Class 1

CONTENTS:
1. Manager & Leader
2. Motivation & it’s Components: Intensity, Direction and Persistence
3. Values and Ethics
4. ‘Two Magic Principles’

Instructor’s Style and His Role: ORGANIC LEARNING based course

This simply means ‘learning from within’. All of us understand the contents that would be
covered in the class, so much so, that each one of us can write a good essay. But ‘have we
been able to integrate all those ideas into our personality’? The answer is obviously NO.
This course will help us reflect upon certain ideas. This will bring clarity of thought and
experiential learning. This will inspire us to integrate those ideas into our personalities.
This course is a course for ’life’, and not for ‘livelihood’.

TWO CRITICAL FUNCTIONS OF MANAGERS

Managers have two critical functions: management functions and leadership functions. To be
a competent manager, managing the processes i.e. not letting them crash, or maintaining the
status quo is not enough.
In the curriculum of MBA programs, courses, which are offered, can be classified into
two categories. The first type which are more technical and domain specific in nature, would
help us in the discharge of managerial functions, while the others are more general in nature
that would help in the discharge of leadership functions.
This course will contribute to the development of our leadership abilities.
First of all, let us try to understand the terms ‘motivation’ & ‘values’ as it is the leader’s role
to motivate the team and to instil the right values which ensure the team/organizational
success.

Reflection upon the Experience

The qualities of a successful leader were discussed. Is knowing the qualities of the great
leader ‘intellectually’ alone enough to be a ‘successful’ leader? The answer is ‘NO’. One
must consciously prepare for the journey. This means one should reflect upon the lessons
being shared in the class, relate them to one’s life experiences and consciously learn from
them. Experiences alone cannot be of help unless they are contemplated upon in order to
relate them to the lessons shared in the class.
Motivation & It’s Components
An obvious indicator of a highly motivated individual is his or her energy level. Higher the
energy level, higher is their motivation level. We know that:
Performance = Motivation*Ability
So friends, what is motivation?
It means ‘the driving force that causes the flux from desire to will in life’. Motivation is
purely subjective and based on the attraction one experiences towards something or someone.
The three components of motivation are:
1. Intensity
2. Direction
3. Persistence
‘Intensity’ is simply indicated by ‘how badly we want something’. It is demonstrated by ‘the
energy level that one displays in the pursuit of a goal’.
‘Direction’, as the name suggests, indicates the goal towards which the effort is undertaken in
order to perform a task. With direction, one can specify short and long-term goals.
‘Persistence’ is simply ‘the fact of continuing in a course of action in spite of difficulty or
opposition’. It is rising every time one fails. One does not give up till the goal is reached.
It is important to note that ‘human beings are purposefully motivated’ and ‘every failure
teaches us a lesson’.
(Explanation: The idea here is that human beings are purposeful entities who always have
some goals which motivate them. The other idea is that ‘failures’ are precious and very useful
provided we learn our lessons from them.)
VALUES
These are timeless principles, which are respected and accepted as desirable by most of
cultures across the world. These are self-worth enhancing qualities if we can integrate them
into our ‘being’. Some examples of universal values are love, wisdom, courage, loyalty &
truthfulness.
FFT (Food for Thought): We discussed the chronic liars who become mad because they
believe in the lie so much that it becomes the truth for them.
(Explanation: The idea in the above example is that if a particular universal value is
chronically absent in an individual as in the above case, some or other psychological
disturbance results from it.)
Whether these values are natural to us, or are a result of the conditioning of the mind remains
unclear. (Comment: These values are believed to be ‘ideals’ which have always guided
humanity. Particular individuals are able to develop them in themselves to more or less
extent. More someone is able to do that, more morally elevated he is considered to be. This is
the ‘virtue’ or ‘arete’ aspect of man that Aristotle discussed about in his great work called
‘Nicomachean Ethics’. The instructor encouraged every one of us to read that. It is freely
available on the Web.)
Importance: Values are essential for the society to function. In addition, values serve as
‘guidelines’ for us, on our journey to achievement of a perfect attitude. This is similar to the
role of light houses placed in an ocean.
It is important to understand that all the values must be understood well and must be used as a
package. (Comment: Often, one value seems to contradict another value in a given situation.
Such situations are called ‘ethical dilemmas’. So, we must understand these values separately
as well as in relation to one another to be able to ‘embody’ them well.)
Values are ‘impersonal’: It is important to note that values remain impersonal unless these are
incorporated in one’s personality. Our values are tested in situations where external pressure
comes in, forcing us to act otherwise. [Marginal situations] For example, consider the value
of ‘truthfulness’. Take a situation where speaking the truth can cause some kind of short term
loss to an organisation as a whole, or to one’s own short term self-interest in materialistic
sense. The ability to speak the truth in such tough situation indicates how much one has
integrated the value of ‘truthfulness’ into his personality.
ETHICS
It is important to note that one can follow many values and still be unethical.So, it is
important to understand all values well and act tactfully.
Classes 2 & 3 Combined

LEADERSHIP QUALITIES
Leaders are psychologically strong people who have the ability to visualize a future which is
much better than the present, and seek to inspire their colleagues to work towards the
attainment of this vision. This futuristic ability or ability to visualize is one of the important
qualities that distinguishes a leader from a manager. Therefore, he is rightfully called a
visionary.
Moreover, it is not enough to be a visionary; one must believe in the vision and be able to
inspire the team to embrace that vision.
Two important qualities for leadership success:
1. “Utmost Clarity” about values and ethics; and understanding of their interrelation.
2. Compassionate heart (loving, well-meaning, and happy heart)

The first one can be done through developing a beautiful Mind (intelligence), and the
latter by developing a beautiful Heart (feeling faculty). The co-functioning of these two is
essential to leadership success. Of course, one is assuming the domain or technical
knowledge in the core areas of business on top of these two ‘Being’ qualities.
One also needs to be tactful in one’s behaviours. E.g., one should choose pragmatism
over rigidity as each situation is different; and practical honesty over honesty – which means
being honest and at the same time being pragmatic and aware about the overall organizational
situation.

