The Relationship Factor

Whilst technical ability is critical to excellence and success, if we look around, most people can reach a certain level of technical expertise, and it then often comes down to personal factors, or relationship that determine success. The strength and nature of relationship one has with those around, below and above them certainly has a bearing on success in the workplace. We will be better equipped to succeed in this field if we understand why the personal factor is important, and how we should manage it in a deep way that addresses it from its roots rather than symptomatically when we are forced to react.

Ask John what he thinks

I developed a strong working relationship with the person leading a particular transaction. I reported to him on a particular technical matter that he had mentioned was key to the deal. I was seeking his views on the relevance, and leveragability of this piece of analysis. At the very sound of the topic, without hesitation, he referred me to the person who was leading that area. The area was intimately interwoven with the deal success, and required a person very close to it to be able to see if a particular piece of analysis was relevant. After thinking about the situation some more, I realized that the individual looking after the area, would often help the leader on weekends taking care of DIY, and join in on social occasions, etc. The leader had an exceptional relationship with this individual, which was built on personal trust.  The certainty and assurance that he referred me to him with was exceptional. It was clear that the success of my analysis would be entirely down to the areas owners view, which would entirely inform the leaders view, and in turn, determine my success. When leaders find people they can trust, they often become entirely dependent on these individuals, and therefore these individuals become more pivotal to our success as those above them. This may appear bewildering, but once again follows a simple logic when the reasons are broken down.

Personal factor always comes through

What is it about the ‘relationship’ factor that makes it so important? Above and beyond functional, objective ‘operational units’ if you like, which are part of the many cogs in the corporate world, we are human beings; we are personal, we are not entirely robotic all of the time. Even the most robotic of people, will have a less robotic side at home with their family and children for example. This personal factor is so interconnected with who we are, it is what we essentially live for, that it can seldom be completely switched off. Therefore, whilst people try to remain objective in the workplace, the personal factor, in situations pumped with stress, pressure and volatility, will inevitably come into play in various ways. On one hand, we should try to build positive relationships through being genuine well-wishers for others, whist protecting ourselves from negative behaviours where these may exist as the often do. On the other hand, we should be very conscious of the influence of relationship in our own paths as these can often be very strong, and sometimes not necessarily objectives- this situation is called politics; where personal gain outweighs objectivity. Being conscious of these two dynamics will help us as we aim to progress both in technical and personal domains.

Power of relationship

The power of relationship can often outweight all other factors; which may seem illogical or impossible at times. We can take the example of the great King Ambrisha, of ancient India. King Ambrisha was a great devotee of the Lord, who never viewed himself as anything but an instrument of the Lord in giving protection to his people and helping them progress. The great sage Durvasa, an incarnation of Lord Shiva, once came to the King’s palace, and somehow uttered some offensive words to King Ambrisha speaking of his absorption in material activities. The King, being humble, did not take any offense at all, however, the Lord took offence at the untrue criticism of His devotee. The sage Durvasa was chased by the Lord’s powerful weapon, the Sudarshana disc. In fear, Durvasa muni tried to take shelter of many powerful demigods begging their protection, however, none were powerful enough to provide such protection. Finally Durvasa Muni came to the Supreme Lord, and begged His protection. Although He is unlimitedly powerful, the Lord explained that even He is actually completely helpless to protect him, and that unless he receives the forgiveness of King Ambrisha, he could not be protected by any force in the Universe. King Ambrisha had a powerful and deep relationship with the Lord. Durvasa muni humbly begged forgiveness, and of course, King Ambrisha who was not even offended, excused him of anything that may have been caused, and the situation was resolved.

Relationships are the essence of our being; they are essentially what we work and live for. If the dynamic of relationship has played a part in such monumental historical events, what to speak of in our dynamics today; of course they feature, and always will. Therefore, whilst we may be consumed becoming technically expert, and managing workloads efficiently, it is critical to success, that the dynamic of relationship is deeply understood and factored in to all our decisions.

Knowing the Importance

We know focus is the key to success, but what is the cause of focus? What makes focus successful? In order to dissect these important equations, it is important we break down the dependencies and understand them. Keeping things simple usually works well; and it is refreshing how the cause of focus comes down some very simple messages, which can lead to very powerful results, not just immediately, but even more so in the longer run.

