Communication Skills - Lessons from Hanumanji

Hanuman – The Communicator Par Excellence
By Challa S.S.J.Ram Phani

Post Globalisation, the word ‘Management’ is heard every where and its demand is growing in leaps and bounds. Communication skill i.e. ‘the power of talk’ is essential to succeed in any function of ‘Management’.


Communication – the divine weapon

Long ago, Mahakavi Kalidasa wrote in ‘Raghu Vamsa’, a great play: ‘Vaagartha Viva Sampruktau; Vaagartha Pratipattaye; Jagatah Pitarau Vande; Parvati Parameswarau’ ‘I salute Parvati and Parameswara, Parents of the Unvierse, To bless me with Expression and Meaning, For they are so united.’ Thus, Kalidasa knew that in communication, word and meaning should be closely blended. It is necessary to say or write what exactly we mean. Expression of feelings is the only differentiator, which separates human beings from other living beings. Communication is like divine weapon. If you misuse, it may become destructive weapon in the hands of a fool. There are people who enjoy felicitations with the power of their ‘speech’! There are people who invite wars due to lack of proper communication! You can take back the slip of your leg and can get healed, but you can not reverse the slip of a tongue!

Hanuman – the expert in communication!

The importance of the power of communication is illustrated in the Valmiki’s epic Ramayana. General public always feel that Human is just a person always chanting Ram bhajan. He is the expert in Vedas, expert in all sciences, a man of action, a noble minister, an efficient ambassador, an eminent leader and an obedient servant. What ever position he held, he always followed his dharma as an ideal idol to others.

How is this possible?

His expertise in communication enabled him to dawn various roles efficiently and effectively. The new age managers can learn many things and take tips from Hanuman, the expert in communication, as hailed by Lord Rama himself.

How to communicate?

Hanuman is expert in scientific communication, i.e. he always speaks the way it should be. How Hanuman speaks is analyzed by Rama in Kishkindha Kaanda as told by Valmiki. When Hanuman meets Rama for the first time on the outskirts of Kishkindha as Sugreeva’s messenger, Rama was charmed by Hanuman’s communication style and art of speaking. He tells his brother Lakshmana: ‘see how excellently Hanuman has spoken. He did not utter a single word without relevance and significance. He has not wasted a single word. Nor did he omit an appropriate word. He has not taken more time than it was strictly necessary to express what he wanted to say. Every word that he spoke can never be forgotten. Such a voice promotes general welfare and remains forever in the hearts and minds of generations to come’. Isn’t it a brief statement of the fundamentals and essentials of how speech should be?

Again when Hanuman sees Sita in the Ashoka Grove in Lanka of Ravana, the Demon King, he exclaims, ‘to find Sita here is just like listening to a person who is lacking in word culture – who tries to say some thing but actually says something else!’ A mismatch between what one says and what one means.

According to Francis T.Bergin, A well-known expert in communication, the seven C’s are the essentials of communication. It should be ‘correct’, ‘clear’, ‘complete’, ‘concise’, ‘concrete’, candid’ and ‘courteous’. Don’t these tally with the advice of Valmiki who wrote centuries ago in his timeless epic?

Hanuman on how to speak!

Clarity in content, No negative words should be used.There should not be any mistakes in the sentences. No grammatical errors in the sentences

Body language must be perfect. There should not be any ill feelings expressed on face, eyes, forehead and eye brows. Proper Body language is the sign of effective communication.

One should not speak, which is not related to the subject

There should not be any ambiguity in communication

Clarity in communication must be always given top priority.

There should not be many pauses

Communication must appeal to heart and mind.

One must speak in middle octave

Words must be mesmerizing to the listeners. Even the hardest enemy must become silent with folded hands.

Anybody, who can practice like Hanuman can achieve success in any of his or her chosen field.