A charismatic personality: Such a person can develop contacts beyond the hierarchical level
of contacts, with entire chain of senior management. It is done by showcasing one’s
extraordinary attitude and competence which can be built gradually over time. The difference
clearly reflects in the team. That team becomes very effective as compared to others.
Being organised: One important quality was emphasised upon in the class: being organised
and proper (students sitting in triplets in the classroom was strongly objected to by the
Instructor. He told that Management students must sit as individuals in the class).
An exemplary personality: When a personality shows near complete alignment with universal
values, then such a character becomes a role model, and is rightfully called an exemplary
personality. Clearly, such an individual becomes a source of inspiration for others. Power
which such an individual wields over others is ‘soft’ in nature as opposed to the ‘hard’ power
conferred by the designation.
Inner secret: A great leader reminds the follower of his own capability. Since we all are
human beings, and human beings seek perfection, we feel tremendously inspired. It is a very
deep connection.
Reflecting Upon Experiences: The qualities of a successful leader have been discussed. Are
the qualities of the leader enough to be a ‘successful’ leader? NO. One must consciously
prepare for the journey. This means one should reflect upon the experience and consciously
learn from it. Experience alone cannot be of help. Reflection/contemplation upon the
experiences is also required.

HOW TO INSPIRE OTHERS

Inspiration from an individual occurs because of two things: strength of character and
intelligence. Intelligence results in utmost clarity. It is important to understand that the
intelligence referred to here is simply ‘human intelligence’, and not IQ. Indicators of such
intelligence are being alive, aware, pragmatic, and dynamic. (He knows what works and what
doesn’t work; what the resources are; what the constraints; who are the people worth
engaging and their capabilities; he knows the people’s moods, emotional proclivity, their
psyches; what motivates the team in terms of circumstances and incentives etc.,) This can
happen when one knows how to manage the system, people, and resources. The ability to use
these three comes from intelligence.
For example, Warren Buffett, business magnate, investor and philanthropist (most
influential man in 2012 by Time magazine), says that when organisations have to recruit
people, they look for three things: integrity, intelligence, and domain knowledge. These are
universal in nature. If you recruit a person who does not have integrity, then you pray to God
that he be a dumb idiot. A crooked genius can be very harmful to the organization and
society. Integrity and strength of character are similar in their meaning.
Impact of Inspiration: When we humans see a successful leader, we feel inspired. And, when
combined with strength of character, the humans are so inspired that they can die for you.

MORAL CODE OF BEHAVIOUR

Ethics is nothing but moral code of behaviour. So, what is moral code of behaviour?
‘Moral’ is concerned with the principles of right or wrong behaviour. Acting in violation of
universal principles becomes immoral behaviour. Society, by nature, judges individuals.
Every individual & organisation has his/her/its own moral code of conduct. The society
judges the people by laws, a legal framework of rules and regulations (a partial expression of
moral code of conduct, violation of which is punishable). Violation of these laws is called a
crime. Therefore, crime is an illegal activity. However, an immoral activity may or may not
be legal, but it is immoral because in spirit it is violating some universal principles.

MORAL

LEGAL

Figure: Moral v/s legal

Normally, Moral is the bigger set while legal is a part of it. Ultimately, laws are
following moral principles. In other words, the ideas that underpin laws are moral principles.
This is because purpose of laws is to regulate people’s behaviour.

For example, consider the moral principle ‘Justice’. To make it legal, in organizations,
promotional practices are made transparent (fair) to the individuals.

Non-relative nature of ‘moral code of conduct’: Moral code of behaviour or conduct is not
relative. Recall the example of a married couple, in which man sleeps with another women
explaining to his wife that he experienced physical attraction to the other woman. Then, the
wife can also say that I also have mind and a body and can thereby, choose to sleep with
another man. Therefore, the moral code of conduct is not relative.
Violation of Moral Code of Conduct: It is important to note that when one’s moral code of
conduct is violated; the emotion that one experiences is anger. In addition, anger only occurs
on the violation of one’s moral code of conduct. We discussed the example of undesirable
mess food. We feel angry because we feel that we must get the worth of money that we have
invested. We feel cheated.
 Every time we use ‘should’ in a statement; our moral code is being violated. Everyone
has his or her own moral code. Moreover, they follow or rather; obey their moral code of
conduct.
When we violate our own moral code, we experience guilt. And when someone else
violates our moral code, then we experience anger. It is up to us to decide or rather choose
between a bad or ineffective moral code, and a good and effective one. But in order to be able
to get the benefits of a good and effective moral code, one needs to develop a good moral
code in the first place. Wisdom is required for that. This course helps us to start walking
towards attaining such wisdom.