Knowing the importance

Action requires and impetus to act. At 16.30 on Tuesday we got a warning message to go home as soon as possible due to a typhoon in the area. People left their work like I had never seen before. Before we knew it, most people had left the floor. Within a couple of hours, I could see debris flying up in front of my apartment window; and I am on the 32^nd floor. This was serious matter. As I stood by the harbour, a tourist from New Zealand came and asked me, Are we going to be ok? Will the buildings be able to stay standing? Over 600 trees had been uprooted, over 100 people were admitted to hospital, as Cyclone Vicente, the worst in Hong Kong for 15 years bought Hong Kong to a halt. What prompted the action to leave work? It was knowing the importance of the event which was to come. We should also note that knowledge of the cyclone helped people realise the importance of the necessary action. On the journey back, I had to wait 9 trains before being able to get onto one. When the doors would open each time, within perhaps 10-15 seconds the train would be packed and would need to leave. There were small arguments, and people were really concentrating on getting on, they were positioning themselves well in advance of the train arriving; they were focused, they were determined. What prompted their determination and focus? They knew and felt the importance of getting home on time very very tangibly, and therefore their minds were fixed, and their actions were in line with their priority. Knowing the importance of what we are doing, is the single most determining factor in cultivating focus.

Choosing the right type of action

I sat down with some of my bosses last week to discuss what the key qualities for a particular role we wanted to bring in are. I specified the technical areas quite quickly, and then asked them about the non-technical factors that were most important. They said, the person needs to be able to flag things according to the “real” priority, and that “not everything should be urgent and important.” This would be the make or break of that persons success. This comes down to prioritisation and consciousness. More importantly, how do we know we’re doing the right things? There are certain tasks we conduct that are strategic, which will not yield immediate results, but results over time, and there are other tasks which are operational and will simply keep you out of trouble, with a plethora in the middle of tactical tasks. If we are not aware of this range of tasks, and cannot identify, or differentiate between them, then we effectively lose control of our success. We can learn what is strategic, what is tactical, and what is operational in a number of ways; we can find out what is strategic is by finding out what the organisations seniors want to do; what direction they want to go in, and align ourselves with this using our discrimination and intelligence sharply; not just blindly. To identify what we need to do tactically, we can often learn this from slightly more experienced peers who can offer such advice, and looking at their example, and to determine what we need to do operationally, we just need to follow the guidebook so to speak. We will notice, most of this relies on receiving knowledge from some source. Once we then break a balance between activities in those three areas, and cultivate focus through knowing their importance, we will be powerfully positioned.

Keep on-guard

If we do not keep our focus when we have more time, we will tend to waste our time, and then we will be forced to focus, which does not make for a good balance. This is very much in line with the teachings of the Vedic scriptures, where the five year old son of the King Hiranyakashipu, Sri Prahalad, was explaining to his friends that it is very important to learn the science of devotional service from a young age, and not when you are very old and dysfunctional. He had exactly that in mind; the benefits of becoming enlightened early, and not waiting until a later age. In a similar way, we can follow this principle in the workplace; not taking advantage of having less pressure and procrastinating, but rather using this time wisely to strategise, to learn from others, and to replenish our intellect in many ways. To keep focused, requires a chain of events; we need knowledge of the categories of activity; strategic, tactical and operation, we then need to prioritise and balance these intelligently, and finally we need to continually be aware of the importance of this in order to be able to maintain focused and be undisturbed by those events that may distract us. If we do this, we will be content in each of the tasks we are doing, because we will know their place in the broader scheme.

Taking it on the chin

Failure happens

Businesses in Asia of late are going through much restructuring, wind-downs, carve-outs as the markets are in a state of uncertainty about what the future holds both short term and long term. This often means changes and challenges for their people. Sometimes we thrive in certain conditions, and sometimes we may even fail. The previous article was about handling “challenges” or “difficulties.” This article is about handling failure, or defeat, where there is nothing you can do about it. There are countless examples of great people who have fallen, Dick Fuld, the CEO of Lehman Brothers for example. Wherever there is a victor, someone or many people often have to lose. So failures may come in our lives. How do we handle not only difficulty and challenge, but failure?

Pacquiao's gracious attitude

Manny Pacquiao, Philippine boxer, undisputed world champion at 8 different weights, a feat that nobody has achieved in history, was declared the loser in his most recent bout in Las Vegas. When he went back to the Philippines, he was asked by some of the local media, the World Boxing Organisation is reviewing the decision as they say there may have been some discrepancy, and clearly there seems to have been, but are you not angry about the decision? He replied, Why should I be angry? Perhaps God wanted to show me something through this defeat. Perhaps He wanted to show me that you may have thought you’re such a great boxer, world record holder, but you can also be humbled. However, there is a lot to learn from his example. What is the difference between how he handled it, and how the vast majority of boxers handle such decisions? It is a gracious and intelligent attitude in defeat. As a result of using his intelligence, not being overly attached to his title, knowing there are higher things to learn in life than victory and loss in mundane activities, he decided to be gracious. This would have more likely than not resulted in him actually being happier in a tough situation than if he reacted in the way many others do.