To quote one more instance from Ramayana, which illustrates the effective communication skills of Hanuman, let us follow this scene. Hanuman, having found Sita in the Asoka Garden of Ravana, returned to his fellow monkeys, who are waiting anxiously to know the news. On seeing their anxious faces, in the presence of Rama, Hanuman cried ‘Drushta Sita’ and this released not only the tension of Rama but of all the monkeys also.

‘Seen Sita!’ – What an apt communication in the given context! Had Hanuman started his communication about finding Sita with anything other than ‘Drushta’, say with a pronouncement such as Sita, it could have only aroused the monkeys’ as well as Rama’s anxieties to further heights, by raising innumerable questions such as – ‘Sita, what happened to her?’ ‘Is she alive?’ ‘Could Hanuman see her?’ etc., even before Hanuman could complete the rest of his statement. And here lies the greatness of Valmiki in making Hanuman pay attention to the state of mind of his fellow monkeys and Rama and convey exactly what they were anxiously waiting to hear.

How and how much to speak?

This is one of the dilemmas, which we all face, in day-to-day life. Moral values, rules and regulations will not go deep into heart, if one just say with lose words. To understand the importance of the message, one should illustrate it with a small story or an interesting anecdote. Hanuman demonstrated in Ramayana on many an occasion about how and how much to speak.

As an Emissary and Representative

How to speak while chatting with family? How to speak when you are discharging your professional duties? How to speak when you are in business? How to speak when you are solving a problem? How to speak when you are trying to build relations? How to speak when you are a middleman or representative?

Hanuman observed Sita while she was trying to commit suicide. He has to stop her from committing that grave mistake. He has to inform her about the arrival of Rama. First, he has to win her trust that he is the Emissary of Rama. To make his task successful, he thought carefully and uttered only one sentence ‘Dasaratha is the King of Ayodhya’. Then he started narrating the story sitting on the branches of the tree. Sita stopped her efforts of strangling herself to death after listening to the word ‘Dasaratha’ in Lanka, where Rama is only familiar with the demon population. She felt that her close aides have come to Lanka. Then, Hanuman appeared in front of Sita and explained all the happenings of happiness that Rama is coming to Lanka to release her from the clutches of Ravana to console and to give courage. He didn’t utter a single word about his adventures while crossing the sea.

Sita has to live till Rama reaches Lanka. What to do to achieve this objective? By just informing her about the arrival of Rama, He can stop Sita from sacrificing her life. There is no need to narrate his adventures on sea and boasting about his greatness. That’s why Hanuman always speaks what is necessary according to the situation.

How to communicate with friends?

Hanuman, after meeting Sita, burnt Lanka, cautioned Ravana and came backcrossing the sea to meet his anxiously awaiting monkey army on the other shore. He informed about Sita’s welfare and consoled them. After hearing this good news from Hanuman, they started asking him about his adventures on sea. How you could cross the hundreds of miles sea? How you could enter the incredibly guarded Lanka? How you could find Sita in that huge City Lanka? We wish to hear all about your victorious journey to Lanka? The monkey army has posed Hanuman with all enthusiasm and anxiety. Hanuman explained all his trials and turbulences during his journey to Lanka and enthralled them with his experiences on the sea. They are his friends and moreover eager to listen his adventures. He narrated his entire journey to Lanka like travelogue. He told them all about his adventures, but didn’t tell them the two words told by Sita to Rama. Those details are for Rama only. They should not be informed to his friends. Those words are for Rama. Friends are Friends and Boss is Boss. Personal messages are to be delivered to particular person only.

How to communicate with Boss and the King ?

After coming back to Kishkindha, the whole monkey army dancing with joy that they have seen Sita. Rama asked those to come forward who has seen Sita, till then Hanuman was standing back humbly. After due request from Rama, Hanuman explained the sad plight of Sita in Lanka. He told the two words to Rama as said by Sita. Hanuman handed over the ornament given by Sita to Rama. That’s all! He didn’t utter a single word about his adventures, trials and tribulations during the journey to Lanka.