WHY BE ETHICAL?
The reason why people fail to learn ethics is because they intuitively know what it is but they
do not know why they must integrate an effective moral code into their personality.
The deep link: Ethics make you strong. Strong people become intelligent.
Taking wrong path clings to our minds. For example, if we cheat in an examination
once, we are quite likely to cheat again. Life is called ‘Mahamaya’ or great seductress in the
ancient Indian tradition. In such a process, we lose our strength, bits by bits, and pieces by
pieces. We are losing our innate strength, courage, and resilience. It is better to grapple with
the problem until one exhausts one capacity, and then ask someone how the problem is to be
solved. Then, one would get something more valuable: all the knowledge of how not to solve
the problem and how to solve the problem. This will become part of our knowledge or
intelligence. Moreover, the courage which we used by not cheating, when one could have,
becomes a part of one’s strength. When we cheat, we become blind psychologically.
Therefore, if we follow ethics, finally we get strength of character and intelligence.
We ended the class by saying that we must enrich our beings by living our lives to its
fullest. This also implies breaking out of the comfort zone and interacting with people from
different cultures, which is required to be a successful leader.
Be natural, be strong, be open, and embrace the world. This enriches the being. That is the
99% of leadership, one of the two dimensions of human growth. The other 1% dimension is
technical and practical knowledge.
Therefore, if one cheats in exam, we get 1% but we lose on 99%! Isn’t the cheater a fool?
 Class 4 Summary

Another illustration of a leadership quality: ability to visualize

For example: Difference between a Computer Chess master and a human master
The difference between Computer chess master and a human player is the ability to visualize.
Computers are simply number crunching machines and react to the moves while the humans
experience emotions and are blessed with ability to visualize. This is a gift to humanity.
Humans would know right strategy for the situation intuitively without any calculations if
they have sufficient experience, while the computers would always need number crunching.
Discussion on Nature v/s nurture
We were born with qualities similar to animals. While upbringing, we are nurtured or
conditioned to behave in civilised manner. It is more right to ask ‘How much are nature and
nurture responsible for our current state?’ than asking ‘Whether the current state is as a result
of nature or nurture?’ The former has been repeated asked in the history, but it remains
unanswered. It varies from person to person.
Example of demonstration of nurture: One has come to attend a wedding. One is hungry and
unable to wait. Nevertheless, we wait until the ritual is over. Therefore, the humans have the
ability of discretion.
Relevant question would be ‘Is leadership ability a result of nurture?’ The answer is
YES. In hope of this only, we attend the classes. It is possible that is why we are providing
education all around the world to our children and young people.
The importance of right attitude: ‘Right attitude’ or feeling right attitude develops when an
individual shows great integrity and intelligence. Note that the word ‘right’ is not a
mathematical right, instead indicates right intentions. It comes from the ability to assess the
situation and be pragmatic. Therefore, a win-win situation can be developed. Such a
personality is called an authentic personality. Quite obviously, ‘right attitude’ is relative in
nature.
A TIP: ‘Why’ is the most powerful question, and not ‘what’? This is because when we seek
reasons, we become clear about our own intentions, which is the real take home.
Another Leadership Quality: Soft Skills
One should be a leader in spirit. Because then whichever stream e.g. marketing, finance,
operations, etc., one takes, one would find oneself successful because of winning the loyalty
of the customers/ human resources (In a value chain, every next person is the customer).
Recall that the most powerful marketing is by ‘word-of-mouth’.
Leadership depends on ‘soft power’ unlike machines.
Universal Values and Human Values
The universal values are undocumented exhaustively due to their extreme breadth and depth,
and usually is the bigger set as compared to any given person’s personal human values.
 Universal values
Human Values

Intersection

Recall the example of a married couple. If the man goes by his personal value of
opportunism, which fall out of the intersected area (non-aligned area), then the alliance will
fail eventually. This is because the value of the wife was loyalty, which does not fall in the
intersected area of values.
It is important to note that the exception is noticed, rather than the rule.
 CV 1