Victory and nobility

In the days of ancient India, when seniors would give blessings, they would not say “vijaya bhavaha,”meaning “May you be victorious,” but rather they would say “vijaya vinaya bhavaha.” Vijaya means victory, and vinaya means nobility. May you be victorious and noble. In the past, it is not that before a war, one King would be given the blessing that may you be victorious, and the other King would be given a blessing that may you lose, and it would really work out that way. Both Kings would have had some well-wishers, both Kings would try hard, and both would very likely have been granted blessings of victory, however there is only one winner in a Battle. So noble behaviour, good values, culture, righteousness, were valued higher than purely victory or loss. According to the Vedic view, success at the expense of nobility, is not worth it, and therefore such a dual blessing would be given, that may both success combined nobility prevail.

Determination with nobility

What is the balance then between perseverance, and being gracious in defeat? If we should accept defeat graciously, then should we not try again? Of course we should, but it is all about our mentality, attitude or consciousness. Our efforts should be conducted in a mentality which is detached from the results, our focus should be on the quality and sincerity of our endeavour. This effort should of course be very mindful of the quality of our output, but should not be attached on the ultimate result, especially to the extent that we are completely devastated should we “experience defeat.” There is a big difference between being concerned with the quality of output, and being attached to the result- if we are mindful of this, naturally our sincerity will come through in the way we work and live our lives. We will be more inclined to behave in a higher consciousness with firm conviction of its value, and as a result we will be more robust, effective, and we will very likely experience more happiness and stability in our lives.

Excellence is a Habit

This morning there was a thunderstorm in Hong Kong. At 5am, I could see the taxi drivers driving very slowly. They never drive slowly in Hong Kong, it is the place where everything is 100mph. This circumstance forced the taxi drivers to slow down and go back to basics. In our careers we may experience times where there is a drastic change in circumstance, akin to a thunderstorm. The way we react will determine whether we survive the storm, or we succumb to it. The points below argue that the basics are always fundamental, although we notice their importance more in tough times.

Changing our strategy

At work, there are sometimes only a few chances given to you; how we react to failures can be critical. So what is the best way to react to failure or a setback? Go back to basics. Get the basics right. Do not let circumstances, emotional rollercoasters, ego dynamics, powerplays, etc distract you. Just simply go back to basics. Getting caught up in something else whilst you’re in a tough situation is very likely to take the boat further ashore. When the thunderstorm alerts went out, drivers went back down to the speed limits; often far slower in fact. They carefully signaled well in advance of turnings. They were checking their mirrors extremely diligently, and all in all, they survived. They went back to basics. When the skies are clear, it may be a different story and they go faster; when the path is clear for us in the workplace, the work you’re getting plays to your strengths, everyone co-operates nicely, there is proper recognition of efforts, and so on, certainly there is avenue to be more dynamic, however when the going gets tough, we must very quickly revert to getting the basics right.

Basics are fundamental

We can learn this example from spiritual life. Spiritual life teaches that whilst you’re in this world, you’re actually always in a very dangerous place. The potential to lose touch with our deeper identity is so much, that it is naturally a place of difficulty in that sense. Yes, there are spiritually safer places, but all in all, the principles of spiritual life teach us to keep alert. As for reverting to basics, spiritual life is founded entirely on “basics.” Chanting, reading, and associating with like minded persons are the A, B, C of spiritual life, and spiritual life teaches that never is there a stage where you are beyond these things. In fact, as one progresses, the depth at which they perform these tasks increases, not that they change their fundamental activities through advancement. The basic, building block activities become conducted with a deeper sense of realisation of their importance. This brings in the concept of being very robust. It is a basic requirement in the workplace that one must be self-organised and disciplined. We will generally find that most senior executives have a non-compromising attitude towards self-discipline. This is a core pillar of success, not only when the going gets tough, yes, this is when its need is most noticeable, but actually, to really build endured strength, such discipline over basic tasks should be there all the time.

Excellence is a habit

If we are to really take this point further, if we conduct our basics in a highly disciplined way, with no expectation of what may arise as a result, we will become even stronger. How is that? Because when we are removed from what the outcome is, there is less emotional attachment. With less emotional attachment we are less vulnerable to being disturbed from keeping the focus on performing the basics. The philosopher Aristotle famously once said that, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” Therefore, if we focus on the basics, and get better at performing them whilst growing, we can become truly excellent.

Yes sir?