Rama is the King. Hanuman is Servant. One has to obey his Boss and complete the task efficiently. That’s all!

One has to emulate the task-oriented behaviour, proactive nature and power of speech of Hanuman to succeed in any of their chosen field. Ramayana and Mahabharata must be read not in the last phase of life (Old age), but in the first two phases. One has to read the epics during childhood and follow them during their youth to become pride for parents and proud sons of the soil.


References:

1. Ushasri, Hanumantudu, Publisher Unknown.

2. I.V.Chalapati Rao, Culture Capsules – Art of Living, Sri Yabaluri Raghavaiah Memorial Trust, Hyderabad (India), December, 2002

3. GRK Murty, Soft Skills for Success, ICFAI BOOKS, THE ICFAI UNIVERSITY PRESS, 2004

Leadership Lessons from Lord Buddha

Lord Buddha- Leadership Lessons

Author - Ven. Sobhita Theroï - Advisor of Bodhiraja Buddhist Society

The Buddha has often been described as one of the greatest leaders of all time. But just what characterizes a good leader? What are the duties and qualities of good leadership? And what can we learn from the Buddha as a leader that we can apply to our chaotic world?

The Leader as Visionary

Like the captain of a ship, a leader must have a definite goal; only then can he chart his course and steer his ship in the right direction. Having given up his royal rights, wealth and family, Prince Siddhartha had one goal - to find the cause of suffering and a way out of suffering. Despite much hardship and setback, he never veered from his course but persevered till he gained Enlightenment.

But the Buddha did not stop there. He made it his mission to lead all sentient beings out of the samsaric cycle of suffering. It is this vision which defined his forty-five years of teaching and shaped his role as leader of an order(sangha) and a following that is still growing strong today.

Guided by this vision, the Buddha's mission was an all-embracing one. It is a mission founded on compassion and love for all sentient beings, regardless of race, creed or status quo. Addressing his first group of disciples, the Buddha instructed them to go forth and spread the teachings for the good and happiness of the many. In this respect, the Buddha was revolutionary, displaying extreme courage in his advocacy for the emancipation of the persons belonging to all the four castes, in his dismissal of the Brahmin as the supreme authority and in his admission of women to the sangha.

The Leader as Role Model

A leader must be an exemplary figure, someone we can respect and emulate. The Buddha, having purified himself through many lifetimes, embodied all the Perfections (paramita). He was extraordinary, virtuous and righteous in every thought, word and deed. He says as he does and does as he says. Such integrity and consistency won him the trust of his followers.

As a leader, the Buddha led by example. His simple and humble lifestyle is a reflection of his teachings. In his daily routine, the Buddha wasted no time on idleness and frivolity. For forty-five years, he devoted his time and effort for the good of others, starting his day before dawn and working till midnight.

Compare this with many world leaders who live in the laps of luxury while half of the world's population suffer from poverty and hunger, and we can understand why many people lament the lack of good leaders in our times. In his advice to the rulers of his time, the Buddha emphasized the importance of leadership according to the Dharma.

A ruler must first establish himself in piety and righteousness, and avoid all the vices. Sovereignty and the rule of power are subjected to the rule of righteousness, not the rule of force. Here is the ideal model of a value-based leadership. The Buddha highlighted ten principles which a ruler ought to be possess:

1. Dana - alms-giving
2. Sila - morality
3. Parricaga - unselfishness
4. Ajjava - integrity
5. Maddava - gentleness
6. Tapo - self-restraint
7. Akkhoda - non-anger
8. Avihimsa - non-violence
9. Khanti - patience
10. Avirodhana - agreeability

The Leader as Mediator

As a leader, the Buddha demonstrated both skills in mediation and impartiality in judgment. In the Ummagga Jataka, as Prince Mahausadha, the Bodhisattva (the Buddha in a previous birth) showed his ability to resolve problems and arguments. As advisor to the King, he displayed wit and intelligence in the protection of his people.