Universa
CV 4
l Values CV 2

CV 3

People come from different cultures and hence, have different cultural values. These form a
subset of the Universal Values. It is like Ocean: Pond: Fish analogous to Universe: Country:
Person.
Conclusion: The nurturing impinges upon and modifies the natural part of us. It can be for
good or for bad. For example, GIGO garbage in, garbage out, & QIQO Quality in, Quality
out.
Q/A: Answer to the question ‘Why do we humans seek perfection?’ is simply because it is
our ‘nature’ to do our best. The need for perfection can also be related to ‘aesthetic pleasure’
or aesthetic feel. Human beings have aesthetic sense. That is why we humans marvel over a
perfect Virat Kohli cover drive or a perfect Sachin Tendulkar straight drive.
 Class 5 Summary
Leader: A magician
To successfully run an organisation, three things have to be managed: people, resources, and
systems. Money can buy hand and head. However, can it buy heart or soul? No. Involvement
of the heart is essential for perfection to come in into the work. It is necessary. A leader can
create that magic, that inspiration, that drive. The beauty of heart is that it is given
voluntarily; it cannot be stolen, or snatched. The heart has to be bought with love.
Consider the case of soldiers. They sacrifice their life (the ultimate value), for the love
of their country. Why does this happen? Perhaps the understanding of sacredness is
embedded in us. Therefore, whenever in one’s perception, something becomes sacred – one
can sacrifice their life for it. One identifies oneself so intensely with that perceived sacred
entity that even the ultimate value, that is life, is belittled. More examples: boys/girls
committing suicide on failing to be with his or her beloved one.
It is important to note that experiencing sacredness towards a person or an object grows out
of respect, which develops into deep reverence.
PURPOSE OF ETHICS
The purpose of ethics is simply a good life for all. This is done by ensuring that leaders
themselves are ethical, as well as their team is ethical. (On a larger HR framework, it can
mean an organisation). Also, note that ethics is for larger good, and intermediate unethical
steps can be done for the collective good. Recall the example of Krishna’s role at certain
instances in Mahabharata.
Also, understand that ethics is a tool, and a means to an end. Recall the quote that
‘end justifies the means’. Here, it is extremely important to have a realization of what is the
‘end’, i.e. the context of the situation. For example, obtaining good scores in an examination
by cheating is not ethical. (Unless it is a matter of life and death) This is because the ‘Post
Graduate degree’ is not the end; rather it is the knowledge and its application that matters,
which would be made visible in future while in job.
Two things lead to good results: Having a good intention (ethical), and intelligence.
Recall the example of a king and a monkey, a servant. The king had instructed the monkey
that the king should be able to sleep peacefully. A bee happens to disturb the king. After
multiple efforts of the monkey to shoo it away, it found itself angry and took the sword to hit
the bee. But, the king died. Lesson: the intention of the monkey was good but the intelligence
was missing.
LINK between Ethics and ‘what we all want in life’
Ethics makes a person extraordinarily successful and extremely happy at the same time. Both
at the same time seem to be difficult to achieve (to be happy, one has to relax and chill; to be
successful, one has to work hard!). Bringing both these things together or developing the
chemistry is the magic that you create!
NOTE: Ethics is not about success. Success is a by-product! Ethics is first about happiness.
Therefore, failure does not mean ethics. Moreover, worldly success does not prove ethics.
 In addition, people pursue success to be happy but they forget the correct link, and
think that they want success. But they do not realize that everyone – no exceptions -
ultimately wants happiness only.
CAUSE: Diffusion of self. It happens when one’s self becomes identified with another person
or object. It is not logical and happens very fast in humans.
SYMBOL OF ETHICS/ PERFECTION / EXCELLENCE/ DHARMA IN INDIA: A lamp, or
‘deepak’. These different words representing ’the correct way of life’ mean the same thing in
different contexts.
What to do now?
Find that inner sweet spot. Connect with it. Unleash it. Communicate with others through that
sweet spot. A bond is formed and liking develops, and the channel for love to flow is ready!
If we can do that, we feel ecstatic, then success and happiness is natural to us! Such a
person flows with life, behaving naturally unlike most social beings who are unknowingly
bound to behave ‘normally’, which is to say ‘as conditioned by society’.

TIPS
1. Relationships: Reputation is earned with a lot of effort, but can be taken away in a
click of finger. Once a scratch is made on the bond, it is not easy to erase. Recall the
saying of Poet Rahim “Relationship is like a thread, once it breaks; it cannot be
mended; it can be joined but the knot remains”. Here the knot signifies ‘bitterness’ in
the relationship. The relationship can never be the same again. Human relationships
are based on love and trust.
2. Laughter: Sir is amazed that he is able to trigger interest in the students so much so,
that the students laugh very often. It is good to laugh; after all, it is the best medicine!
However, laughing on everything is foolish. It is essential to remember always that
our laughter must not discourage or hurt another individual. Leaders can laugh when
it is the right time, and stop when it is not appropriate. This is just like driving a car
and applying breaks and accelerating at the right times. This ability comes from
wisdom.
3. Response against reaction: It is wise to respond to situations than reacting. For
example, sir decides to be quiet when the cross talks in the class disturb the class.
4. Communication and ability to influence: Communication and its use to influence
people is an art. It is not an occult power. Sir has demonstrated this by giving an
example of soldiers dying in battlefield for their country, after realizing that the
example of a boy/ girl dying for another was not acceptable by the students in the
class.
It comes from the ability to read body language and then respond appropriately.
This requires awareness. In addition, awareness of external world comes from first
being aware of oneself. This requires one to go deeper into oneself.
It is important to understand that humans are evolving, and thus can have many
limitations at that point of time. Therefore, first we must acknowledge and recognize
 our limitations. Then accept it and be practical. However, we must not forget that it is
up to us to expand our potential. We are all spirals which is infinite in nature.
5. Innocence: Managers cannot afford to remain innocent for long, unlike workers. It is
required to be clever with good intentions (guide and lead & not mislead and cheat).
(This requires one to be courageous, knowledgeable, and confident; and have hope,
aspiration, passion & burning desire.)
6. Balance between Pragmatism & Perfectionism: Perfectionism and pragmatism are
value, and both must be taken in a balance. Consider the story of Tansen & his
daughter: Tansen was asked to sing ‘Deepak Raag’ This ‘raag’ requires so much of
intensity that it burns down the throat and the body. However, he had to sing. So, his
daughter decided to sing ‘Megh Malhar’. This ‘raag’ cools down the weather, thereby
saving the life of his father. This example illustrates a perfect balance between the
two values ‘pragmatism’ and ‘perfection’. Perhaps, sir was not able to connect to one
student, and he accepted his limitation (demonstration of pragmatism). However, he
would continue to strive to reach out to him, again, with his enhanced potential.
It is important to note that those of us, who do not maintain a balance between these
two values, would become frustrated.
7. Fear: One must get rid of fear, if one wishes to be a leader. One can begin by not
being fearful of asking questions in the class.
 Class 6 Summary
Do you know you are emitting signals to your surroundings?!
As a person becomes more and more integrated, the ability to influence increases. It’s
symptoms are indicated in our body language: the way we sit, talk, walk, etc. That is how we
send signals to our surrounding beings. We have experienced that interaction with different
teachers makes us feel different. It is simply because each of these teachers is sending out
different signals depending upon their personal characteristics.
Strong signals come from an integrated personality, which comes from a strong
‘being’ dimension. It is easy to let the energy scatter and be dissipated. But one must not
allow that and consciously and willingly focus one’s energy.
An integrated individual is able to be fully engaged in what one does.
Managers are always on stage!
Each manager is expected to manage people, systems and resources. If the manager takes a
back seat and pays little attention, then the organisation would fail. Similarly, each person is
first a manger of himself or herself. Failure to take efforts to evolve would result in
dissipation of energy, loss of personality. One must take cognition of this fact and work on
oneself.
Note that taking a back seat in the class to do something other than listening to Sir,
indicates lack of willingness to evolve as a being.
Practice before preach!: A quality of leader
Leaders do not simply talk; they walk the talk! It is essential to demonstrate what is
professed. It is a simple human characteristic. We follow what we see, than what we hear.
Soft power & hard power
Power is of two types, soft power and hard power. Soft power is that power which is given
willingly. This happens when leaders wield soft power. Such leaders are adored. Remember
that, all great leaders are capable of using their hard power ruthlessly. Soft power is thousand
times greater than hard power. It can be so great that it compels the follower to sacrifice their
ultimate value, their life. Recall the case of soldiers.
Hard power is extracted, or coaxed out of a person by fear or offering incentive.
Recall that head and hand can be bought, while heart and the soul can only be given
voluntarily.
To develop soft power, it is important to have the right attitude; to be developed on the
‘Being’ dimension.
It is important to note that soft power develops by soft process. It requires:
 the ability to accept (being open to varied opinions which need not be favourable)
 the ability to include (take interest in individuals because everyone likes being paid
attention), &
  the ability to express care (for example, by explaining the intentions of various
seemingly unfavourable actions) towards the followers.
Evidence of need of attention - Humans beings prefer being insulted than being ignored!
Importance of followership:
Can all good leaders create good followers? NO. It is important to note that evolving leaders
are expanding their limitations to exceed beyond infinity. During the evolution phase, there
may be limitations. Just like a clap cannot be done without two hands, the follower also plays
a significant role in learning and evolving. Two things are required on the part of a follower:
willingness and ability to learn. Note that willingness is a primary requirement.

