Management Fundamentals

in Kautilya’s
)HJD=ID=IJH= – II
RADHAKRISHNAN PILLAI

The Topic of Training ‘knack’ of effective management

that consists of quick decisions,
When we study the lives of strategic movements, a quick
great businessmen and some of insight into the crux of any
the most productive managers, problem is not just acquired by
we note that very few of them a formal management training.
have had a formal education in
management. Both Bill Gates, Management is a
the richest man in the world. ‘Mindset’
and Warren Buffett, the second
richest man in the world have As we study the lives of
had no formal management these great leaders of society,
education. Many others like we observe that they have de-
Walt Disney or Akio Morita, the veloped an ‘intuitive’ insight
creator of Sony, too never went into situations that demand
to business schools. How is it their attention. Today our gen-
they could manage such huge eration has started considering
business empires? When and management as a subject that is
how did they achieve these learnt in various colleges and
great managerial skills? institutions. However , manage-
Even though formal educa- ment is not just a subject, but a
tion is very important, it is not ‘mindset’. This mindset can be
everything in management. The developed by anyone with ba-
sic education and a long period
of trial and error methods, con-
The author may be contacted by email at tinuous learning and years of
[email protected] experience.

16 May 2005
 The good news is that these Kautilya, who wrote the Artha-
great leaders can transfer their shastra, it took him years to train
managerial skills and years of Chandragupta Maurya to con-
experience to the next genera- quer the cruel Nanda King.
tion through a process of sys- Just like the ‘Law of the
tematic training. Farm’, in training too, we have
Training deals with selecting to go through the whole natu-
the right candidates, mentor- ral process. Selecting the right
ship, management of the senses seed, sowing it, watering it,
and continuous learning. Most waiting for it to sprout, pro-
importantly, it requires a lot of viding it the right amount of
patience. Training is not a sunlight, letting it grow in the
quick-fix solution. It is a long- right environment – none of the
term gain. It is looking at the stages can be avoided. Only in
larger picture in spite of short the right season and right time
term loss or failure. Today many do we enjoy the harvest.
companies are focusing on this Training deals with impart-
training aspect in a big manner. ing an understanding of some
Large groups like Tatas, Infosys, of the deeper secrets of the hu-
Wipro, Mahindra and Mahindra man mind. Most importantly,
etc. have their own full-time training is a matter of disciplin-
training centres. ing the mind. We will examine
All great leaders of history a few verses that deal with the
have emerged from a long pro- topic of training, in Kautilya’s
cess of training. Mahatma Arthashastra.
Gandhi took 21 years in South
Africa before he returned to Selection of Trainees
India to fight for our freedom. In one of his lectures to MBA
Shivaji was trained right from students, Sri Rajesh Kamath, the
his childhood before he formed Deputy General Manager (H.R.
his own army to defeat the Department) of the Mahindra
Mughals. Pujya Gurudev him- and Mahindra Group, said, “If
self spent ten long years with I have to fire someone for non-
Swami Tapovan Maharaj before performance, it is due to my
he came down to the plains to mistake, not his. I have to be
build the worldwide Chinmaya careful during the selection pro-
Mission. Even in the case of

