We also need Viveka & inner inspiration for ethics in governance & management

As elders, teachers, preachers, parents, whether we’re aware or not, we will be ultimately judged by the extent to which we’ve been able to guide society, to awaken Viveka and appreciate the necessity of being committed to fulfilment of all our respective duties and be inspired god wards; aka be a Karma Yogi.

As the educated citizens, like it or not, we’re mentors of society and nation; hence, it is our responsibility and accountability to create systems that can continuously inspire everyone to excel in work, so that in and thru our daily work itself, we may walk towards the higher dimensions of life.

We must remember and recognize that commitment to kartavya-palan is our age-old ancient tradition which modern systems have failed to inculcate in us! As Mentors, we need to reflect, discuss, strategize how we may inspire the young to awaken Viveka and learn to treat daily work itself as worship! Finally, even governance has now envisioned and accepted and directed that all public servants be trained to be Karma Yogi.

1. Where is excellence in India? We the literate, educated leaders of today, feel that we’re good but the uneducated workers and self-employed people are inefficient, lazy, unsystematic, idler.

Thankfully, we the educated are only about 8-10% and in organized sector. We are the parasites, sons-in-law, always seeking more and more! Just reflect on how wheat grown in Punjab reaches every small village, even in the smallest grocery shop in say a Kerala village? Only because we the educated ‘servants’ don’t handle it!

2. We must learn from common Indians at work, e.g., Housewife, mother /Moradabad brass-workers, craftsmen, handicrafts, carpets / sarees / weekly markets in Delhi; village & colonies / Lijjat Papad / Uduppi café / petty traders / newspaper delivery / diamond courier / Bombay dabbawalla / paanwala / pepairs walla / Wheat from Punjab reaches in Kerala village shop / etc.

3. Lesson – Sense of ownership makes us responsible! Traditional tradesmen, entrepreneurs, workers, owners, believe in the principle, ‘we are here to satisfy a ‘need’ of society; and ‘profit and wages are our compensation for service to society!

They’re aware that they’ve to fulfill their duties because payments are directly linked to results! They’re aware they’ve to ‘serve’ or no ‘money’. They have to learn all about the customer, and can handle all aspects – marketing, purchase, inventory, quality, customer satisfaction.

Even at home, aren’t we taking full responsibility and face full consequences of our work; all because we’ve a sense of ‘ownership’; and are therefore consciously responsible for the consequences of every action. The paradox is that while at home or as common workers in the workplaces we give our best, in the workplaces we’re given no ‘ownership’, nor are we trusted, and so we work as workers, employees, not ‘owners’.

4. Remember that people want to grow, because growth gives ‘fulfilment’. What opportunities can we give to our people for their growth? Within our area of control, what can be done to reduce waste, improve productivity? How can we T&D our people? How can I/we strive to improve things, be a problem solver, work for good of society?

A seed is potentially a ‘tree’ and trees become forests! Every person, even a common man has infinite potential; man is creative, innovative, can take on-the-spot decisions and find commonsense solutions! The uneducated learn to stand on their own feet! The theory of which a common man is unconsciously aware, says that “Each person has immense potential” and work and life is the opportunity to manifest more and more of our infinite divine potential; problem is to learn how to help manifest it thru selflessness and imbibing the spirit of Kartavya-palan.

We all want to ‘grow’ and manifest our potential, because ‘growth’ gives happiness, though we may not be consciously aware of it. So, as the senior, as a Mentor, we must consciously reflect, how can we help our people to grow in and thru their work itself… aka work as worship. People may lack self-confidence, self-respect; how to give them a sense of ownership, ‘freedom’ & ‘autonomy’ at work; we must build trust?

Today, in the organized workplaces we are given no ownership and are not trusted, treated as just a worker.

Householders and self-employed common workers, manifest their full potential because they’ve no managers, directors, bosses to please! They decide what is to be done, when, how, by whom and they learn on the job. They’re directly accountable and get paid only if they satisfy the customer; payments directly linked to efforts and results. And, they learn to adjust, adapt, accommodate to changes.

5. We need to reflect and awaken Viveka to plan how we seniors can be mentors in the organized sector in governance, administration, management, by giving a sense of ownership to people who work with us! A mother works for the family out of love. Father loves but also disciplines. A grandfather delegates and gives freedom and autonomy. Viveka says, not buy-sell ‘work’, but as mentors help people realize that kartavya-palan, selfless work as worship, transforms work into highest worship!