The Buddha displayed his skills at resolving conflicts between opposing parties on several occasions. Once a dispute broke out between the Sakyans, to which the Buddha belonged, and the Koliyas, to which his mother, Queen Maya, belonged. Unable to arrive at an agreement over the distribution of the waters of the river Rohini, the two parties were on the verge of war. The Buddha settled the dispute by asking:"What do you consider as more valuable - water or human
lives?"

The Leader as Manager

The Buddha was a great human resource manager. With an acute knowledge of human beings, he knew the strengths and weaknesses of those around him. Based on their dominant traits, the Buddha categorised people into six groups:

1. those lustful and passionate
2. those with hatred and anger
3. those with delusion
4. those with faith and confidence
5. those with wisdom and intelligence
6. those with hesitation and doubt

He delegated duties to his followers in accordance with their abilities and temperament. In addition, he showed his appreciation by conferring upon them due respect and recognition. Trainers of managerial leadership could learn much from the Buddha in this respect to develop an effective workforce.

The Leader as Protector

The Jataka stories, which tell of the previous births of the Buddha, abound with numerous examples of the Bodhisattva' s courage and self-sacrificial spirit to safeguard the interests of his group. In the Mahakapi Jataka, the Bodhisattva in a previous birth was the leader of a troop of monkeys living in the Himalayas.

One day, the king of the state saw that the forest was abundant with mango trees, set his men upon the monkeys. To flee from the king's men, the Bodhisattva used some bamboo vines to build a bridge so that the monkeys could cross over to the other river bank. Unfortunately the bamboo vines were too short.

To bridge the gap, the Bodhisattva stretched himself out, clinging on to one side with his hands and the other with his tail so that the monkeys could cross over on his back. Among the monkeys was Devadatta, his arch-enemy. Seeing his opponent in a disadvantaged position, he stamped hard on his back as he made his way across.

The Bodhisattva was in immense pain but remained clinging on to the bamboo vines till the last monkey was safely across. The king, upon witnessing such a courageous and selfless act by such a monkey, ordered his men to bring himdown from the trees and tried to save him. Asked why he endangered his life to save his subjects the Bodhisattva replied:"O King! Verily my body is broken. But my mind is still sound; I uplifted only those over whom I exercised my royal powers for so long.?

After the Bodhisattva' s death, the king in honour his self-sacrificing spirit, erected a shrine and ordered that daily offerings be made.

Another aspect in which the Buddha exercised his role as a protector is in teachings of the Buddha was open to all, in the Buddha's four-fold party of monks, nuns, lay men and lay women followers, admission was not so liberal.

While this may invite criticisms that the Buddha was prejudicial, it is necessary not for his personal interests but to protect the Buddhist community from corruptive and evil forces and to ensure its long-term survival. The Buddha also set out criteria and rules and regulations, especially the vinaya code, to protect the well-being and order of his community.

The Leader Shows the Way

During his 45 years of missionary work, many followers became enlightened after listening to his teachings. 2500 years later, the Buddha continues to inspire millions of people around the world to follow his path. This, above all else, is the most important role of the Buddha as a leader - one who is able to inspire others to bring out the best in themselves, to develop their full potential and gain the ultimate goal of Nirvana.

Management Mantra from the Epic

LAKSHMI follows SARASWATI

In both the great Epics of India, Ramayana and Mahabharata, war ends not with celebration of victory but with transmission of knowledge. In the Ramayan, Ravan lies mortally wounded on the battlefield and the monkeys are celebrating their victory, when Ram turns to his brother, Lakshman, and says, 'While Ravan was a brute, he was also a great scholar. Go to him quickly and request him to share whatever knowledge he can.'

The obedient Lakshman rushes to Ravan's side and whispers in his ears, ' Demon King, all your life you have taken, not given. Now the noble Ram gives you an opportunity to mend your ways. Share your vast wisdom. Do not let it die with you. For that you will surely be blessed '.