The relationships we have with our supervisors, or seniors, or leadership, have an impact on our careers and our lives. Factors including our performance, the extent to which we shape our roles at work, the recognition of our efforts given to us, depend on these relationships. Given how much of our time is occupied in the workplace, which taxes on our physical, mental and emotional aspects, these relationships more often than not, have a bearing on our happiness also. It is therefore critical that some of the important dynamics of these relationships are studied.

"Getting it"

How often is it that our boss gives us some work we don’t really want to do? We know we gain nothing from it either short term or long term in terms of prospects or showing and developing certain skill-sets, but they give it to us. We may know it’s something that our boss needs to get done for themselves, and are using us to do it. Sometimes this is as far as we get in analysing the situation before frustration or anger creeps in. If one has a deeper understanding of the dynamics between a senior and a junior, they may be able to deal with the situation a little deeper and benefit from it rather than just become an angered victim. His Holiness Bhakti Tirtha Swami once spoke about different types of disciples, or juniors, in this situation. He described the lower calibre of disciples as simply being able to follow instructions, but not necessarily knowing the will of the master. The highest calibre disciple would of be not only readily willing to follow instructions, but deeper than that they know the will or desire of the spiritual master at a deeper level. Isn’t it often than the people who make it up by staying close to the top people, do so because they “get it.” This concept of “getting it,” in the spiritual context means to know the will of the spiritual master; above and beyond being able to follow instructions, they deeply understand the purpose and real deep desires. Even though spiritual progress and material progress are incomparable, there are certainly parallels we should be sensitive and receptive to, and try to learn from.

Think deeply before acting

Reacting rashly, defensively, or negatively to a suggestion from a senior is not the kind of dynamic exhibited by someone who knows the will of their boss and is in a relationship therefore where there is a well developed mutual respect. Such rash reactions exist where there is less of a high quality relationship, or where there are other dynamics of persuing exclusive selfish interests at play perhaps. His Holiness Sacinandana Swami said once that, even if your spiritual master says something that you don’t necessarily agree with, or think you can do, please don’t react angrily saying that you cannot do this so rashly. Adolf Hitler, whilst not at all exemplary in his political beliefs, certainly imbibed some very robust behavioural tactics; one of these was that when there was certain categories of shocking news, he said to his people, do not tell me immediately as soon as you find out, tell me after 12 hours. The reason for this was that after one comes to terms with something, puts it in context, it is often easier to communicate appropriately with the right context and emotion, however initially it can be very destabalising, and sometimes one can overreact. In the workplace also, if we have a bad day, we may think, oh I should quit. This reaction is driven by emotion often times, and it may not be strategically the best kind of mindset to imbibe. In the Ramayana, there are many incidents where there have been highly emotional situations that have prompted action; Bharat came to request Lord Rama to return to from the forest back to Ayodhya as King, however Lord Rama said it was his duty and word to stay in the forest. In those times, Janak Maharaj, vouched that “For a King, or a leader, duty is higher than emotion,” and therefore Lord Rama’s case for staying in the forest is higher than Bharat’s case to have Lord Rama return and installed as King.

So there may be times when we are in a situation where we feel like making an emotionally driven response, even to our seniors, however one should be very patient, think carefully, and really step back. After evaluating the situation from all perspectives, one should react. There is a very useful saying by Chanakya Pandit that if one is unsure, it is better not to act. In this way, we will be able to cultivate many qualities, including objectivity, centeredness, and patience. In doing so, these intermediary qualities can cultivate detachment. These are some of the qualities we actually see in people who are very successful, often materially as well as spiritually, and most of us have an opportunity to understand them better through practice in our daily experiences.

Handling challenges

Challenges will inevitably confront everyone who seeks something worthwhile. There are once again a few caveats for this article. Everyone is different, and therefore what may seem a challenge to one person may not be for another. Depending on one’s nature and aspirations, they will set themselves sometimes very different targets and have very different approaches. In either case, challenges will be there in the workplace and we will try to explore here the perceptions and attitudes that lead to our reaction to challenges, which can either enable or empower us, or indeed hinder us from progressing from the situation both spiritually and materially.

