MONDAY MUSINGS SEASON 2 - EPISODE 251
Leadership treatise at Chitrakut
4th March 2024
Live coverage of the leadership conclave from a frugal hut in the middle of the forest at Chitrakut continues in this episode as well (enough material for another 2/3 episodes) where Ram dressed in forest attire took long and essential leadership presentation to attentive Barath so that Barath can rule the kingdom effectively in the absence of Ram.
#ControlOverSleep & #Self-introspection
The next lesson is about sleep and self-introspection:
कच्चिन् निद्रा वशम् न एषि कच्चित् काले विबुध्यसे |
कच्चिन् च अपर रात्रिषु चिन्तयस्य् अर्थ नैपुणम् || Valmiki Ramayan 2-100-17
"I hope you do not become controlled by sleep and do wake up at appropriate time. I hope you contemplate about completeness of your mission during the latter half of the night,."
Lord Ram did not suggest specific time for waking up but was very clear about ‘waking up at the time decided and agreed with your mind. Many a times, our mind plays games with us especially at the time of wake-up call. We hit the ‘Snooze’ button of the alarm and extend our sleep or laze around in the bed for a while. We curse everyone who make us to wake up in time and continue the sweet sleep. Lord Ram advises us to establish control over the sleep. Good sleep and minimum sleep is essential for good health but we should not get addicted or controlled by sleep (nidra vasham).
The second part of the sloka is not about being awake for a large part of the night but about self-introspection, Daily review of our decisions for self-introspection is very important to make corrections before it becomes too late. We must review every day with our conscience the impact of our decisions made during the day and see if they are aligned to the mission or drifting away from the mission. Ideal time for self-introspection is just before sleep and Self-introspection is the ideal starting point for improvement. Self-introspection is crucial for self-improvement as it allows individuals to delve deeper into their souls and unlock their latent potential and talents. Introspection helps individuals stay focused on their self-improvement journey, enabling them to enrich their lives and make meaningful changes.
#AnalysisParalysis
Next sloka is a great leadership tip normally you don’t see in typical leadership trainings:
कच्चिन् मन्त्रयसे न एकः कच्चिन् न बहुभिः सह |
कच्चित् ते मन्त्रितो मन्त्रो राष्ट्रम् न परिधावति || Valmiki Ramayan 2-100-18
"I hope that you do not deliberate alone nor indeed with numerous men. I hope your decision arrived at by you through such deliberation does not flow to the public (even before it is carried out)".
Strategizing alone or with too many people are both dangerous for the organization. Ideal strategy is best done with a limited core team.
Strategizing alone is autocratic whereas contemplating with too many can lead to ‘Analysis Paralysis’.
Analysis paralysis is inability to decide due to over-thinking a problem. An individual or a group when given too much data and too many options may delay the decision. The result is endless wrangling over the upsides and downsides of each option, and an inability to pick the right one.
Consulting the team can give more insights, more analysis to make the right decision but consulting with too many is also not good. Ram did not quantify the number though as it depends on the situation, complexity of the problem, etc.
The most famous example of analysis paralysis in action is described in a report on a consumer psychology experiment known as the #JamStudy. One day, market researchers stocked a shelve with 24 varieties of jam and invited shoppers to sample one or more and then choose one to buy. The next day, only six varieties were stocked. The study found that consumers were 10 times more likely to purchase jam if they were presented with only six varieties instead of 24.
"It doesn't matter in which direction you choose to move when under a mortar attack, just as long as you move." -Jeff Boss
In a #Aesop'sFable", The Fox and the Cat, the fox boasts of "hundreds of ways of escaping" while the cat has "only one". When they hear the hounds approaching, the cat scampers up a tree while "the fox in his confusion was caught up by the hounds". The fable ends with the moral, "Better one safe way than a hundred on which you cannot reckon".
In Shakespeare's Hamlet, the main character, Prince Hamlet, is often said to have a mortal flaw of thinking too much. He consistently tries to avoid relying on intuition by pre-meditating and reasoning through all his decisions. He plans most of his actions; he calculates risks and weighs up benefits against costs. He does whatever he can to be driven by his intellect rather than by his emotions. But, of course, this endeavour fails utterly in the end.
Opposite of ‘analysis paralysis’ is ‘utopia myopia’ which is blithe disregard of the facts. The sufferer of utopia myopia is convinced that he or she knows the only possible solution. No research (or discussion) is necessary, particularly if it contradicts the chosen solution.
Lord Ram advocates middle path, neither ‘utopia myopia’ nor ‘analysis paralysis’ ie calculated and analysed decisions taken after due deliberations with few limited competent people.
Leadership conclave by Lord Ram will continue in the next episode.
GOOD NEWS COLUMN
I shall introduce a new NGO working for the rehabilitation of special children. St. Antony Karunai Illam, Home for special children at the temple town Madurai, Tamil Nadu is providing shelter and support for 15 mentally ill and mentally retarded persons.
Father John Dass has dedicated his life for the upliftment of these people. Karunai Illam is providing shelter, food and treatment with care for these god’s special children.
Karunai Illam is currently operating from a rented accommodation and would be looking for donations to enhance the infrastructure to support more special need children.
Karunai Illam has set an ambitious goal of building a special purpose shelter for people with special needs and support 100 such needy people.
Any kind of support would be appreciated. Donations to Karunai Illam would be eligible for 80G deeduction. Contact by sending email to Sdc_dass@yahoo.co.in and/or call Praveen at 6380076717 or Father John Dass at 9486034851.
______________________________________________________________________________________ Conceived, compiled and posted as a weekly newsletter MONDAY MUSINGS in LinkedIn every Monday