Servant Leadership - Session with YIN Ministry

Recently, I had the privilege of engaging with the Shadow Ministry of Young Inspirators Network (YIN), an initiative by Sakal Media Group. We discussed the powerful concept of servant leadership.

In a lively exchange, we explored how servant leadership emphasizes empathy, listening, stewardship, and empowerment. It was inspiring to see the students' enthusiasm for leading with compassion and making a positive impact.

You can watch our insightful conversation on servant leadership in this Facebook Live video: Facebook Live

Leadership Model as explained by Lord Krishna to Arjuna.

There are many leadership models. Perhaps it is the hot topic always discussed. Still, the code for being a great leader is yet to be cracked. Lately when there is a leadership discussion or leadership course of top managers, I find few things like self awareness, mindfulness, spirituality content in that. However, though it is said a lot, it is very difficult to practice. I have seen leaders just speaking about empathy but not practicing it. Finally all those models are just to speak for others and not for themselves.

When we look back at our great ancient scripture, Bhagavad Gita, all dimensions of life are discussed in detail. The Gita teaches that leadership is not just about exerting authority and power, but it is also about being self-aware, practicing self-discipline, and leading with empathy and compassion. Here are some key principles of leadership based on the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita.

Chapter 6, Verse 5

उद्धरेदात्मनात्मानं नात्मानमवसादयेत् |

आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुरात्मैव रिपुरात्मन: ॥5॥

"Let a man lift himself by his own self alone, let him not lower himself; for this self alone is the friend of oneself, and this self alone is the enemy of oneself."

Self-Awareness: A leader must be aware of his or her own strengths and limitations, and must strive to improve upon them.

Chapter 2, Verse 64

रागद्वेषवियुक्तैस्तु विषयानिन्द्रियैश्चरन् |

आत्मवश्यैर्विधेयात्मा प्रसादमधिगच्छति ॥64॥

"But a man who controls his senses by his mind and engages his active organs in works of devotion, without attachment, is by far superior. But by perceiving objects with the organs that are free from attraction and repulsion, and are under his own control, the self-controlled man attains serenity.”

Self-Control: A leader must be able to control his or her own thoughts, emotions, and actions, and must lead by example.

Chapter 13, Verse 8

अमानित्वमदम्भित्वमहिंसा क्षान्तिरार्जवम् |

आचार्योपासनं शौचं स्थैर्यमात्मविनिग्रह: ॥8॥

"Humility, unpretentiousness, nonviolence, forbearance, uprightness, service to the teacher, purity, steadfastness, self-control."

Humility: A leader must be humble and avoid being arrogant or self-centered.

Chapter 3, Verse 25 - 

सक्ता: कर्मण्यविद्वांसो यथा कुर्वन्ति भारत |

कुर्याद्विद्वांस्तथासक्तश्चिकीर्षुर्लोकसंग्रहम् ॥25॥

"As the ignorant perform their duties with attachment to results, O Bharata, so should the wise act without attachment, for the sake of leading people on the right path."

Vision: A leader must have a clear vision and be able to communicate it effectively to the team.

Chapter 6, Verse 23 

तं विद्याद् दु:खसंयोगवियोगं योगसञ्ज्ञितम् |

स निश्चयेन योक्तव्यो योगोऽनिर्विण्णचेतसा ॥23॥

"The yogi whose mind is fixed on Me verily attains the highest perfection of transcendental happiness. He is beyond the mode of passion, he realizes his qualitative identity with the Supreme, and thus he is freed from all reactions to past deeds."

Determination: A leader must be determined and persistent in achieving the vision and goals.

Chapter 2, Verse 47 

कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन |

मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि || 47 ||

"You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself to be the cause of the results of your activities, nor be attached to inaction."

Fairness: A leader must be fair and treat everyone equally, without showing favoritism or bias.