Class 7 Summary
DISINTEGRATION OF SELF
We discussed the example of a person who decides to go for a jog next morning but the next
day he changes it by turning off the alarm. Such a person is not integrated because he holds
second thoughts about his decision.
To be able to override the body’s limitations, and stand by one’s decision is a psychological
strength, which an integrated person would have demonstrated in such a case.
One must reflect upon one’s mind. Upon reflection one may find that each one of us is not
just one, but many persons. Consider our case. Seldom do we single-mindedly study. Most of
the times, we experience multiple chains of thoughts. Examples of this would be need to be
sincere, play video games, to socialize over internet, etc. Note that every interest that we have
in our life is taking us in a certain direction. Being aware of this clearly means being able to
manage our attention, which would result in time management skills. Therefore, this would
make a significant difference in our journey to success.
What happens if we do not address the process of self-disintegration?
If one doesn’t address a disintegration just when it happens, it takes longer for a person to
come out of it, and refocus on the goal. This is because the problem is difficult to recognize
in the later stage of it’s occurrence. Moreover, the time elapsed between problem occurrence
and problem recognition is disturbing to the attention process, thereby affecting the quality of
work.
What could prevent one from recognizing the problem?
Fear could serve as prevention. Fear of disapproval for example, is very common. Very often
students go along with their friends and larger social trends of dissipating one’s time and
energies just in order to fit in and avoid disapproval.
Freedom from fear: It is essential to free oneself of fear. Fear limits the ability of the mind to
deliver quality into the work.
What is diffusion of self?
Human consciousness becomes attached to an object or a human resulting in loss of self-
control. It is a very fast process. It is an extremely powerful and an unfavourable process.
Consider the example of two lovers: The two are so much in love that if one gets hurt,
the other experiences the pain. Prior to their first meeting, the two persons were normal and
experienced their own emotions. But after they got together, diffusion of self has happened.
Their selves have been merged with each other.