Work hard to seek out the solution

Let’s take our minds back to the days of battle in the Ramayana. After Lord Rama’s younger brother Lakshmana had been severely injured by Indrajit, Lakshmana fought Indrajit a second time the following day. Lord Rama’s camp, chief amongst whom were the might Hanuman, Vibhishana, Sugriva, Angand, Jambuvant, Nal, Neel and Hanumanji’s father Kesri, were all very conscious of the threat that Indrajit posed, having defeated all of the demigods including Indra, and having injured Lakshmana in their first bout. After hours of intense fighting and exchanges of ferocious weapons, Indrajit summoned the Shakti weapon, which then rendered Lakshmana completely unconscious. After hearing the celebration roars of Indrajit and his army, Lord Rama and His army, all in complete anxiety, ran where Lakshmana lay. Lord Rama was entirely distraught, inconsolable. He began to lament, saying that “You served me so unswervingly, you never slept as you would always serve, and I could not even save you, and here I am alive? How will I approach your wife my dear brother, and explain to her that in order to save My own wife, I was unable to save your husbands life? How will I go back and approach your mother? Please call out to me like you always do! O Brother! Why will you not call me?” Tears streamed down Lord Rama’s face as He held and looked at His brother. In this situation, just imagine the sentiments of the chief members of Lord Rama’s army. Sugriva, when he was devastated, having had his wife stolen from him by his brother Vali, came to Lord Rama and surrendered. Vibhishana, when he was abolished from Lanka came to Lord Rama and surrendered. Everyone was surrendered to Lord Rama, and here Lord Rama, the only resort for those who were inconsolable, was inconsolable. What would they do? Of all of the members of Lord Rama, Sri Hanumanji spoke, “Are we all going to simply watch this and not try to find a solution to help Lord Rama?” Vibhishana, also in tears replied, “There is a solution, but there is no point mentioning it as it is impossible.” Hanuman at once said “Nothing is impossible with Lord Rama’s grace, please tell me what it is.” Vibhishana explained firstly that no one has survived the Shakti weapon, but that there is a ayurvedic doctor in Lanka, which is impossible to get into now, and he would need to bring the doctor, who would need to be willing to help, which is impossible as he is a servant of Ravana, he would need to assess Lakshama, identify a cure if at all possible, which would likely involve an almost impossible task of getting ingredients for a remedy, and then the remedy would need to work. Hanuman, consequently begged the tearful Lord Rama’s blessings and set off to Lanka. He was consequently successful and the entire operation was a success. Just imagine the challenge faced by the core group Lord Rama’s army; Lord Rama had never shown such signs of morose after battle had commenced. Just think how much faith Hanumanji had in the Lord, that He even trusted in that situation, that by Lord Rama's grace, there could be a solution, when even the Lord Himself was not hopeful! Hanumanji is the epitome and top most example of dasya-rasa, or the relation with the Lord, as His servant. Whilst nobody has ever nor will ever compare with this example of complete willingness to serve as Hanumanji, the learnings can certainly be meditated upon carefully, absorbed, and applied in our lives.

Our perception of the challenge

When striving for something, we will inevitably face some form of challenge. We must have heard that the most important factor is how we react to the challenge, and surely this is true. But, have we thought about what forms our response? Our perception of the challenge, which is borne from our attitude, will form the basis for our reaction. If our attitude is that the workplace is full of maya, then our perception will be that it is not worth it, and then our thinking faculties naturally will not be as creative or positive. If we think, these people are all full of greed and passion, why should I get stuck up in their ambitions through all these challenges? Better that I just withdraw and settle for whatever result comes from it, then it is likely we will not be so engaged in addressing the situation. Now, whatever the other people may be like, whatever their motives may be, we have chosen to be in the field, and this article is aimed at addressing being effective in the field- selecting a relevant field is for another time. Hanumanji enthusiastically inquired to seek out a solution, if our attitude is that we are keen to serve and help, knowing that anything is possible with Lord Rama’s blessing, we can aim to assist in a very objective way, which is also detached because we are aware that ultimately the result will not be down to us. This will likely be very different from the attitudes of many others, and automatically sets us aside. Krishna Consciousness is more about the attitude and the endeavour than the result so we must try our best to be detached, not become so unnecessarily involved in judging others, and strive sincerely with committment, for the best outcome. We should not be attached to enjoying the result of our work- that is a big differentiator that can immediately set one aside in your attitude, and it is visible. It is astonishing how when we adopt this mindset, the results will come. Why do results come if we are detached whilst in the service of the Lord? Because who is qualified to possess something? Someone who knows that God is the true owner, is qualified because he or she will not misuse those things. When we are detached, we are also willing to strive very hard in the service of the Lord. In this way, Hanuman was endowed with so much power that he could have even killed Ravana himself if he wanted, because he never misused it because he knew this was the promise of the Lord.

Thinking outside the box

One of the biggest differences between experienced people and inexperienced is that experienced people keep the goal firmly in front of mind and also think outside the box on how to achieve the goal. When Hanumanji arrived at Lanka, he had a number of goals, or services in mind. He needed to give Sita Devi the ring from Lord Rama, he wanted to show the enemy Lord Rama’s armies prowess, and wanted to size up their army and get a feel for the kinds of style and formations they would use. Not only did he achieve his objectives, but did so in great outside the box style! By setting fire to Lanka, and flying past it, it was monumental and remembered by all. Now of course, or challenges are different, but in relation to handling challenges, the principles we can learn and apply from Hanumanji of not giving up, trusting in the unlimited power of God and His great devotees to inspire and empower us, and most importantly being very willing to do what it takes to make it happen.