Chapter 5, Verse 18

विद्याविनयसम्पन्ने ब्राह्मणे गवि हस्तिनि |

शुनि चैव श्वपाके च पण्डिता: समदर्शिन: ॥18॥

"The humble sages, by virtue of true knowledge, see with equal vision a learned and gentle brahmana, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater [outcast]."

Compassion: A leader must be compassionate and empathetic towards team members and their needs.

Chapter 2, Verse 14

मात्रास्पर्शास्तु कौन्तेय शीतोष्णसुखदु: खदा: |

आगमापायिनोऽनित्यास्तांस्तितिक्षस्व भारत ॥14॥

"O son of Kunti, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed."

Decisiveness: A leader must be able to make tough decisions in a timely manner, based on careful analysis and consideration.

Chapter 3, Verse 7

यस्त्विन्द्रियाणि मनसा नियम्यारभतेऽर्जुन |

कर्मेन्द्रियै: कर्मयोगमसक्त: स विशिष्यते ॥7॥

"But, O Arjuna, one who engages in Karma-yoga with the organs of action, controlling the organs with the mind and becoming unattached-that one excels. On the other hand, if a sincere person tries to control the active senses by the mind and begins karma-yoga [in Krishna consciousness] without attachment, he is by far superior."

Spirituality: A leader must have a spiritual outlook, and be grounded in values and principles that guide ethical behavior and decision-making.

So if you are looking for any leadership model for your organization, just follow this and built the behaviors around this model.

Please respond the survey, I am conducting, as a part of my research by clicking on >> Leadership Competencies required for managers while handling crisis situations. 

(Opinions are purely personal & does not represent my organizations, current or past) 

Author's books are available on Amazon, Flipkart, Pothi and BookGanga. You can buy the print copy of Vitality in Human Resources on amazon. Click >> Vitality in Human Resource: Adding human dimensions in HR processes   

Truth and lies

Few people are qualified in lies and bending the truth according to their convenience. Truths are converted into lies and lies into the truth. They create an impression in the organization and society that they have relevant information with them but nobody knows that the said information is not truth. For them perceptions, data, deceiving knowledge are truth. They will ensure the damage to the people around, society and the organization for their personal agenda. Some people called those characters, corporate leaders. 

Truth and ethical lying are complex and often contentious topics. At its core, truth is the state of being in agreement with fact or reality, while a lie is a false statement made with the intent to deceive. However, the concept of what constitutes a "fact" or "reality" can vary depending on one's perspective, and the morality of lying can depend on the context in which it occurs.

In some cases, lying may be seen as an ethical action. For example, lying to protect someone from harm or to prevent a greater harm from occurring may be considered morally justifiable. Similarly, lying to spare someone's feelings or to maintain a sense of privacy may also be seen as acceptable. On the other hand, lying in order to gain an unfair advantage or to manipulate others is generally considered unethical. Such lies can cause harm to others and undermine trust and relationships.

It is important to note that the concept of "white lies" or "small lies" can also be a gray area when it comes to the ethics of lying. While these types of lies may not cause significant harm, they can still contribute to a culture of dishonesty and lack of trust.

In any case, it is important to weigh the potential consequences of one's actions before deciding whether or not to tell a lie. The truth may be uncomfortable or difficult to hear, but it is ultimately the foundation of trust and understanding in any relationship or situation.

There are different types of Truths. 

"Paribhashik satya" is a phrase that can be translated to "conventional truth" or "conventional reality" in English. It refers to the commonly accepted facts or beliefs that are considered to be true within a particular culture or society. These truths are often taken for granted and are not subject to question or doubt.

For example, It is generally accepted as true that the earth is oval and that gravity is a force that pulls objects towards the center of the earth. These are considered Paribhashik satya, as they are widely accepted as true within that culture and are not typically questioned. It is important to note that Paribhashik satya can vary from culture to culture and can change over time. For example, there is one section who still believes that earth is flat. What is considered true in one society may not be considered true in another, and what was once considered true may be proven to be false later on.