Ravan responds by simply turning away. An angry Lakshman goes back to Ram and says: ' He is as arrogant as he always was, too proud to share anything.' Ram looks at his brother and asks him softly, ' Where did you stand while asking him for knowledge?' 'Next to his head so that I hear what he had to say clearly.' Ram smiles, places his bow on the ground and walks to where Ravan lies. Lakshman watches in astonishment as his brother kneels at Ravan's feet.

With palms joined, with extreme humility, Ram says, ' Lord of Lanka, you abducted my wife, a terrible crime for which I have been forced to punish you. Now, you are no more my enemy. I see you now as you are known across the world, as the wise son of Rishi Vishrava. I bow to you and request you to share your wisdom with me. Please do that for, if you die without doing so, all your wisdom will be lost forever to the world'.

To Lakshman's surprise, Ravan opens his eyes and raises his arms to salute Ram, 'If only I had more time as your teacher than as your enemy ! Standing at my feet as a student should, unlike your rude younger brother, you are a worthy recipient of my knowledge. I have very little time, so I cannot share much. But let me tell you one important lesson I have learnt in my life. Things that are bad for you, seduce you easily; you run towards them impatiently. But things that are actually good for you fail to attract you; you shun them creatively, finding powerful excuses to justify your procrastination. That is why I was impatient to abduct Sita, but avoided meeting you. This is the wisdom of my life, Ram. My last words. I give it to you.' With these words, Ravan dies.

There Is similar knowledge transmission after the Mahabharat war is over and the Kauravas are all dead. As the victorious Pandavas are about to assume control of Hastinapur, Krishna advises them to talk to Bhishma, their grand uncle, who lies mortally wounded on the battlefield. As a result of a blessing, death would elude him for some time. 'Make him talk until his last breath. Ask him questions. He has a lot to tell,' says Krishna.

Sure enough, when prompted, the dying Bhishma spends hours discussing various topics: history, geography, politics, economics, management, war, ethics, morality, sex, astronomy, metaphysics and spirituality. Bhishma's discourse is captured in the Shanti Parva (discussions of peace) and Anushasan Parva (discussions on discipline) that makes up a quarter of the Mahabharata. After listening to their grandsire, the Pandavas have a better understanding of the world, and this makes them better kings.

Both these stories draw attention to the value of knowledge. In triumph, it is easy to claim material possessions of the defeated, but it is not easy to claim their knowledge. Knowledge does not outlive death.

Long has this knowledge drain been recognised. Over the past decade, a whole new business process known as knowledge management has evolved that seeks to harness, store, transmit this knowledge. Every CEO agrees that it is a valuable business process, that investment in it is critical. Policies have been made, people have been hired and systems have been deployed.

Unfortunately, for all the initial enthusiasm, implementation has been lacking. Unlike retrieving cash, retrieving knowledge from employees, both current and future, is not easy. Often because they are like Sahadeva. Sahadeva was the youngest Pandava and, in the South Indian Mahabharata, he is described as an expert in many predictive sciences such as astrology, palmistry and face reading. But he is cursed : if he ever gave any information voluntarily, his head will split into a thousand pieces. That is why he is silent throughout the epic.

He knows every fortune and misfortune that his family will go through, but he can never use his knowledge to forewarn anyone. When Yudhishtira finally learns of his brother's prowess he is furious. 'Why did you not tell me all that you knew?' All he gets in response is Sahadeva's silence.

Most employees in an organisation are Sahadevas. Sahadevas are of two types : either they are unwilling to share their knowledge or they don't have the means to do so. The former category knows that knowledge is power and will not give it away under any circumstances. The latter category is willing to share knowledge but either no one asks them for it or there is no system where they can make it available for others.

Knowledge Management is leadership driven. Only a Ram, not a Laskhman can do it. He must first believe in it. He must respect the fact that everyone in his organisation, even those who he does not particularly like, are repositories of great wisdom, not only knowledge of things that work, but also knowledge of things that do not work. He must make conscious efforts to capture as much of it as possible.

