With Great Responsibility comes Great Power

The Concorde Club

After returning from a two day trip to India the primary topic of conversation amongst the team was work, with a close runner up being luxuries. It made for a very interesting set of observations. The discussions started with the quality of lounges in Hong Kong, then in India, then the rest of Asia, and then the Middle East, and then the rest of the world. We then moved onto airlines, and airline clubs, and then to the tiers of membership within those clubs. We then went to many of the additional benefits one gets as they progress, namely having a couple of square feet extra space, a personal member of staff to serve you and bring you what you want, and a number of prestigious credit cards. As one becomes more senior, they will tend to have better facility available should they choose; and most do, and it does not by default mean the people are bad people at all - values has nothing to do with whether a person is rich or poor, in first class or economy - in fact there are some very humble people in my experience in luxurious lounges, who are often far more considerate than some at the other end of the plane – it is all to do with how we view and use the things at our disposal. The problem arises when people with opulence and power misuse it and become absorbed in their own apparent greatness; this is a problem because it very likely an inaccurate view of reality in the bigger context, and secondly it will very likely bring disappointment as not everyone in the Universe will recognise such self-recognised greatness. Groundedness, and alignment with good values will help us to be in touch with reality, will help us be very strong; and this is not just a nice to have – in an environment where groundedness and values, whilst not non-existent, are often rare and easily compromised- we should be very bold, strong and determined so that these values can prevail. What follows are some related accounts in what the lack of values and self-centerdness can lead to, verses what values can lead to.

Excuse me???

The Vedic teachings tell of one of the original progenitors of human civilisation called Prajapati Daksha. Praja means the people, and Pati means Lord. He was therefore a very esteemed person, respected by even the demigods. His daughter had married Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva is a very unique personality, and increasingly even today photos of him are in yoga studios all over the world in deep meditation wearing very simple items of clothing and covered in ash, and he is seen as an embodiment of devotion, deep detachment and focus. The daughter of Prajapati Daksha, called Sati, married Lord Shiva. She was extremely beautiful and amongst her description it is described that she had eyes like those of a deer cub. Once there was a large sacrifice taking place, to which all of the demigods were invited. Lord Shiva and his wife were also present. When Prajapati Daksha entered the arena, he was offered complete respects by all of those in the arena except by Lord Brahma, and Lord Shiva. Lord Brahma was his father, and therefore etiquette had it that Prajapati Daksha offer his respects unto his father. Withstanding that, Lord Shiva did not pay his respects; this was completely unintentional as Lord Shiva offers respect to everyone being completely transcendentally situated, but was more by accident, and by higher arrangement. Prajapati Daksha became furious. Here were the most powerful personalities in the Universe, paying their respects, and his son-in-law, did not. Radhanath Swami explains in this connection that ‘For one who is accustomed to being honoured, dishonour is worst than death.’ In the infamous gang cultures today, in interviews, gang leaders and drug lords more often than any other answer, cite “respect” as the cause of murders. Prajapati Daksha, who was otherwise a highly evolved and cultured being, began to unload countless insults unto Lord Shiva in the presence of everyone. The story continues, and this ended up to be the cause of his eventual downfall to a very very humbling material position in which he returned to Lord Shiva with folded palms. The Srimad Bhagawatam concludes on this that “Although the six qualities of education, austerity, wealth, beauty, youth and heritage are for the highly elevated, one who is proud of possessing them becomes blind, and thus he loses his good sense and cannot appreciate the glories of great personalities.” It is therefore so important that no matter what our material circumstances and success may be, that we remain firmly grounded and keep reminding ourselves that each time any success comes.

With great responsibility comes great power

Here we argue that whilst Spiderman had the great saying that ‘With great power comes great responsibility’, and whilst this is certainly true, the converse is also often true. If we take responsibility, i.e. being able to respond positively and responsibly, we will actually attract great power. Arjuna was one such example, who at one time had everything at his disposal, he was highly esteemed loyalty, with great palaces, and even large chambers just for thinking. But there was a substantial difference between his possessing this, and President Mugabe for example, who today possesses a very luxurious residence. Some of the essential differences lie in values and mindset. Arjuna was noble, truthful, benevolent towards others, he did not think he owned these things, rather that he had been given them by the grace of God to be used in the service of God and others. It certainly may be questioned whether such values exist in many people with opulence today. Arjuna’s values bought him power. Lord Krishna even declares in this regard that wherever Arjuna is and wherever He is, there will certainly be opulence, victory, extraordinary power and morality. So these values and devotion in Arjuna actually attracted opulence, and power. We should therefore certainly aspire to i) be successful , ii) with a higher consciousness, and not give up in either regard. In fact, if we are inclined towards higher values, and decide to give up, what will this make for? Those with less regard for values will come to power. We are influenced by our leaders, and often times in the workplace we subconsciously take on the mood of our leaders to some extent, and sometimes even need to in order to progress. If therefore, as people aspiring towards values driven leadership, we are not successful, we are actually paving way for a landslide in the other direction in the years to come. Whilst we may not align in every way with the rock band, Manic Street Preachers, their lyrics "If you tolerate this, then your children will be next," may be very useful when remaining determined to uphold essential in our workplaces and communities.

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.

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.