Tapovan Prasad 17
cess.” Selection of trainees is the of desire to learn, listening,
key to any effective training retention, thorough understand-
programme. Otherwise we end ing, reflection, rejection of false
up frustrated, with huge loss of views and intentness on truth
time, energy and money. and not on any other person.
Kautilya, in his Arthashastra, (1.5.5)*
deals with the aspect of train- Thus a ‘trainable’ person is
ing in a detailed manner. The the one who has the following
first book of Arthashastra itself qualities:
is titled Vinayadhikarikam mean-
1. Desire to learn
ing ‘Concerning the Topic of
2. Effective listening ability
Training’.
3. Ability to reflect (think from
Kautilya says that selection
all angles)
of the right candidate to be
4. Ability to reject false views
trained is very important. Dur-
5. Focus on truth, not on any
ing those days in the fourth
person.
century B.C., when the caste
system was prevalent, Kautilya 1. Desire to learn – The
selected Chandragupta Maurya, trainee should be keen to
who was not a kshatriya, to be- acquire more knowledge. His
come the next emperor and take focus should not be on immedi-
over the Nanda dynasty. This ate monetory or material gains.
shows that the choice of a right He should keep himself sur-
candidate for management or rounded by and learn from
leadership training should not experienced people under
be limited to birth, caste, colour, whom he can learn more.
creed, religion or country. 2. Effective listening ability
In the following verse, he – Listening is ‘hearing plus
defines the qualities that we thinking’. At a higher stage of
need to look for in a person, listening, the mind itself calms
before taking him as a trainee. down. It is a total receptive
This verse is very important for state. The trainee should focus
the H R departments who have on listening more and try to get
to continuously keep recruiting
management trainees.
*(1.5.5) - Book 1, Chapter 5, Verse 5. This
The training disciple is the one same method will be followed through-
whose intellect has the qualities out, while referring to the verses in
Kautilya’s Arthashastra.

18 May 2005
a deeper insight into the words Mentorship
of his teacher. He should not get Once the right trainee is se-
into arguments trying to prove lected, he has to be nurtured
his point. with the help of a senior who is
3. Ability to reflect (think experienced in that particular
from all angles) – After listen- skill. This system of mentorship
ing to the viewpoints of vari- has taken strong roots in today’s
ous people, he should be able corporate training structure.
to sit back and reflect on his Even experienced people have
own. He should consider all now started calling themselves
angles before coming to a con- mentors more than leaders.
clusion. Both logical thinking Narayana Murthy is now offi-
and creative thinking are quali- cially designated the Chief Men-
ties of the mind that are tor of the Infosys Group. A
required. mentor is more like a catalyst
4. Ability to reject false who guides the process without
views – Rejecting false views taking part in the reaction.
does not mean being rigid. He Training and discipline are
should come to his own conclu- acquired by accepting the
sion, after correct thinking and authoritativeness of the teachers
analysis. He should be able to in the respective fields.
reach his own decisions with (1.5.6)
intellectual conviction. We need to have an attitude
5. Focus on truth, not on any of surrender to our mentor, our
person – A trainee should not Guru. This will lead to disci-
just get carried away by the pline. We should be able to ac-
viewpoints of different people. cept that our mentor under-
He should be able to arrive at stands the subject better than we
the truth after careful analysis. do. Even though at certain times
He should look at the situation we find it difficult to accept
objectively. He should be able certain decisions of his, we still
to see the problem as separate need to follow his orders. The
from the person. full picture will become clearer
The selection of the right to us in due course of time.
trainee is the first step. This is Swami Tejomayanandaji
like checking the quality of the once said, “At times I used to
seed before we sow it. wonder why Swamiji (Gurudev

Tapovan Prasad 19
Swami Chinmayananda) used come a self-discipline. The mind
to take certain tough decisions. has to be trained through regu-
However, in spite of not totally lar practice. One should be able
agreeing with him, I never lost to handle lust, anger, greed,
faith in him. Today when I am arrogance of knowledge and
in his position (leading the power and should not get over-
worldwide Chinmaya Mission), excited due to sudden gain or
I understand why he did so.” dejected due to unforeseen loss.
Management of the A king, behaving in a contrary
senses manner and having no control
Without managing the over his senses quickly perishes,
senses, no leader can progress. be he the ruler right up to the
As you keep going up the lad- four ends of the earth.”
der of success, temptations keep (1.6.4)
coming your way. Often, the
downfall of great leaders hap- Lack of sense-control will
pens when their senses take surely ruin a leader in the long
over. Sex scandals, shattering run. Greed for power and posi-
decisions taken in a fit of anger, tion comes out of lack of sense-
over-indulgence in power, etc. control. We have seen so many
are due to handing over the children from wealthy homes
reins to the senses. and big business empires ruin-
Control over the senses, which ing the hard-earned wealth of
is motivated by training, should their forefathers, due to lack of
be secured by giving up lust, an- sense-control. Though one may
ger, greed, pride, arrogance and possess great wealth and power,
over-excitement. it will all be slowly lost if one
(1.6.1) does not handle the senses well.
Control over the senses is
initially motivated externally by Continuous Learning
proper training. It is a process Learning is a continuous pro-
of disciplining of the mind. cess. You have to keep yourself
However, no external pressure updated with the latest happen-
can help one to maintain this ings around. The most impor-
discipline for long. Initially it tant part of continuous learning
may be out of fear imposed by is to associate yourself with
seniors, but slowly it has to be-

