It doesn’t matter what your goal is or how long it takes you to reach that goal. The chances of your success depend largely on your willingness to persist and persevere.

85. Perseverance

86. Perseverance CEOs with a tenacity of purpose build up a unique team of followers. Perseverance is ingrained in their character. To give up does not come easily to them.

87. Long-term Goals Personally, Krishna had nothing to gain from the Mahabharata war, no matter who won. However, he knew that for the benefit of the society, it would be better if the Pandavas won. At the workplace, one should always look at long-term goals and not short-term victories.

88. Long-term Goals

89. Long-term Goals

90. Leading From Back A leader does not always have to bag the limelight and no one can prove this better than Krishna. He quietly did his work and made the Pandavas win, without once picking up a weapon. This is the mark of a true, great leader.

91. A leader does not always have to bag the limelight and no one can prove this better than Krishna

92. Leading From Back Leading from Behind Unlike Lord Rama , who leads an army from the front, Lord Krishna leads it from behind. The former leads an army of monkeys . The latter leads an army of illustrious people . Each one has great prowess, expertise and self-mastery. He also gets to handle people who are more shrewd and cunning.

93. Lord Rama , who leads an army from the front

94. Lord Krishna Leads It From Behind

95. Leading From Back In the initial phases of industrial revolution, when manufacturing was the primary activity, most of the leaders had to lead their teams from the front. In the services sector, as also in the emerging knowledge economy, leaders mostly manage from behind. Depending upon the situation at hand, leaders switch from one mode to another. The style also varies from person to person.

96. Leading From Back

97. Leading From Back In the human world, some people define leadership simply as getting people to work to achieve common goals and giving people a reason (motivation) to work (active leadership). Other people hold that leadership is the ability to influence the behaviour of others, to set up goals , to formulate paths to those goals, and to create and guide toward good behaviour (passive leadership).

98. Leading From Back

99. Leading From Back Isn't that what we want to accomplish in the equine world - to influence and motivate safe behaviours? Many leaders have always wondered how active or passive they should be. The active leader risks exacerbating the problem by tackling it; the passive leader risks being overwhelmed by a problem that festers unchecked.

100. Surviving Through Adversity Krishna was born in captivity and separated from his parents soon after birth. Yet, he never let his personal struggles come in the way of his dharma. Hence, no matter what you are going through in your personal life, don't bring it to work.

101. Surviving Through Adversity

102. Surviving Through Adversity

103. Surviving Through Adversity Tough situations bring out the best within managers. Life strives to chisel their character into a fine shape, much like a finely carved statue which is much admired by those who view it from the outside. Few realize the pain, suffering and sacrifice that the stone has undergone to achieve that exalted beauty and that state of perfection.

104. Surviving Through Adversity

105. Surviving Through Adversity " If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome." - Ann Dudley Bradstreet There is tremendous power in facing adversity. Harness the power, and you will survive and thrive through challenging times.

106. Surviving Through Adversity

107. Committment Krishna always knew that the purpose of his life on earth was to kill his uncle, the evil Kansa. He did so while he was still a child. So, if you are committed to a cause, don't delay in executing that. Do not let anything come in between you and your cause.

108. Committment

109. Committment You cannot be an effective team leader without commitment. There has never been a great leader that was not committed. Commitment is a leadership quality that inspires and attracts people. It shows that the leader has convictions and that the leader believes in the cause. A team will buy into the team leader before they buy into the vision.

110. Committment

111. Committment

112. Share Your Learning Everyone knows that Bhagavad Gita is simply a conversation between Arjuna and Krishna. Krishna passed on all his learning to Arjuna which motivated him to fight for justice. Similarly, a good leader never keeps his knowledge to himself. He passes it on.

113. Share Your Learning

114. Share Your Learning It’s been said that knowledge is the new currency of business (and with good reason). In the past, companies relied on physical assets to stay competitive. New offices, more equipment, or additional employees were the catalysts for growth. But not anymore. These days, it’s all about knowledge – both capturing and sharing it.

115. It’s been said that knowledge is the new currency of business

116. Share Your Learning In a recent EY report, 81% of business leaders say capturing and sharing knowledge are the most important factors for success. Just ask the likes of Ford, GE, or Amazon. Knowledge sharing increases social interaction amongst employees. It also builds trust and enhances creativity especially in regards to problem-solving and innovation. Yet, one of the biggest advantages is also the easiest to overlook.

117. Share Your Learning

118. Manager Krishna could have made the Mahabharata war finish in a couple of hours due to his powers, yet he made the Pandavas win the war based on hard-work and sacrifice . And this is what any good manager will do make you toil so that you can succeed eventually.

119. Krishna could have made the Mahabharata war finish in a couple of hours due to his powers, yet he made the Pandavas win the war based on hard-work and sacrifice

120. Effective Managers

121. Unbiased Kansa was Krishna's maternal uncle, yet Krishna did not think twice before killing him since he was evil. Similarly, even at the workplace, you cannot let your friendship or relationship with someone affect your work.