Truth always triumphs

Dilemma can be a cause of inaction. Such inaction caused by uncertainty on how to act, can lead to despondence, which over time hinder us from building positive momentum in our undertakings. That ‘s all from an external perspective; in terms of what the world sees. It is driven by internals; internally dilemmas can lead to us being unsure, and not having mental fixedness or equilibrium. Therefore, it is recommended that we do what we can to remove doubts, dilemmas, and uncertainty from the paths of progress in our lives. In the workplace, should we act morally? If so, how morally? When should we act morally? These doubts can be eased through exploring with intelligence some examples, themes and consequences.

Highly complex environment

The workplace is often a volatile place, full of so many different ambitions, motivations, characters, and is rarely short of drama because of the bringing together of all of this. It is full of very different people; so many archetypes, so many layers of management, peer pressure at times to conform a certain way, and not least, competition. In this web of dynamics, the most successful people in progressing have more often than not, been very conscious in how they go about maneuvering through understanding of dynamics and having a brand and style that works in that environment. His Holiness Keshava Bharati Das Goswami said that “whenever you have more than one person in a room, you have a political situation.” What governs peoples behaviours is such a range of things; from pride, to desire to differentiate themselves, to desire to be content, to sometimes even stop others from progressing in order to protect ones interests either individually or collectively. At any one time, the underlying drivers for one’s behaviour will tend to change, and therefore it becomes increasingly difficult to understand and therefore interact in an informed way, with people. The environment, can be very opaque- are they lying or are they telling the truth? It’s sometimes difficult to know. Because it is hard to understand, and sometimes people in it are driven by selfish motives, it can be a challenging environment to maneuver in. The inability of people to understand the nature of such dynamics and move intelligently can be a huge limiting factor- how often do you see people who work extremely hard, so sincerely, for so many years, yet do not progress as much as others who don’t perhaps work as hard, but can maneuver in a more conducive way to progressing? So I hear some devotees say it is karma, but karma also has a way of manifesting itself, it does not simply present the result. There is a dynamic that enables the results to manifest. In the spirit of seeing the world through the eyes of scripture, we should try to be conscious of these dynamics so we can continue to affirm our understanding through direct experience rather than remaining ignorant and dismissive about it all. Srila Prabhupada said, “Be conscious, then be Krishna Conscious.” We will find in fact, it is more difficult to be Krishna Conscious if we are not first conscious of what we’re dealing with.

Satyam eva jayate - Truth always triumphs

Arjuna stood in front of the battlefield, ready to fight, with no desire for personal gain. Yuddhistirra Maharaj lamented on the throne of Hastinapur that so many people died, so that he could be King. These great souls were not selfish. They did not want anything for themselves. They were free from the desire to enjoy things for themselves. They did not want to succeed at the expense of others. The reason for their success was beyond their own ‘ambition’ or determination to ‘do well’ in their field. The reason for their success was due to acting with a higher moral goal, which was actually for the benefit of every single person involved, ultimately even those who lost. Their power and inspiration therefore came from the supreme source of morality- Krishna. After the battle of Kurukshetra; Lord Krishna asked Arjuna to step down from the chariot first. Arjuna politely said, ‘No, you please step off.’ Krishna insisted Arjuna step off first. After Arjuna, followed by Krishna stepped off the chariot, the chariot, crumbled to the ground into small shattered pieces of ash. Arjuna was amazed. He asked Krishna what happened. Krishna replied, “That chariot was only intact because of My being on it. It would never have survived the attacks of warriors like Bhishmadeva, Dronacharya, Karna and the other kuru warriors if I had not been there.” It may seem that the people who act sharp, sometimes undermining others, getting a sneaky one in every now and again- it seems they win. They progress. It’s quite evident in fact. If you don’t play the game, if you don’t get in there with the right people, it’s very difficult to make it. However, if this is done at the expense of higher values, for some short term result, according to the Vedic scriptures, whatever benefits may come from it, will be short lived. In other words, it is simply not worth it. The term “selling your soul” is sometimes used in this context when people give up morals for some materialistic target. Many have proven that truth is always victorious; none better than the example of Arjuna above.