Vyavharic satya, also known as Practical truth, is the idea that truth can be relative and flexible depending on the situation. It's the understanding that in certain situations, it may be more beneficial to bend the truth or withhold certain information. This concept is often used in business, politics, and personal relationships.

In business, vyavharic satya can be used to negotiate deals, protect trade secrets, or avoid damaging relationships with clients or partners. For example, a company may choose to downplay the negative effects of a product recall to avoid losing customers or damaging their reputation. In politics, vyavharic satya can be used to gain support for a cause, avoid controversy, or avoid damaging relationships with other countries. For example, a politician may choose to downplay their opposition to a certain policy in order to gain support from a particular group of voters.

In personal relationships, vyavharic satya can be used to avoid conflict, protect someone's feelings, or maintain a sense of harmony. For example, a friend may choose not to tell another friend that they're not invited to a party to avoid hurt feelings. While vyavharic satya can be used as a tool to navigate difficult situations, it's important to use it responsibly. It's not appropriate to use it to deceive, manipulate, or harm others. It's also important to be aware of the potential consequences of bending the truth. If a lie is uncovered, it can lead to mistrust and damage relationships.

Prasadic satya, also known as contextual truth, is the idea that truth can change based on the context or situation. It's the understanding that what is true in one situation may not be true in another. This concept is often used in philosophy, religion, and psychology.

In philosophy, prasadic satya is used to argue that truth is not absolute, but rather a matter of perspective. For example, a philosopher might argue that what is true for one person may not be true for another. This idea is often associated with relativism, the belief that there is no universal truth.

In religion, prasadic satya is used to argue that the truth of a religious text or belief may change depending on the context. For example, a religious leader might argue that the meaning of a scripture changes depending on the time and place it's being interpreted. This idea is often associated with the concept of progressive revelation, the belief that God's truth is revealed gradually over time.

In psychology, prasadic satya is used to argue that the truth of an individual's experience may change depending on the context. For example, a therapist might argue that what is true for one person in one moment may not be true for them in another moment. This idea is often associated with the concept of cognitive dissonance, the psychological state of discomfort when holding two or more conflicting beliefs.

Lies are always unethical and detrimental to self and others, however the individual may choose truth which is moreover lie sometimes. Sometimes, we have to lie to tell the truth. In the civilized world, everything is a lie. When somebody doesn’t want to disturb or hurt anybody, the lie is spoken. For example, if the doctor tells the patient that s/he will be recovered very soon, knowing that the patient is on a dead bed, it is an ethical lie. But if you are damaging somebody, it is definitely not good.  

The question still remains what is truth. The truth which takes you to the Supreme Power, God, is a truth. That all which leads to the truth, is a truth.

Please respond the survey, I am conducting, as a part of my research by clicking on >> Leadership Competencies required for managers while handling crisis situations. 

(Opinions are purely personal & does not represent my organizations, current or past) 

Author's books are available on Amazon, Flipkart, Pothi and BookGanga. You can buy the print copy of Vitality in Human Resources on amazon. Click >> Vitality in Human Resource: Adding human dimensions in HR processes    

Royalty from books is used for social cause. 

Power

Power is related to strength. Power is the ability to achieve something beneficial. The power can be collective, power can be collaborative. Nowadays, everybody wishes to be powerful. People want power. King gets the power by position, Presidents, Prime Ministers and political leaders get the power through collective power. In democracy, the power of the people is valuable, however it is not always used for the benefits of their own matters. They are at the mercy of their elected members for the development. This is unfortunate but power is considered as an outcome instead of the media to do something good. Power means the ability to create the better conditions and reality where one can flourish and be happily productive no matter the conditions or where the person is presently living. 

