Swami Vivekananda: Swami Vivekananda - The Manager Monk  

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Swami Vivekananda: Swami Vivekananda - The Manager Monk  

In an age when 30-something CEOs and VPs no longer surprise us and paradigms are busted each day, holding one's own at the workplace is a challenge in itself. One hundred and forty-one years after Swami Vivekananda was born, we need to evoke his vision and focus on the fact that life at the workplace can be much simpler and more fulfilling.

The Swami may not have been a student of management theory but the fundamental truths that he taught are invaluable in today's globalised workplace, where employees are often resentful of the relative success of others.

Talent cannot be hidden for long

Talk of cultivating a spiritual approach at the time of annual increments might give rise to cynicism among some, but it is in tune with Vivekananda's thoughts: "We find ourselves in the position for which we are fit... if one has some capacity above another, the world will find it out too... He who grumbles at the little thing that has fallen to his lot to do, will grumble at everything. Always grumbling, he will lead a miserable life... But that man who does his duty as he goes, putting his shoulder to the wheel, higher and higher duties will fall to his share".

No man can long occupy satisfactorily

a position for which he is not fit.

Wondering what the top bosses do with the astronomical sums they take home may be good for office chit-chat but it isn't of much help in getting to where they are. Vivekananda's analysis of how the hierarchy works can help us to assess our progress without regrets: "No man can long occupy satisfactorily a position for which he is not fit. By doing well the duty which is nearest to us, the duty which is in our hands now, we make ourselves stronger; and improving our strength in this manner we may even reach a state in which it shall be our privilege to do the most coveted and honoured duties in life and in society".

If we take a random look at those doing the "most coveted duties' - whether it is a Narayana Murthy or Amitabh Bachchan - we will find that they are people who did well the duty that was nearest to them at any given point of time; that is all that we need to do.

Equally, there is little sense in being aggrieved when one feels that some-one else has been elevated to a role beyond his competence. Even for the highest offices, the rule that 'no man can long occupy satisfactorily a position for which he is not fit' has held true repeatedly; it is not difficult to find instances of former prime ministers who have faded into obscurity. If a person is not equipped to handle a role and make a mark at the job, it does not take long for that to be obvious.

An organisational weakness is that issues are often soft-pedal-led when personal equations come into play. But Vivekananda advises us to put aside such hesitations where professional issues are concerned: "All combined efforts in India sink under the weight of one iniquity - we have not developed strict business principles". Business is business, and no friendship should be used to subvert this.

"Let the world say what it chooses, I shall tread the path of duty... Otherwise, if one has to attend day and night to what this man says or that man writes, no great work is achieved in this world," said the Swami.

His profound thoughts continue to inspire thousands even a century after his demise, though he lived for barely four decades. Stephen Covey might be the current must-read but Vivekananda could well lay claim to being the original proponent of the character ethic.

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See also: Swami Vivekananda, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)