A leader’s self is on the left side and a diffused person’s self is on the right side.
The diffused persons are attached to beings like family, pets etc. and, objects they possess
like phone, land property, bank balance, clothes etc. Such a mind is cluttered and hence is
weak because the energy of the mind is distributed amongst these things. Depending on how
much we are attached to that object/ being, we give that fraction of mind’s energy to it,
allowing the object/ person to destabilise us when that object/person’s possession is
threatened.
The person thinks that he possesses many things, but in reality these things possess him/her.
This simple illusion can be removed by deep awareness of self.
Recall the ‘object –relations school of thought’. Objects not only live outside, they live inside
because we represent the objects in the mind.
With this understanding, we can very well understand the phrase ‘falling in love’. Also, this
explains why some people, with heavy and cluttered mind, sleep heavily for long hours while
others, with integrated self, sleep like a cat, light and alert.
Why do negative thoughts come to our mind?
A hopeful mind yields optimistic thoughts. An inspired mind yields elevating thoughts.
Similarly, depressing thoughts come from a depressed mind.
It is important to have space in the mind for positive thoughts to grow. Wisdom
creates that space!
Inspiration
Word break up: ‘in’ (within) + ‘spiration’ (from spirit). The word means ‘to be touched by
the spirit or divine’. With the advancement of communion with the divine consciousness, the
struggle of a disintegrated mind ends. In such a clean mind, ethics can flourish.
 In this state, awareness is so deep that one is ethical not to show anyone or out of fear
of someone, but only because of his/ her personal integrity. (If a person cheats and no one
sees, then one person saw; that is he himself!)
Human mind by nature is judgemental
We are always judging ourselves and others. As a result of this, we feel we are not good
enough and lack self confidence.
Selflessness & Egolessness
Selflessness perhaps means erasing yourself, in other words sacrificing one’s attachments as
a means to an end. Such people experience deep pain of sacrifice. This is common among
parents. Recall that ‘Om’ means ‘I am’. Then, there is egolessness, which means the mind is
no longer attached to a person/object. Such people are spontaneous and divinity flows
through them. Ego, on the other hand, arises after the process of diffusion. A person with ego
feels heavy. Indicators of such a person are getting hurt/insulted easily, holding so many
expectations from the world as if the world exists to serve him, etc.
A person prefers the company of an egoless being because it feels so good. They are
cheerful and simple yet extraordinary. Since their awareness is profound, they observe many
things that others do not observe. They are called ‘satvik’ according to our ancient
knowledge. And only a satvik person can inspire other people. So, egolessness at least to
some degree is essential to be a good leader.
Such a person is rich as he feels happy to give and share. Note that it is different from having
riches.
Since we are a victim of the self-diffusion process, our things have become us and we think
his things have become him!
A sign of egolessness: A hug. It is known to us that when two beings interact, they connect
with the heart.
A sign of rationally driven person: Placing a finger on the head when angry, thinking
deeply but ignoring people, etc.
People are the most important dimension in the management. (Resources do not have a
heart).
Selfishness and Individualism
Selfishness = self + ish + ness = heaviness;
It means to be too much filled with ‘self’, i.e. holds too much of a high opinion about himself
(conceited, bloated) (sign: not ready to let go of it to blend with the larger entity, the class;
Recall that it is similar to a stone sinking down in a flowing river. Obviously, the stone does
not flow with the river.)
Individualism= In + divi + dual + ism = one who cannot be divided into two.
It is life, a free flowing energy as a result of total integration of a person’s mind.
 Ability to be attentive and alert and aware, and yet being at ease is a sign of being an
evolved ‘in-divi-dual’ and helps in leadership.
Finally, how do we grow/evolve ourselves? The threefold process
1. Sravanam- listening to a wise teacher
2. Mananam- contemplating what he teaches deeply
3. Nidhidyayasam- practice the insights that arise as a result of the deep contemplation.
Nidhi means treasure. So, these insights that arise due to contemplating wise
teachings are compared to treasures by ancient Indian Rishis or enlightened teachers.
Why does the negative side always dominate the person?
It is a tendency of the mind and must be reversed with awareness.
TIPS
1. Multitasking is good. However, it does not mean doing many things at the same time.
It means allocating time for various tasks considering the time constraint.
2. In human life, there is no way to gain anything without losing something when one is
making a mistake. On the other hand, if one is doing the right thing, then one gains a
lot without losing a thing. This is always true when it comes to the world of values,
ethics and human relationships.
 Class 8 Summary
As seen in the previous classes, words are carefully formed. If words are understood and used
properly, these reflect deep wisdom. Having a good vocabulary is essential for communication, which
is the second most important quality of leadership. (The third being – ability to connect people
together with the leader, so that leadership flows)
In short, leadership is knowledge in practice.

DEVELOPING SOFT POWER

Introduction
For a course like this, information is required. However, memory alone is not enough. It is about
practicing what one preaches (living knowledge).
Mantra: You say what you would do.
Otherwise, you would no longer be a role model for the followers, and they will not take you as a
leader. This is because people are judging all the time, which is doubly true for the person in power.
Note that there is always a psychological gap filled with apprehensiveness between a worker and his
manager. This makes it difficult for the manager to wield soft power. While for others, who look up to
their managers, think that they have reached the higher positions because of innate qualities they have.
Workers always try to see in manager’s body language and actions the level of his/her moral
development as well as confidence and knowledge. Personal development of the pyramid of
consciousness makes it easy for the managers to wield soft power as the body language is
automatically taken care of. You will never find a truly wise person with a poor body language.
Wisdom brings a sparkle to the eyes and magnetism to the personality! It is the best beauty tip!
If there were no sacredness, then there would not be soft power.
There are some people with whom we want to connect (with a handshake on a physical level) because
we identify with these people and feel that they are worthy of worship. For example, Abdul Kalam,
Rahul Dravid, and many more like them.
Outline
1. What are we trying to do? Integrate self
2. Why are we doing this? Followers give their soft power willingly
3. How can we do this? Bring utmost clarity in the mind.
Is clarity enough?
NO. The conceptual clarity is only the foundation. One must build on it by practicing repeatedly.
Focussing on negative traits doesn’t help; one must focus on the opposite, positive trait. This
approach is essential to transformation. It is similar to the fact that with each sunrise, the night passes
away.

 Increase clarity to reduce confusion.