Once the power is gained the position is used to coercion. Few leaders are known because of their position and they get the power because they are appointed by somebody higher. They may not have the ability to use the power positively but then they use the power for their advantage and for others disadvantage. Absolute power makes people blind, corrupt and inhuman. The world has witnessed infamous corporate scandals. There are many examples of political leaders and dictators who misused their power putting the world in danger. 

Power is relational. Everybody is hungry for the power and hence they do different things to get the power. Achieving higher positions, being knowledgeable and expert, nominating on different social, political or organizations committee positions, doing something extra and being visible by any means are few types of how people try to get into the power; I mean getting the sense of having power.   

There are different types of power humans can get.

Positional power or legitimate power: You get the power because of your position you hold. The government gets the power because they hold the key position. CEOs, MDs, CXOs get the power once they are appointed by the board. People follow them just because they have to follow those leaders. One can still stand out and can convert this positional power into influencing power by his/her own charisma, the personal traits or developing good interpersonal and leadership skills. However this is very difficult. The attitude determines which power the positional leader uses. Most of the time influence and charisma is just eyewash. Finally it is always a positional power people use. 

Power by charisma, also called referent power: It is a personal power. The person gained this power because of his positive personality traits. The leader gets this power because s/he truly demonstrates the leadership behaviours, strong interpersonal skills, empathy and s/he carries executive presence. Here presence itself is a power. People feel comfortable while interacting with such types of leaders. 

Expert Power: Knowledge is the king. Leader gets the power based on their ability to influence the people based on their expert domain knowledge. Their influence however may be limited. The knowledge, the expertise they have brings the value on the table and hence they are recognized. Scientist,  technicians, doctors etc. are good examples of expert power.   

Reward power: We  all know how some political parties are declaring freebees to the people to lure them. Giving freebees, gifts, and declaring incentives is common to get the power. The only agenda is to be popular among the people. This may be beneficial for the short term but you spoil the culture and mindset of the people. The habit of continuous reward creates the entitlement culture. It becomes very difficult to get out of that afterwards. So then people work only for rewards and not for larger organizational purposes. Voters who elect politicians based on freebies spoil the country and we have experienced this for long.   

Coercive Power: We all know such examples in the political world. You can force the people to do what they don’t want to do. The people who get the positional power may easily use the coercive power to influence the people. 

Power itself is not bad. It is about how you use the power. Sometimes, leaders, political, social or corporate have to influence others to make the impact. In the knowledge economy, knowledge and data is a King. You can definitely integrate the knowledge, expertise, and personality traits to influence the people to do something beneficial for them or the organization. Though there is  not a concrete formula of power used, misuse of the power by positional power or coercive way is always disturbing. If the person who gets the positional power is not matured, then there is a lot of room to have the negative impact on the sentiments. 

So which power do you believe in?

X________________________________X_________________________________X

Please respond the survey, I am conducting, as a part of my research by clicking on >> Leadership Competencies required for managers while handling crisis situations. 

(Opinions are purely personal & does not represent my organizations, current or past) 

Author's books are available on Amazon, Flipkart, Pothi and BookGanga. You can buy the print copy of Vitality in Human Resources on amazon. Click >> Vitality in Human Resource: Adding human dimensions in HR processes    

Royalty from books is used for social cause. 

Trusted Leadership

Creating the trust on leadership

"Businesses have evolved into something nearly unrecognisable compared to just two years ago. In this evolved and changed world, employees and customers are looking to leadership for guidance in the workplace."  

One of the important factors we need to think about is improving the trust capital in the organisation (please read Vinod Bidwaik : Trust Capital). However, leaders may have different opinions on how to create trust. Role modelling is missing and their limited understanding about the business and human capital is creating challenges within organisations. In fact the major weakness is they don’t know what exactly trust means. Most of the time, expectations are just to follow leaders without challenging their thought process. Lack of alignment from employees point of view is also the lack of trust on the leader. This is based on the experience employees get during the interaction with leaders. If employees don’t trust the leaders, it also means that employees are not engaged and aligned to the larger purpose. You will not see the impact short term. People still may work, achieve their results, or may just do what is told or expected, but the impact is long term.   