The simplest method is talking to people, while they are on the job, and especially when they are leaving the organisation. An exit interview must never be a ritual. Neither must it be an exercise to just get the venom out, nor an exercise to expose the underbelly that has prompted the resignation. It must be a concerted effort to gather what was the knowledge acquired between joining and leaving the organization.

Interviews work if the organisation is small. As the organisation grows in size one needs a more formal system, at the very least a simple archival system managed by a clerk or secretary but on a larger scale, a sophisticated knowledge repository, a kind of electronic cupboard where at least the final version of presentations, documents and spreadsheets of key business events can be stored.

This sounds very logical, but most organisations do not do this. The effort involved is huge and the rewards are neither immediate nor tangible. A brand manager joining a reputed FMCG company, for example, once discovered that they did not have the brand deck (plans, tools, research, messages) of the past five years of a key product. What the organisation did have was the financial numbers, but not a clear history of marketing messages it had put out before the consumer. Previous brand managers had handed over all documents to someone and it was kept somewhere.

But no one knew who that someone was and what that somewhere was. In the absence of a simple archiving system, the new brand manager had to collate all brand related background information from scratch so that he could define the future brand positioning. A fully avoidable waste of energy and resources.

Every organisation has a very powerful Finance Department that works round the clock to keep an eye on money flowing in and out of the organisation. Internal and external auditors, controllers and accountants keep a hawk's eye on every bill and purchase order. But not even a fraction of that energy is used by companies to manage their knowledge.

This indicates that most organisations do not believe that Lakshmi follows Saraswati : they do not believe that existence of knowledge systems improve efficiency and effectiveness and can provide raw materials to provoke new ideas or prevent old mistakes. Unless a leader believes that Saraswati is critical, he will end up with an organisation of Sahadevas.

Take a step back. Check if you are creatively shunning this rather tedious matter of knowledge management. If you are, then remember the wise words of Ravan : it must be actually good for you !


RamA Shanker

Be Simple & Humble

Visiting that Ragavendra temple in Bangalore is almost more than a routine for her. She has not seen him ever before in the temple.

He was sitting on the floor with his closed eyes, folded legs and locked fingers in 'Gnana Mudra'. He looked strange and different with a turban on his head and the very long flowing beard. Some thing was there in his face that attracted her. She could not understand what that was.

She finished her 'darshan' and came out; she saw the man was walking in the corridor. Again something was happening in her, she could not understand what was that. She was telling herself, "a poor old man. I have to help him". She ran to him, gave rupees ten in his hand and forced him to accept. He smiled, expressed a reverence like a 'prasadam' by keeping it in the forehead and thanked her by keeping the hand in prayer position ('Namasthey').

As she came out, she saw the man was getting into his Mercedes Benz, she was perplexed, shivered and ran to him and said, "Sir (Ayya!), Please forgive me, I did not do this to insult you. By seeing your dress and appearance, I thought you are struggling in life and offered you the money. It is a blunder. I am sorry. Please forgive me. Please give me back that money. I am sorry".

The man with the fake beard and turban laughed and replied her politely, "Ammaa.. There is no mistake of yours. It is the other way. The creator is again and again reminding me through some body, "You are nothing. You are not special. Everybody is equal in front of me". He keeps on sending this message again and again and today you happened to be a medium. That's it. Thanks a ton". His hand again went to prayer position, expressed gratitude to the lady and he went into his car.

When the lady realized the man was none other than Super star Rajini Kanth - Asia's number one paid actor, he has left the place.

She did not know what to do. With tears in her eyes, she was starring at the direction that the car went.