 Increase faith (find reasons to do so) to reduce doubt.
 Increase courage to reduce fear.
 Increase humility (sincerity) to reduce stupidity.
 Increase openness (curiosity) to reduce closemindedness.
 Increase enthusiasm (like children!!!!!!) to reduce indifference.
If confusion, doubt, fear, stupidity, closemindedness, and indifference increase, then ego gets inflated,
we feel heavy, tamas increases in our mind and we feel heavy.
If clarity, faith, courage, humility, openness, and enthusiasm increase, then the egolessness grows,
‘sattva’ increases and we feel light.
For us, the students, fear of failure haunts us. We can deal with it by simply being courageous enough
to experiment new things. Everything you do new will give you a new learning.
Leadership is a process of moving from darkness to light.
“Charity begins at home”
Each one of us who feels that we cannot become an extraordinary leader must grapple with the
meaning of this proverb and contemplate on it. It simply means, if one wishes to be a better and
lighter person, the best way is to start with oneself than people around. As students, we must practice
the leadership skills while we are doing our MBA and get rid of many fears. This is because it is easy
to let go of fears in front of friends than when we start working.
It is important to be authentic than pretentious. To be authentic one must deeply transform oneself.
Transforming oneself is like climbing on the ‘being’ dimension of growth.
It is important to start the process; no matter how much late it has been by now. A journey
10,000 miles long starts with the first step. If we see the length of the path, we will surely feel
overwhelmed and be unable to move and take the first step. We must not worry about reaching the
end, but think about starting! And start! That’s it. Just start. Period. There is no way to start moving in
the right direction and not reach somewhere worthwhile.
For example, if one is standing in a room, which is completely dark, one feels frightened and
unable to move. Then a small lamp would help. It will not show the way to the door, but it illuminates
the next step which one can take. Taking one step at a time we can reach the door and come out into
the light. Darkness is not something that is removed per say. It is the presence of light that takes the
darkness away naturally.
If we get enthusiasm back in life, we get happiness back in life.
How to become enthusiastic about life?
Enthusiasm is well-exhibited in children. They are very light hearted unlike us, who feel like we are
carrying the whole world on our shoulders. It is an inner decision that each one of has to take
consciously. Note that traits of enthusiastic persons are energetic, vibrancy, and playfulness. They
embrace life with both their arms.
For example, a class of a very boring teacher is on. Can I still remain enthusiastic in that
class? It is clearly an internal decision of remaining energetic irrespective of what and how the teacher
is teaching.
Leaders believe in their followers so much that the followers begin to believe in themselves. (Self-
fulfilling prophecy) Leaders remain grounded to the facts of varying capabilities of his followers. But
they feel and express great faith in possibility of transformation.
CONTD: ON EMITTING SIGNALS
Example of ‘each one of us is emitting signals’: This was demonstrated in the selection process of
‘photogenic’ faces for placement brochure. In addition, sir iterated an experiment, which he conducts.
In this experiment, each person of the class was asked to nominate a person whom he thinks would be
a leader. Amazing but true, that only 10 people out of 100 would get all the nominations. This makes
it clear that they are emitting signals and doing something, which makes others feel that these
nominees would be leaders.
Strengthening signals
How do we strengthen these signals? Superficial practices like increasing confidence, increasing
clarity, and working on your body language, etc. are all good but do not act deeply enough. The
mother of all the techniques is just one thing: Awareness. Awareness. Awareness.
It is your choice; you could kill so many birds in one shot.
Become more aware day by day by connecting with wise teachers and contemplating one’s life
experiences in the light of your gradually increasing wisdom!

TIP
Note that it is not the human tendency to make mistakes. That is why we feel bad when we make
mistakes. This can be fixed with awareness. We can improve and become good. Remember then that
it depends on how deeply we contemplate on our experience and how much enthusiastically we
practice the lessons.
ASB students and IIM students: The former are lower on competency than the latter in general to
start with. But the former is humble while the latter is arrogant. Hence, the learning curve will be
‘ever increasing’ for former, while prone to positive and negative fluctuations for latter. We should
just trust ourselves and keep growing like a never ending spiral throughout life. We will one day
outgrow the best of IIM students because of our perfect attitude!
 Class 9 Summary
Leadership involves influencing people, which can be done by formal (hierarchical) power
and/or soft power. Leadership is a power, a power that is experienced in one’s mind. A leader
cannot influence people without power (Leadership and power go together).
Why is it important to influence people?
Because under influence, people behave in the way the influencer desires. This is evident
from the stock markets. The stock markets go up and down depending on people’s
expectations and behaviours, which are induced by central banks and authorities higher up in
hierarchy. In addition, stock markets show changes when an established manager joins or
resigns from an organisation (the process would go up or down respectively). This has clear
implication on the role of an operations manager.
In an organisation, the output and hence the efficiency of production depends on the
people involved in a task. Many a times, people form groups and decide to maintain their
output to a value, which is neither high nor low. They do so because in times of pressure
when they would be asked to perform better, they can deliver higher outputs easily.
Operations manager with soft power can keep the production department motivated enough
to perform well at all times.
Human beings are programmed to be ethical
For example, let us say a person becomes a teacher after years of studentship. This person
used to cheat as a student but he will generally not allow such malpractice to take place in his
presence. This is perhaps because he knows that cheating is a wrong practice, but as a
student, he yielded to the temptation or coercion.
Clear thinking is in itself ethical thinking
Recall the saying ‘One man for one family, one family for one village, one village for one
kingdom, and one kingdom for the nation can be sacrificed”. Now, what does this mean? This
is illustrated using an example. There is ship in an ocean. It’s sinking..! It has been
established that if one person gets off the ship, lives of all thousand people are saved… Now,
what to do?? Let a man be buried to save the thousand.
It is now obvious that ethics stems from clarity of mind.
Ethics also means balancing all values. Take the example of Lord Krishna. To win the
larger war, he made so many ethical compromises. Therefore, being ethical also requires a
broad perspective of the situation.
This class and following two classes we address ‘HOW’ to be ethical.
From the previous class, the approach to this is clear (don’t reduce negativity but increase
positivity).
Leadership is a choice!
Leaders start by awakening a desire to become an extraordinary soul. Then the awareness
grows in their mind. Treading on the path results in an outstanding being…Therefore,
leadership is a personality and not position.
It is important to note that the first step on the journey is to ‘choose’ to be a leader. Next is to
get the intention right!
Act and not react!
It is extremely important for each one of us to have a clear understanding of what is right or
wrong to us. Otherwise, one would be in a state of dissonance.
Note that such an understanding must be formed after clear self-reflection, and not
from other’s rulebook. In addition, our acts must not depend on others.
Examples of this are
1. I will not waste food irrespective of what others do.
2. I will treat all with humility irrespective of how they treat me.
3. I will help all without expecting anything in return knowing that many will not
help me in times of need.