Leaders must also act as a guide in the midst of uncertainty. The high call of trusted leaders is to give as much clarity as possible during the VUCA world. Your fastest opportunity to build trust is in times of crisis and recovery, but it is also the time you can lose it most quickly. People don’t follow the leaders they don’t trust. 

When trust in teams goes up, people feel safe and valued so they are willing to share ideas and praise, which in turn leads to increased innovation and productivity. Trust builds psychological safety. 

How to improve trust in leadership?

Relationships: Networking and building relationships across the organisation is crucial nowadays. Relationships are primarily based on the emotional connections between employees and leaders. Sometimes title, position, poor listening skills, attitude, aggression and micro management keeps away employees from the manager. Sometimes, leaders have the blind spot of their behaviours, like managers spending more time with one team member can create the wrong perceptions in other team members. Perhaps the manager may have more stakes in the role of that person or it may be his favourite area and s/he may be doing it unintentionally but people perceive it differently. Even managers and employees living in the same area and if they are carpooling, other team members become insecure. This may lead to gossiping about the proximity between two. So as a leader, you need to build relationships so that all people get the feeling of equality.    

Clarity in communication: Communication is effective when you understand the next person. Trusted leaders speak from the heart. First they understand the audience and then decide their strategy to communicate. They demonstrate empathy and are effective in listening. It is not about showing what knowledge you have but being vulnerable and asking the right questions and saying, “I don’t know,” if they don’t know any subject.    

Role Modelling: People trust when you walk the talk. Unfortunately nowadays, all dnyan is for others and not for leaders. Nowadays sustainability is the buzzword. Every corporate leader is speaking about reducing carbon emission and the irony is that to explain sustainability, those leaders are travelling from one continent to another. People preaching on carbon emission have lavish offices with continuous running air conditioners and with luxury cars. So role modelling is very important when you want to believe people in leadership.   

Capabilities and Competencies: People will trust you when you have the functional, behavioural and leadership competencies and you are capable to manage the role you have taken. Continuous learning, being agile and relevant is the key to becoming competent. Unfortunately people speak a lot about but hardly implement in their behaviours.   

 

In Spite of having and doing good 100% people will not trust leadership. People still have their opinions and perceptions and those are built by them based on their experiences, right or wrong, with you. However, always keep doing good work, making a positive impact in the lives of people.

Please respond the survey, I am conducting, as a part of my research by clicking on >> Leadership Competencies required for managers while handling crisis situations. 

(Opinions are purely personal & does not represent my organizations, current or past) 

Author's books are available on Amazon, Flipkart, Pothi and BookGanga. You can buy the print copy of Vitality in Human Resources on amazon. Click >> Vitality in Human Resource: Adding human dimensions in HR processes    

Royalty from books is used for social cause. 

Leadership Competencies required for managers while handling crisis situations

 Dear Professional Colleagues,

I am pursuing my Ph. D. research on “Leadership Competencies required for managers while handling crisis situations.” from D. Y. Patil University, Ambi, Pune. 

Corona Pandemic was an unique situation where employees and managers were not aware how to handle the crisis, however, still everybody was able to manage the situation. Managers had to demonstrate different behaviors to manage the team & manage the business. My research focuses on identifying those competencies and behaviors demonstrated by managers during the pandemic crisis and developing the leadership model which will be beneficial for professionals at large to use in any types of crisis situations.

You are requested to spend your valuable time and respond to the survey below. I will be happy to share the findings after the research. 

The link is as under. Please click on below link or copy paste in the browser. 

STUDY OF LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES REQUIRED FOR MANAGERS WHILE HANDLING PANDEMIC AND CRISIS SITUATIONS IN MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES IN AND AROUND PUNE.

Best Regards,

Vinod Bidwaik