122. Kansa was Krishna's maternal uncle, yet Krishna did not think twice before killing him since he was evil

123. Unbiased

124. Unbiased If some employees believe your organization treats them unequally, their morale will suffer and they won't trust your decisions . Some cases of bias in the workplace are illegal. Minimize bias by taking every possible precaution to ensure your decision-making process is fair and equitable to all involved.

125. Unbiased

126. Communicator It is said that when Krishna talked, everyone would listen to him in rapt attention and a good manager should be just like that. He should have his way with words, so that people should both listen to him and take his advice.

127. It is said that when Krishna talked, everyone would listen to him in rapt attention

128. Communicator Tactful Communicator : Krishna through his power of speech and oration skills motivated Pandavas several times. He motivated them to serve good and only good, concurrently working towards attainment of justice. A true leader or manager always takes initiative to motivate his colleagues and fellows.

129. Tactful Communicator

130. Communicator Tactful and diplomatic communication is another concept that arises in the executive business coaching context because successfully competing on an international level requires excellent communication (verbal and nonverbal) across cultures.

131. Tactful and diplomatic communication

132. Communicator Building Blocks of Tact and Diplomacy Many elements of doing good business with international clients are culture-specific, and they may even vary within a single country. In the United States alone, for example, there are business environments that are formal, and those that are laid back.

133. Communicator To maximize your ability to carry out cross-cultural business gracefully, the following basic elements are necessary: Excellent listening skills – to verbal and non-verbal communications Strong emotional intelligence Empathy Assertiveness rather than aggressiveness Development of rapport Politeness These fall under the umbrella concept of self-awareness, knowing who you are and what your place is in relation to others, and in light of the specific circumstances.

134. Tactful And Diplomatic Communication

135. Tactful And Diplomatic Communication

136. Lord Krishna as A Management Guru Lord Krishna who is an entity unto itself is a proven charismatic leader and manager. His teachings are infinite; his names and forms are innumerable. He imparted his teachings through his exemplary life and actions.

137. Lord Krishna who is an entity unto itself is a proven charismatic leader and manager

138. Lord Krishna as A Management Guru Thus, Lord Krishna, through his life demonstrated how to live a life in entirety and stated continue doing right, without having attachment towards the outcome of those actions and most importantly, never hurt anyone. 

139. Lord Krishna, through his life demonstrated how to live a life in entirety and stated continue doing right, without having attachment towards the outcome of those actions

140. Lord Krishna as A Management Guru

141. Lord Krishna as A Management Guru Throughout his life, Lord Krishna had to face different crises that arose like waves, one after the other. Even then, not once was his countenance clouded by sorrow. He faced every difficulty under the sun, but there was no place for sorrow in Sri Krishna’s presence. He was the embodiment of bliss.

142. Lord Krishna as A Management Guru

143. Lord Krishna as A Management Guru In his company everyone rejoiced, forgetting all else. In his presence they tasted the bliss of the Self. Even now, after all this time, doesn’t the mere thought of him fill us with bliss?”

144. In His Presence They Tasted The Bliss Of The Self

145. Even now, after all this time, doesn’t the mere thought of him fill us with bliss?”

146. Lord Krishna as A Management Guru Krishna is a role model for spiritually inclined leaders and managers. He demonstrates that being spiritual does not necessarily mean being soft. It only implies that one’s decisions and actions are rooted in stiff pragmatism, supported by sound values and operated by a desire to achieve the greater good .

147. Krishna is a role model for spiritually inclined leaders and managers

148. Terminology Spiritual quotient (SQ ) Spiritual Quotient (SQ) is a measure that looks at a person's spiritual acumen; it is as important as intelligence quotient (IQ) and emotional quotient (EQ). While IQ looks at cognitive intelligence, EQ looks at emotional power of a person and spiritual quotient (SQ) looks at spiritual power of a person.

149. Spiritual Quotient (SQ)

150. Spiritual Quotient (SQ)

151. Organisational Spirituality Organisational spirituality is about taking a more holistic approach to organisational life, where it is recognised that people are inherently spiritual and are compelled to seek meaning and purpose in all aspects of life, which naturally includes the meaning of one's work.

152. Organisational Spirituality

153. Books Management Wisdom of Lord Krishna: A Treatise of Unified Concept of Management Performance for the Globalized World

154. Books BHAGAVAD GITA : The Art and Science of Management for the 21st Century

155. Books Spiritual Intelligence : The Ultimate Intelligence

156. Krishna The Management Guru - by Guruji G. Narayana https :// youtu.be/T3ywvNOoB0o

157. Hare Krishna! The Mantra, the Movement and the Swami Who Started It https :// vimeo.com/ondemand/harekrishnathefilm

158. Jai Shree Krishna…