- From Dr. Gayathri Sreekanth's "The Name Is Rajini Kanth – A biography"

Asthavakra's Wisdom

Dear friends,

Sage Ashtavakra's wisdom and the description of the True "Self" from the perspective of Advaita school of Vedanta is below:

Sri Krishna also says the following:-

vidyA-vinaya-sampanne brAhmane gavi hastini
suni caiva sva-pAke ca panditAh sama-darsinah

"The humble sage, by virtue of true knowledge, sees with equal vision a learned and gentle brahmana, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater."(Bhagavad Gita, V-18)

Regards

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Asthavakra's Wisdom

There is a story about a great Sage called Ashtavakra. In Samskrit, 'ashta vakra" means eight bends. He was given this name beacuse his body was crooked in eight places. Despite his deformed body, Ashtavakra became a great scholar at a young age. His father was also a great scholar. One day, the king invited all the best scholars of the land to come to the palace and debate the scriptures. Whoever won the debate would win 1,000 cows with gold-plated, jewel encrusted horns.

The debate began in the morning and lasted all day. As night was falling, Ashtavakra received a message that his father had defeated nearly all the competing scholars, but now he was on the verge of losing the debate. When the 12 year old Ashtavakra heard this news, he straightaway went to the court to see if he could be any assistance to his father.

Ashtavakra entered the king's court as the debate was reaching climax. By then his father's defeat seemed almost assured. When the scholars and the king saw Ashtavakra enter the court, all save his father burst into laughter seeing his deformed body and the cumbersome way Ashtavakra walked. Ashtavakra also began laughing uproariously. Everyone in the court was suprised, including the king. The king asked, "My dear boy, why are you laughing, when everyone else is laughing at you?"

"I am laughing because the Truth is being debated by this conference of shoemakers," Asthavakra calmly replied.

Knowing he had assembled the most highly reputed scholars in the land, the king asked, "What do you mean?"

Ashtavakra explained, "Seeing my deformed body, they laugh. They do not see me; they are judging me only by my skin. Therefore, I can only assume they are leather workers and shoemakers. My body is deformed, but I am not. Look beneath the surface. My True Self is unbending; it is straight and pure."

The whole court was stunned to hear Ashtavakra's reply. The king knew Ashtavakra was right - the debate had been a farce. Those debating the Truth could not see the Truth. He felt guilty that he had also laughed at Ashtavakra's appearance. He awarded the prize to the boy Ashtavakra, and the court was adjourned.

That night the king laid awake pondering Ashtavakra's statement.

In the morning, king's chariot passed Ashtavakra on the road. The king immediately got down and fell at Ashtavakra's feet, asking Ashtavakra to guide him on a spiritual enlightenment. That night before, the king had addressed Ashtavakra as a boy. The next day, understanding Ashtavakra's greatness, he addressed him as his Guru.

The King realised that even though his court had full of scholars, they could see only the relative truth = they could see only Ahtavakra's body whereas the Sage Ashtavakra could see within each of them the Supreme Self, which is the Absolute Truth.

The record of the dialogue that ensued between the King (Janaka) and Ashtavakra is called the Ashtavakra Gita. In it, the Master Ashtavakra says--

sukhe duhkhe narE naryAm sampatsu ca vipatsu
cavisEsO naiva dhIrasya sarvatra samadarsinah

"For the wise person who looks on everything as equal, there is no distinction between pleasure and pain, man and woman, success and failure" (17.15)

If we know gold, we can recognize all gold ornaments as different forms of gold. In the same way, if we know our True Self, we will see everything in creation forms of our Self.

The problem with us is that we are trying to understand everything BUT our True Self

Source: Swami Ramakrishnananda Puri, Ultimate Success

Seven Attributes of a Good Leader

BERNAMA 2008/01/13

Snipped ............The former Prime Minister said anyone wanting to be a leader could try to acquire the right qualities but hemay not succeed.

"How he handles his failure will demonstrate whetherhe really has the qualities," he told an undergraduateconference here today.

Dr Mahathir said: "There are perhaps a 1,000 people inMalaysia with good leadership qualities but they arenever going to make it simply because thecircumstances are not propitious for them, he said.

