MONDAY MUSINGS SEASON 2 - EPISODE 264
Fourteen Leadership Flaws
3rd June 2024
Fourteen defects a leader should avoid are:
Atheism, falsehood, anger, inattention, procrastination, not listening to the wise counsel, lethargy, gratification of five senses, autocratic leadership style, taking advice from people who waste time in worthless acts, failure to track and implement decisions taken, inability to keep strategic decisions secret, omission of auspicious practices and setting out against all the enemies at a time – Valmiki Ramayan 2.100.65, 66 & 67
Secrecy of strategy
It might be surprising for some of you to know that ‘protecting secrets’ is a leadership trait. What needs to be protected? Valmiki clarifies this as mantrasya rakshanam. Mantrasya here does not mean hymns but consultations. Protection of consultations, ie protection of strategies and decisions taken out of the consultations. Secrecy of strategy is critical not just for ancient India but for modern corporates as well. Safeguarding company secrets have become a big challenge for many corporates and is a CEO priority for many organizations. Valmiki guessed it correct in threthayug itself. Secrecy Is not just about trade secrets but also about strategies, competitive advantage, decisions, etc..
Corporate espionage has been made easy now by social networking websites as valuable business secrets can be leaked in social media by employees and ex-employees. By tracking the social networking activities of employees and ex-employees, wide-ranging secrets of the company can be derived without having to physically enter the organisation. Thus, it becomes even more important and tactful for a leader to safeguard secrecy where it is important.
Securing company secrets and valuable information during processing is recognized as a critical business enabler and many international standards such as ISO/IEC 27001, best practice recommendations and regulatory requirements.
There is a popular story from Mahabharatha on a failed strategy because Duryodhan could not keep the consultations secret. Vidur somehow got to know of the plan. Let me start the story with a disclaimer. I am including the story here to illustrate the importance of keeping the strategies secret and not as an endorsement of Duryodhan’s strategy, a criminal strategy.
How Vidura spoiled the (evil) strategy
After completing their gurukul education, Kauravas and Pandavas returned to Hastinapur. The citizens of Hastinapur became more affectionate to the sons of Pandu because of their good qualities and desired Yudhisthira as their King.
Seeing the great prowess of the sons of Pandu, Dhritarastra's sentiments towards them changed. The blind King was overcome with envy and began a plot to kill the Pandavas.
Dhritarastra called to his side one of his chief ministers, Kanika, who was expert in the art of politics and asked for his advice. Kanika knew what will please the king. He ill advised the blind king “If your son, friend, brother, father, or even the spiritual preceptor--anyone who becomes your enemy--should be killed by all means and you should not let the enemy know what you are thinking. Comfort your foe with sweet words, give him a gift of wealth, and then kill him when he is not looking”.
The sinful Duryodhana went to King Dhritarastra and protested against the anointment of Yudhistra. Overcome by affection for his sinful son, King Dhritarastra made a plot to kill the Pandavas by fire in the town of #Varanavata. Dhritarastra advised them to visit Varanavata to witness the festivities there,
Previously, Duryodhana had summoned his counsellor Purochana and ordered him to construct a palace made of flammable materials such as ghee, resin, oil and a large quantity of lac and to burn the palace of lac while the Pandavas and their mother are sleeping inside. Agreeing to all of Duryodhana's proposals, the sinful Purochana went to Varanavata and did all that he was told.
Vidura, wise minister, somehow got to know of the evil plan! As the Pandavas and their mother were leaving Hastinapura, Vidura approached Yudhisthira and instructed him in a mleccha (lower class) language and tactfully avoiding direct reference to the plan “One who knows the schemes of his enemy should act in such a way as to avoid all danger. He who knows that there are sharp weapons capable of cutting the body which are not made of steel, and understands the means of avoiding them, can never be harmed. One who knows that the consumer of straw and wood and the drier of dew never burns the inmates of a hole in the forest, lives to see another day. Remembering this, be on guard. One who is given a weapon by his foes that is not made of steel, can escape from his enemies by making his abode like unto the jackal [one who lives underground]. By wandering, a man can acquire certain knowledge, and by the stars he can ascertain direction, and he who keeps his senses under control can never be oppressed by his enemies”. The instructions looked gibberish for everyone around but Yudhistra understood.
