Most of us have grown up listening to amusing stories from Indian Epics such as Ramayana and Mahabharata. There is hardly any debate that these epics provide the one who seeks with valuable life lessons that a person can entirely count on for a lifetime.
What’s more fascinating is the fact that epics like Ramayana teach valuable management lessons which, surprisingly are relevant till date. In this article, we extract valuable management lessons from Ramayana which existed much before fancy management techniques and terminologies came in vogue.
Management Lessons from Ramayana for you to implement
Management can be broken down to activities involving planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating and controlling. Management bridges the gap between actual performance and the desired performance of the organization. Management is also striking the perfect balance between the interest of the employees and the interest of the organization as a whole. Who would believe that each of these concepts have already been laid down in epic literature long before its basic principles were founded. Here are 6 management lessons from Ramayana which shall help you work in corporate life efficiently.
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Having a vision is important-
Everything begins with a vision, followed by a plan well-laid. The manager has to be clear about what he wants to achieve, how he wants to achieve it and what means he can employ to achieve the same. In the epic literature, Rama believed in his vision of freeing his wife, Sita from the clutches of the Demon King Raavan. Just as the product manager does, Rama shared his vision with his followers and motivated the team to come together in order to achieve this vision. He held the authority himself and delegated various responsibilities to different members of his team all along the way till the time Sita was rescued. A vision is a primary need in order to maintain a work-life balance. -
Motivation is the key-
Motivation in terms of an organization acts as a stimulant for the employees to act as desired in order to achieve organizational goals. Without a motivating factor the employee would not be encouraged enough to perform to the best of their abilities and thus, it will hamper the overall productivity of the organization. Rama acquired an army to fight the great army of demons. Rama’s army consisted of a number of native tribes who did not have any prior training in warfare and was no match to Raavan’s army of skilled warriors. But Rama motivated his troop to the point that it instilled confidence and self-belief in them to fight the army of demons and to win against all odds. Motivation leads to the fulfillment of the organization’s goals through the fulfillment of the needs of employees and helps to improve productivity and thus, a perfect work-life balance is achieved.
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SWOT Analysis-
SWOT stands for Strength, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats. A SWOT analysis is basically taking note of the strength, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities of the organization and formulating managerial decisions accordingly. Rama sent out his follower Hanuman to bring him information on the capital city of Lanka and the army of demons in order to have an idea about the Lankans. A dissected analysis of various aspects the organization facilitates a deeper understanding of what needs to be done in order to capitalize on the strength and neutralize weaknesses and threats in an organization. This also helps to improve the productivity of the organization as a whole. -
Building Strategic Alliances-
When it comes to business, building strategic alliances that benefit the organization makes it go a long way. Sughriv had to win the kingdom that he lost to his brother Bali and asked Rama to help. Rama agreed on helping him for Sughriv promised to extend his help to Rama to find Sita. Sughriv and Rama made an alliance and Rama helped Sughriv to win his kingdom back from Bali and in turn, won Sughriv’s confidence. Therefore, Sughriv, along with his army and followers set out on the expedition with Rama to free Sita. On the other hand, the demon king Raavan had lesser management skills and so he ignored his subordinate’s advice which is yet another reason for his demise. This is one of the major management lessons from Ramayana that managers need to abide by.
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Be willing to compete-
This is one of the numerous management lessons from Ramayana. We learn this as the chapter of Sita’s Swayamvar (the act of choosing a husband) unfolds. Sita’s father, King Janaka invited the mightiest of warriors to participate in a competition and the last man standing would win Sita as a wife. Rama wasn’t afraid to face his competitors and displayed amazing skills to emerge as the winner in the end. Every business has to face some competition and the one who is head of the others in the race sustains. In order to sustain in the long term, it is important that the business house adjusts quickly to the dynamic market changes and constantly compete with its contemporaries. Else, the business has to perish. It is only wise to by-heart this lesson and to try to make it work in corporate life. -
Follow a code of ethics-
Being a professional, one has to follow certain principles or a particular code of ethics. It is important for the managers to follow a certain code of conduct too and never abandon it for anything. It was against Rama’s code of ethics to attack an unarmed individual. On day one of the war Rama gallantly fought Raavan and disarmed his but allowed Raavan to return to his castle safely without harming him anyhow. An enterprise which engages in unethical practices loses its reputation in the market and thus, its customer loyalty is greatly affected. A business has to hold on to its foundations and adopt ethical practices and therefore, conduct business in transparency.
These 6 management lessons from Ramayana help managers and employees to work in harmony, maintain a work-life balance and lead the organization to success.