On the other hand, he said, there may be people withpoor leadership qualities but they may become leadersbecause leadership appears to be thrust upon them.

Dr Mahathir outlined seven attributes of a goodleader.

They are:

i. A good leader may not be humble but at least heshould not be boastful.

ii. He must be prepared to accept responsibilities butshould not be too pushy and insistent on taking thelead.

iii. He should not seek to blame others for failuresbut to admit his own culpability. He should not pointfingers or seek scapegoats.

iv. He should be modest and not seek praise and glory.

v. He should know how to handle his followers as muchas his superiors. He must be sensitive to thesensitivities of others.

vi. He should be willing to do what he expects othersto do. He should uphold the slogan of leadership byexample.

vii. He should be learned and more intelligent at least by comparison of the people he leads.

Dr Mahathir said a leader must have ideas, ideas onthe direction he leads, ideas on the things that he and his followers must do or achieve and ideas on the improvements of their well-being and their surroundings.

Equally important he must know how to make his ideas become realities, he said. He said a leader must be aware of the needs and desires of his people, to evaluate them, to direct them in the proper direction and to plan and execute together with his followers the objectives successfully.

"Good leadership is obviously very important. Wecannot always identify the good leaders early enoughso that we choose the right one. The German people who chose HItler did not know what kind of leader hewould turn out to be.

"On the other hand, leaders who turned out to be good had great difficulty in winning the support of people initially. Even the Prophet of Islam was stoned by the people of Taif when he started preaching the religion of Islam," he said. He said the rise and fall of great nations and almostinvariably the rise was due to good leadership.

"When the leaders are incompetent, the countries wouldfall. The people may be the same, the background and the wealth and resources may be the same, but when leaders are incompetent or just plain bad, then greatnations, even great empires can fall," said DrMahathir who was prime minister for 22 years.

Dr Mahathir said no matter how people try to show the qualities and characters of a good leader, it would still not guarantee that they would not make mistakes.

"And similarly, no matter how much we learn about thequalities which make a good leader, it is still possible for us to choose the wrong one," he added.

Top 10 Traits of Good Employers

Here's a Top 10 list outlining the elements for an attractive work environment found in many successful companies:

1. A sense of teamwork. Employers & employees benefit from an atmosphere that encourages cooperation & builds loyalty.

2. Proper training. Teaching employees how to do their jobs demonstrates to them how much they're valued. Giving them tools to do the job well.

Teach the function of the job, the "how" & also explain the subjective side. Things like smile, personality, positive attitude, communication skills & sales training.

3. Opportunity for development. Even top employees will seek jobs elsewhere if they see no room for advancement. Reward excellent behavior. Promote from within. Adopt policies that encourage people to be achievers.

4. A genuine caring attitude. Getting to know employees. Learning their needs, goals & concerns. If someone is having a problem on the job, management must be willing to help. Family unity.

5. Performance feedback. Good employees need strokes; borderline workers need to know where & how they must improve to meet standards. Balance feedback, plus & minus.

6. Open, informal communication. Create two-way lines of dialogue. Solicit employee feedback all areas. Communicate clearly in writing, verbally.


7. Tailored benefits & incentives. Design incentive programs based on specific sales goals & guest satisfaction.

"Designer" benefit packages & incentive-based compensation are increasingly well received by employees today. Offering bonuses for superior performance is on the increase.

8. Honesty & integrity. These qualities are especially essential when dealing with staff. People want the true facts, not gossip. They want to be treated fairly.

9. Well-conceived systems. Workers feel their job is easier when they get support from well thought out & planned systems. Qualities that contribute to a more pleasant working environment & help to attract as well as keep employees.

10. A defined mission. People need to know that they're contributing to something meaningful. Good companies possess a strong sense of what they're all about & communicate that purpose to employees.

It's no coincidence that many of the elements for an attractive work environment also describe some of the most-admired companies.

When employees are happy, love their work, they create a positive effect on business.... ... & turnover is reduced.


Megan Rowe