Upon arriving in the city of Varanavata, the townspeople came to greet them. Yudhisthira, upon inspecting the palace, alerted his brothers and Kunti about the inflammable material and the plan to burn them alive. Bheema then suggested to shift to a different house.
Yudhistra rejected the idea so as not to arouse the suspicion of Purochana and Duryodhana. He thought they will devise some other plan to kill them. After some time, a friend of Vidura, well skilled in excavation, arrived at the palace of the Pandavas. In private he talked to Yudhisthira, “I have been sent by Vidura for excavating a tunnel under this house. Purochana will set fire to this palace on the fourteenth day of the dark moon”
“I want you to build a large tunnel beginning from the center of the house and ending by the river Ganges. We will spend our days hunting in the forest so that the sinful Purochana will not detect that you are working. Make sure the floor is covered well, so no one will suspect that there is a tunnel”. Yudhistra advised the miner.
On hearing these instructions, the miner agreed, and the next day he began his work. Seeing the Pandavas living in the palace cheerfully and without any suspicion, Purochana felt content that his plan is well on its way to success.
Yudhisthira arranged a festival in the palace of lac and invited many of the leading citizens of Varanavata. At the end of the night all had left, and Purochana had become so drunk with wine that he lay on the floor unconscious. It so happened that a woman and her five sons had come to the festival in hopes of receiving charity also became drunk and laid on the floor unable to move. They fell fast asleep in a part of the palace that few people frequented. When everyone had left the house, it was late at night and suddenly a violent wind began to blow outside. Yudhisthira ordered Bhima to set fire to the house. Bhima first set fire to the place where Purochana was sleeping and then to other parts of the house. Soon the whole mansion was ablaze, and the Pandavas and their mother escaped through the tunnel excavated by the miner. They came out of the palace, and in the distance, as they looked back, they could see the palace of lac high in flames.
How the wily Vidura came to know of the plan? Whatever it is, failure of the plan is because of the failure of protecting the secret strategy.
Fourteen defects of Leaders will continue in the next episode of MONDAY MUSINGS.
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POSITIVE NEWS PAGE
Living with stage-IV lung cancer for the past three-and-a-half years, Ravi Prakash has dedicated his life to raising awareness and supporting other patients navigating this challenging journey. His remarkable efforts have earned him this year’s Patient Advocate Educational Award from the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC), a prestigious recognition he will receive at the World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) in San Diego, California, on September 7.
The IASLC, a globally renowned organization committed to lung cancer research and patient advocacy, selects only five individuals worldwide each year for this honour. Ravi Prakash stands out as the sole recipient from India, highlighting his exceptional contributions to patient advocacy.
Ravi’s journey with cancer began in January 2021, when he was diagnosed with the disease at an advanced stage. Despite undergoing 68 sessions of chemotherapy and facing an uncertain prognosis, Ravi has not only fought his own battle but also emerged as a vocal advocate for others.
Through his social media presence and his role as a director of Lung Connect India Foundation, a voluntary organization for cancer patients, he has shed light on the high costs of treatment and the emotional and financial challenges faced by patients.
“One has to accept the fact that they will have to die, and if someone does not accept this fact, they will not be able to manage the disease efficiently and fight it effectively. It will lead to deviation and seeking alternative medications, hoping to cure the disease,” said Prakash. His efforts to educate and inspire others have taken him to numerous platforms, including the SAARC Federation of Oncologists’ conference in Kathmandu, where he highlighted the obstacles faced by cancer patients.
Reflecting on his journey, Ravi recalls the shock of his diagnosis and the grim prognosis given by his doctors. However, he chose to channel his energy into understanding the disease and making others aware of the realities of living with cancer. “Understanding the high cost of medicines and the overall challenges faced by patients motivated me to raise awareness through social media,” Ravi said.
Matter of life & death
Ravi’s perspective on life and death is both profound and practical. He believes that accepting the inevitability of death allows patients to manage their disease more effectively. “One must accept the ultimate truth of death,” he believes and that truth is:
Death is certain for one who has been born, and rebirth is inevitable for one who has died. Why lament over the inevitable. Bhagavad Gita 2.27
News courtesy - The New Indian Express
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