20 May 2005
persons who are more experi- not just gathering more and
enced and knowledgeable than more information. As Swami
you. Vivekananda said, “If know-
He should have constant asso- ledge was available in books, all
ciation with elders in learning, the libraries in the world would
for the sake of improving his have been sages!” Information
training, since training has a collection is just the first step.
root in that. Nowadays information is rea-
(1.5.11) dily available through the inter-
The root of training lies in net, television and various other
associating oneself with seniors. sources, thanks to the techno-
It is by being around with them logical revolution. However, in-
that we come to know the way formation gathered has to be
our seniors look at certain situ- converted into knowledge by a
ations with a deeper insight process of thinking, analysis
than we can obtain on the sur- and reflection.
face. Once, a person who was Even knowledge is not the
climbing the corporate ladder final step. Knowledge has to
fast was asked, “How do you evolve into wisdom. A wise
keep getting promotions so man is greater than a know-
fast?” “I keep observing what ledgeable man. He can look into
my boss does and learn to the crux of any problem within
acquire his skills,” came the a split second.
reply. Practical application – Our
knowledge has to have some
From continuous study ensues
usefulness. Hence, Kautilya says
a trained intellect, from the
its practical application is very
intellect comes practical appli-
necessary. Otherwise it just re-
cation, and from practical appli-
mains a mere theory, with no
cation, self-possession.
usefulness either to the person
(1.5.16)
or to the society around. This
Kautilya, in this verse, gives
application has to be for the
us the three steps of acquiring
good of others. It has to be use-
expertise in any field.
ful to take the society to a pro-
1. Continuous study
ductive state and to a higher
2. Practical application
level of consciousness.
3. Self possession
Self possession - By apply-
Continuous study – Study is
ing in the practical world the

Tapovan Prasad 21
concepts a person has devel- juniors. That golden moment
oped by thinking, he comes to never comes. You have to start
have a higher level of confi- it here and now.
dence in himself. The success of When I was in CIF (Chin-
his theory in the practical world maya International Foundation),
also crowns him with many studying the Arthashastra, I
other worldly benefits like asked Swami Advayanandaji,
appreciation, money, honour, the Acharya in charge of CIF,
etc. He thus becomes an expert “Swamiji, in our Chinmaya Mis-
in the very area or field he has sion the various Acharyas get
been working on for so long. transferred every now and then.
Self possession is a ‘state of When do you decide when to
being’. He has become one with start training the others to take
his subject. He has perfected the over, while you may have to go
art. From this point onwards his to some other centre?”
work is just a sport for him. He
Swamiji’s reply gave the gist
develops an intuitive wisdom.
of training in the most beauti-
ful manner –
Pass It On To Others
“Training your juniors starts
Management training is a the moment you join. It is being
continuous process. One learns ready to leave the position at
and teaches. One does not have any given point of time. The
to wait to become an expert to system has to run by itself.”
teach others. There are seniors Training is working in a de-
who know more than you; at tached manner and yet giving
the same time there are juniors your best to it. Its an under-
who know less than you. Keep standing that no one is indis-
learning from the seniors, and pensable. You realise that you
with your own experience, keep are not the owner but just a part
teaching the juniors. Thus the of the whole. Like the Guru-
circle of life will get completed. Shishya Paramapara, the wisdom
Many people wait for a golden has to flow from one generation
moment to start training their to the other.

22 May 2005