Applying true morality

Sometimes in scripture it says that lesser principles can be overridden for higher principles. For example, it would be ok to lie if it was going to save someone’s life. In fact, speaking the truth in that situation would be morally worst than lying. On the other hand, it is said that being truthful is a virtue that should not be sacrificed. One of the great Bhishmadeva’s teachings was that “The entire Universe rests on truth.” So, how to go about practicing such a principle in the workplace? There are a number of guiding principles that may help in this dilemma. You may be surprised by how much good sticking by good old-fashioned truthful principles of honesty, willingness to serve, being committed, looking out for others, will help you in progressing right to the top in your workplace- am not saying this should be the goal for everyone by any stretch, but illustrating that there is certainly not a contradiction in pursuit of success and morality. The most successful leaders also acknowledge it. They even write about it. In the books of Stephen Covey, the worlds best selling author today on leadership you will not find him telling you that to be successful you need to have complete mastery of politics and need to be deceitful and always guard yourself from others. He speaks of good, old-fashioned moral principles- which work. Many of these are the same principles that the Vedic scriptures talk about in far more depth, and completeness from personal and worklife angles both. This is not as simple as becoming a yes-man, always telling the truth, etc. Arjuna was intelligent, he was not blind. He was not naive. We must use our intelligence sharply, but must always trust in the power and importance of morality. Acting morally will bring self-satisfaction. Acting immorally will not only bring about a bad taste in the mouth- but you’ll always have to look over your shoulder to check for what will “come around.” Over time of practicing this, one who becomes fixed in this sense of morality in the workplace, will begin to see their work as a service more and more, and will therefore derive deeper satisfaction and realisation rather than resentment towards it. We should try to keep at the forefront of our minds, that it is not only about maintaining our families, paying the bills, etc, yes that is there, but we should try to shift our thinking that the work and progress should be done for even higher causes than all of this, then it can be extremely progressive for us.

Devotion results in Action

How we should go about balancing work and devotional life is an area that no doubt occupies a lot of time in the spiritually inclined persons mind before they begin their life in the working world and during it. How to break the balance between i) accepting it as one’s duty and therefore committing fully to it, and ii) knowing that it is of highest importance that we take care of our spiritual practices, our families, and the other spiritual related responsibilities we are required to as responsible people within broadly the varna-ashram framework. This article aims to provoke thought and perhaps change the paradigm slightly to help us get perspective on a very important long term core part of our lives.

Importance of getting this right

Many spiritually inclined people are in the working world. They are not renunciates, or monks. They are family people, most of which do not live on farms to maintain their livelihoods and engage in devotional service in this way. Most of the society is in the working world, in some profit making organisation. These businesses are driven by making profits for the board, for the shareholders, and arguably in increasingly unethical ways, Barclays Libor and Eurobor fixing allegations this week for example. Spiritual life encourages truth, prioritisation of thinking of Krishna, fairness, dedicating most of one’s time engaging in devotional service. The corporate world on the other hand, generally, encourages dedicating one’s time, energy, and even social life, to the company and its doing well. So who can blame a devotee for viewing the two as opposing forces? Of course this would be a natural sentiment. Doesn’t this sound similar to Arjuna’s countless arguments, based on scriptural injunctions, not to fight? We do not have Krishna here to give us the answer in as direct a way as He was 5,000 years ago, but we can certainly consult with the triangle of guidance of senior devotees, and the scriptures combined to find the balance that is right for us.

Everyone is different

A huge caveat for this article and its implications is that everyone is different, has different level of ability to tolerate different levels of non-spiritual environment without succumbing to it, everyone has different skillsets and inclinations to very different fields of work, and different emotional and mental makeup and conditioning which causes one to feel better situated in certain environments over others. Whilst this is true, and should always be considered very important, it should not be used as a ‘cop out’ in not sincerely trying to do the best we can in our individual situations.

Living two lives is difficult

If we view spiritual or devotional life and work life as two entirely opposing forces, it will be naturally challenging for us to remain in a similar consciousness in both. Where do we spend more of our time? On the mat in front of the spiritual parapherneila and serving the Lord directly, or at our desks in front of the laptop writing reports, in meeting rooms discussing work and on the London transport systems going to and coming from work? For 9 people out of 10 in the working world, suffices to say that the answer will be the latter. So we must find ways to raise our consciousness at work. HH Bhakti Vidya Purna Swami said “If it works, its Vedic”. If people are getting promoted at work based on their relationships and alignment with the companies vision (which is like inquiring from seniors) work their doing (which is like rendering service to their seniors), then there is clearly operation of a Vedic principle, and is of course a perverted reflection of the true spiritual principle in relation to spiritual advancement, but nonetheless it is in operation in its perverted form. Unfortunately, often times, we don’t see it like that; we see it as people “sucking up,” “getting in there,” and then “working like slaves,” which further creates conflict in our minds about devotional life and working life. So we sometimes try to stay aloof from work, just do what’s necessary and get out, minimise our efforts without understanding the deeper dynamics at play and making the connections with the spiritual principles, and viewing the world through the eyes of scripture, being shastra-chaksus. Naturally, such a removed and aloof mentality, if done out of a sense of fear, may make us less effective at what we do. There may be a broader collective implication that may be the result of feeling the need to be very removed from our jobs and responsibilities at work. Srila Prabhupada when asked what his biggest concern was by one disciple, said that the devotees are not afraid enough of maya. This is certainly very applicable in the working environment, where if we get too absorbed in working so many hours, at the expense of our sadhna, going out with colleagues under the name of networking, there is certainly a danger of falling in this trap. However, if we are very very conscious of what we are doing, very strategic, very grounded, and sincere in trying to progress in our spiritual lives at the same time as working sincerely, Krishna will surely help us in a way we can relate to.