Overcoming Emotional Weakness

For most of us, our minds are emotionally weak. It experiences a wide range of emotions like
hatred, anger, jealousy, irritability, joy, pleasure, etc. and is attached to these emotions,
people, and objects. The mind is especially weak when a girlfriend/boyfriend leaves the
person. In such instances, people suffer because they made a cognitive mistake by thinking
that the other belonged to them just like their own possessions. In a typical weak mind,
60,000 thoughts come to the mind on a single day. Such a mind has a tendency to dissipate
energy. When this mind is forced to focus on a single idea, the mind struggles to do multiple
things at the same time. For e.g. reading newspaper or novel in a running class.
E
If E is the total energy, energy per thought is = . This means that each thought
60000
has only 0.00167% of the total energy. Such is the experience of many of us. Imagine
yourself focussing 100% of your energy on one thought! You would create wonders…
Arjuna exhibited this when he was asked to target a fish. Such integration of energy is not
common and is attained through sincere and regular practice, and can achieve miracles.
Note that in all cultures there is a devil, or simply a manifestation of negative energy.
In Hindu scriptures, the teachings from the ‘Rishis’ on this have been misinterpreted. They
attempted to convey that the animal-like tendencies in us must be killed, and called this
‘pashu-bali’ (animal sacrifice). However, this was misunderstood and the humans started
beheading some animals to please the Gods!
TIPS:
 Live to become a manager so good that he/she rewards company by joining and
punishes a company by resigning. Earn a good reputation. In today’s times, the people
are well connected across the globe. A good or a bad name earned spreads very fast.
Thanks to so many social networking and professional networking websites. (People
who say one thing and do another are called hypocrites)
 Three stages of concentration: Awareness, Attention and Focus. The challenge we
face today is: can we focus without being greedy or attached?

 We must not judge a person, instead we should judge their behaviour, intention and
understanding (Recall “chase the ghost which possesses a boy, and not hurt the
boy!”). Poor understanding gives birth to wrong intentions, which result in misery-
producing or unethical behaviour. (Recall “if you are clear and you want to be happy,
why will you behave unethically?”) The root cause of this is lack of clarity.
Remember the process steps: Clear understanding, good intentions and
appropriate behaviour. Note that ‘will power’ is needed to turn ideas into reality!

 Loving a person satisfies the need of the other person. By ignoring the wants of a
person, the ego is not catered to. For example, a diabetic person ‘wants’ to eat sweets
but he or she ‘needs’ to diet on sugar. So, the doctor will not give her sugar (not cater
to wants), instead give her medicines (cater to needs). This is because the doctor loves
the person and not the ego.

Take the example of our Sir. He doesn’t get angry at us, but at our behaviour.
It is our responsibility to take this as an indicator of possible faulty understanding, and
fix it.

 As one begins to understand life more and more, one’s mind becomes clear and its
innate power is revealed. In such a strong mind, true love awakens. Emotional
weakness evaporates in the wake of true love. Then, one sees and teaches things
clearly, & loves everyone dearly; one feels complete, like a real leader.
Note that such love is without attachment and conditions; love is one’s very
nature. This implies that one would continue to love irrespective of hatred on the
other side. True wisdom and love can conquer all the perceived limitations!

 If we compromise today on anything in our life, chances of compromising tomorrow

increase! One who compromises is a weak person who keeps succumbing life. Using
intelligence one knows when to let go in order to conserve energy and when to
confront. One should not be opinionated i.e. hold rules rigidly as to what to do in
specific situations, rather be a free soul.

 It is difficult to for a guilty person to make eye contact with an honest person. People
tend to corrupt an honest person because they experience feelings of guilt. Such
people become very angry when they fail to do so (“if he will not succumb, I am a
bad soul”, and they cannot accept that). Actually, they become angry with themselves,
thinking and feeling that they themselves are bad. This is an important dynamic to
understand and try to be ethical and yet be wise and intelligent about it. We should
not judge others about their way of life in order to avoid being targeted by them. We
should focus on our path and our journey. In due course (within the span of a few
 years only!) we would become a shining example for all and would be able to inspire
many to follow us.

 That is the ‘spirit’!