Gandhi

GANDHIAN THOUGHT GANDHIAN THOUGHT FOR MODERN FOR MODERN MANAGERSMANAGERS

"Liberty never meant the license to do anything at will“ – Mahatma Gandhi

"Government of the people by the people and for the people cannot be conducted at the bidding of one man, however

great he may be." – Mahatma Gandhi

COMMON FACTORCOMMON FACTOR HR manager of a MNC - struggling to retain talent GANDHI - aiming for Independence by unleashing

the strength of ordinary people Both knew - goals they had set - were not easily

attainable. But both - had a clear vision & had reinvented tried

and tested strategies to tackle the situation. Gandhi knew - he couldn't fight the British with

violence HR manager realised - offering a bigger salary

wasn't enough to retain a talented employee.

HR MANAGER GANDHIstruggling to retain talent

offering a bigger salary wasn't enough to retain a talented employee

Aiming for Independence by unleashing the strength of ordinary people

couldn't fight the British with violence

Punkaj Shankar, Global Punkaj Shankar, Global Head HR &RMG, InfogainHead HR &RMG, Infogain

"An HR leader should lead by example. A true HR leader would practice ethics and beliefs with great conviction before expecting others in the organisation to follow. Gandhi was an excellent example of a leader who led from the front and practiced what he preached diligently. A seasoned HR leader does not wait for people to come to him/her with their problems but proactively works at the grassroots level with them to understand their concerns."

Gandhi’s moveGandhi’s move

Return from SA

Rally to Independence

Thought to enter Politics

Travelled across the country

Not an outsider

Sought co-operationTo make teams

Priya Ranjan, Director, HR, Bharti AXA Life

who strongly believes in the above analogy feels that a "Gandhigiri Award" that will seek to recognise employees who clearly demonstrate the principles of integrity, commitment, passion and respect for all should be instituted, says, "Leaders of today, both in the corporate world and outside, should not just pay lip service. Just like a great HR leader, he understood the pulse of the people and had his ears to the ground."

Shankar suggestions Shankar suggestions

1) 1) Adopt Gandhi's style of making even the lowest person in the organisation feel and believe in the importance of his/her contribution towards the ultimate goal,

2) Use the right leadership style. For ex, Gandhi advocated having leadership styles that were dependent on the circumstances. When Gandhi was in South Africa, he launched his protests in a suit and a tie and when in India, he used khadi

3) Understand the human psychology and usage of it along with public relation skills to make a right impact.

For instance, during Dandi march, Gandhi had to make a bigger impact to address issues and hence, didn't choose to march alone..

Ajit Menon, President Ajit Menon, President Organisational Development, Organisational Development, MudraGroupMudraGroup Persuasion & Perseverance are the two Gandhian

principles that can be used effectively to manage people in this changing environment

“Humans, per say, are resistant to change and as an organisation, if you believe in a philosophy, then you need to have the perseverance to see it through the organisation and persuade people to adopt it, by showing them the benefit. He believed in the philosophy of Ahimsa and it was through sheer persuasion and perseverance that made the entire nation adopt it,"

Dandi Yatra

Experts believe it epitomises the flawless people management skills of Gandhi.

It was the first of its kind when Gandhi took a 100 mile walk to protest.

In those days, walking for a political protest was totally unheard of. The innovation clicked with the Indian masses. First time, a leader reached the villages and involved them in a greater mission.

People used to walk for getting firewood, for getting water and for daily chores and now they were walking for freedom..

Abhay Valsangkar, Senior Director Abhay Valsangkar, Senior Director

– HR, Symantec Corporation– HR, Symantec Corporation Rising discontent amongst employees & check attrition in today'sEnterprises

1) Be a good team leader: His ability to drive home the cause of the nation and develop a sense of belonging in one and all, for the nation, acted as a cementing force in the masses. A team leader in any enterprise intends to achieve exactly the same, wherein, the project goals can be achieved by a disciplined methodology, as laid down by him

2) Be a good listener: The leader in him never lost the humility and he always listened attentively to all what people had to say. Similarly, a senior manager should always connect with everyone below his/her hierarchical level and listen to any concerns that they might have and duly address them.

Rajkumar D, Head HR, Rajkumar D, Head HR, Microland Microland

'No society, state or any other institution has any worth or importance apart from its part in contributing to the growth of the individuals of which it is composed'. "Translation of this would mean organisations should focus more on the growth of its people, which in turn will result in the growth of the organisation”

Bhavin Turakhia,Bhavin Turakhia,Founder and CEO Founder and CEO DirectorDirector

"The ability to set an appealing vision and strategy and to be able to communicate it effectively, together with a good grounding of knowledge, seems to make up our perfect leader. These qualities were core to Gandhi's personality"

Biggest Challenge

Not overthrowing British rule

Inspire Indians to fight for Freedom

Gandhi’s Gandhi’s fundamentals for fundamentals for changing the worldchanging the world

Change yourselfChange yourself

“You must be the change you want to see in the world.”

“As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world – that is the myth of the atomic age – as in being able to remake ourselves.”

You are in controlYou are in control

“Nobody can hurt me without my permission.”

What you feel and how you react to something is always up to you. There may be a “norm” or a common way to react to different things.

Forgive and let it goForgive and let it go

““The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”

“An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind.”

Fighting evil with evil won’t help anyone

Without action you aren’t Without action you aren’t going anywheregoing anywhere

“An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching.”

Without taking action very little will be done. However, taking action can be hard and difficult. There can be much inner resistance.

Take care of this momentTake care of this moment

“I claim to be a simple individual liable to err like any other fellow mortal. I own, however, that I have humility enough to confess my errors and to retrace my steps.”

“It is unwise to be too sure of one’s own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err.”

PersisPersistt

“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”

Be persistent. In time the opposition around you will fade and fall away. And your inner resistance and self-sabotaging tendencies that want to hold you back and keep you like you have always been will grow weaker.

See the good in people & See the good in people & help themhelp them

“I look only to the good qualities of men. Not being faultless myself, I won’t presume to probe into the faults of others.”

“Man becomes great exactly in the degree in which he works for the welfare of his fellow-men.”

“I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people.”

Be congruent, be authentic, be Be congruent, be authentic, be

your true selfyour true self

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”

“Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well.”

Continue to grow & evolveContinue to grow & evolve

“Constant development is the law of life, and a man who always tries to maintain his dogmas in order to appear consistent drives himself into a false position.”

You can pretty much always improve your skills, habits or re-evaluate your evaluations. You can gain deeper understanding of yourself and the world. Commit yourself to lifelong learning and continual improvement.