Being sincere and smart

Hanumanji and Arjuna are two exemplars representing sincerity to serve and the tact and wit or smartness to be able to operate to execute the tasks at hand. HH Radhanath Swami explains that when Hanumanji entered the palace of Ravana, which was opulent beyond imagination, he did not think, oh what a terrible environment, so materialistic, I need to get out of here as soon as possible. Rather he thought, how incredible this opulence of Ravana is, if he only engaged it all in the service of Sri Rama, he would be the greatest devotee in the world! When we go into work, what is our mentality like? This is all nonsense, or is our mentality more inclined towards Hanumanji? Arjuna similarly engaged his military prowess in ultimately being very successful on the battlefield. Perhaps we should keep asking what this means for us rather than to continually withdraw and render work as a “necessary evil”. HH Keshava Bharati Maharaj said that devotion is required in anything, including at work. This statement has immense implications. Devotion does not mean to just want to get out of the place as soon as possible. Nor does it mean not to want to spend any time to understand what needs to be done and sincerely try to help or serve. Have you ever had a situation where someone is trying to make you do something, and you don’t want to do it? When you resist, what happens? Don’t they try to get you to do it even more, knowing that you will try your best not to do it? The people at work, trying to get their promotions, or make more profits have a high degree of conviction and even power to some extent. They can make you spend longer at work, give more of yourself. This can lead to one feeling overwhelmed, and becoming resentful of work. Isn’t this the state of affairs with most people even aside of devotees? Why do people look forward to long weekend, and holidays? Is it not partially if not mostly because they don’t have to go to work? It is very simple a dynamic to understand; the more we are resistant to something, afraid of something, the more there will be a conflict and the stronger force will win. When we are being paid by the people at work in an environment that is driven by financial rewards, it is clear whose side has the power. So it is far more sensible to be very intelligent, and engage meaningfully and with genuinely try to understand and serve, whilst being shastra-chaksus, without being afraid or disengaged. The very outcomes that we are afraid of, such as spending too much time at work, having unrealistic demands from our bosses, are far more likely to manifest if we approach the situation with this fear. If we are confident, confident in Krishna’s protection being there if we behave sincerely, and therefore being fearless, this is far more likely to be successful and is encouraged in scripture in many places.

We can learn from anywhere

Srila Prabhupada once visited a doctor, and had gone with his disciples. The doctor advised that he should spend “less time praying and should spend more time walking.” His disciples suggested that Srila Prabhupada need not listen to such advice. However, Srila Prabhupada then began his morning walks, and said to his disciples very famously that “we can learn from anywhere.” We must discriminate where we learn from and Srila Prabhupada’s teachings will always be the most spiritually superior teachings in this age compared with any. In HH Bhakti Vidya Purna Maharaj’s Gurukul in Mayapur, there is a martial arts area, a very traditional one. It has a punching bag, and on the wall is a picture of the lineage of Thai Boxing teachers, one of which comes to the gurukul to teach. It is very obvious, if we want to learn about a field, we must ask the people who are expert in that field. There are a number of domains that must be addressed if we are to be effective in the working world and in most fields actually. These include time management, stakeholder management, communication, visioning, managing the quality of our work, determination and so on. One could argue we need many of these in spiritual life also, and they are certainly not contrary if gone about in the right way. Developing these in the right way can help us manage our engagement in the working world, be more conscious, and if done properly, can certainly help us progress in spiritual life. HH Bhakti Tirtha Maharaj, in his books on Leadership for an Age of Higher Consciousness, and HG Bhuta Bhavana prabhu more recently in his seminars on contemporary leadership from a Vedic perspective help us to make these connections better, and illustrate that it is not only possible, but achieves many wonderful outcomes. In the coming weeks, I intend to share on some of the more detailed dynamics in the working world, certainly to help myself be more conscious, and hopefully help others in sharing.