The Good, The Bad & the Ugly: How Our Motivation Matters

The role of intent

What is the difference between murder and man-slaughter? Intent. Only intent. How we prove intent is one of the biggest topics in court and leads to hundreds of thousands of man/hours worth of work and millions of dollars worth of legal fees. I recall watching the live OJ Simpson trial when he was accused of double murder of his then wife Nicole Brown Simpson, and waiter Ron Goldman. The OJ Simpson documentary OJ: Made In America’ Oscar-Winning Documentary shows how there are often times multiple external facts, multiple actors in the situation, but what the concern is around, is the one single motivation.  

 

We choose our principles, often very early in life

Being asked about corporate values earlier this week, and specifically which ones stood out most and mattered most, it’s not a topic many people spend much time dwelling on earlier in their careers especially, and understandably so since there are many other motivations that may take priority i.e. reward, technical content, nature of work, etc. In terms of values; each individual will have their own values, since almost birth and ways of behaving and operating. If these coincide or overlap with corporate values, it’s just a happy coincidence, but it’s not easy to one day dream up a set of values and force people to change to imbibe these; whatever the company or context may be.

 

Certain "values" are needed for any type of success; these aren't a big deal

The response to which values are most important, can only partially be answered. There are values that are secondary, and values that are primary. Primary values are the most important; do you really care about others? Do you want what is best for others? Are you thinking selfishly or selflessly? Secondary values are things like “teaming”, “thinking innovatively” etc. These, even people who don’t have good motivations, can do. Hitler teamed, Hitler thought innovatively. Never believe that seeing certain values implies a good deeper motive. Secondary values aren’t something to be so proud of, in isolation; they can be calculatingly attained, for manipulative and ulterior purposes. To be "successful", such values are used in execution 9 times out of 10. There can be people who externally may not appear successful, but they have the core values right; this is what matters in the grand scheme, and not how much of a balance a person may have notched up. It's easy to see when this is the case; the emphasis will be on how we can all achieve our potential in our own ways according to our own nature and abilities, rather than how I can be successful at the expense of others.

 

I’ve been fortunate to have had leaders and mentors in various fields, who have set wonderful examples with their values, and also those who really haven’t. As time goes by, and we define what governs the way we choose to operate and the type of people we prefer to surround ourselves with in order to grow, it’s always nice to compare and contrast approaches, and really understand what we value and aspire to imbibe.

 

Whatever our situation, greatness is having a simple heart. Radhanath Swami

 

 

Fame, Leadership & Incentives: giving the dog a bone

When back in the UK, I had time to people-watch more than usual. Once when I was in a park, I was watching a dog owner with a short piece of bark, waving it in the air, pretending to throw it. The dog jumped up in harmony with the direction of the bark, trying to do its best to anticipate the direction it was being thrown in. The dog was swaying majestically, sometimes mid-air, its eyes fixed on the bark. When the bark was thrown, the dog at full pace, athletically built, ran, caught the bark, and bought it back to its owner. In the same park, I later went to feed the pigeons, and ducks. From being on one side of the pond, or perched on one tree, they would selectively gravitate towards where the food was being distributed. After they had enough, they stopped moving in that direction, and continued their activities.

 

At the airport, we often see a section of shelves full of books on business, economics and self-development etc; mega-trends for even the next 20, 30, 40 years sometimes. People are often hungrily looking for ways to fulfil their incentives. Whether this is to become President of a country, or in the form of money. The swaying of the dog, is called understanding the market, the running is called execution. The recent corporate scandals, continue to amaze many. However, even as mature as adults seem, their behaviours are extremely comparable, often times the same, as animals and children; although manifested in a slightly different way. Yet humans have a big superiority complex, and tend to put ourselves at the front of the queue in terms of what the Earth provides for example.

Recently when teaching children, I’ve found it important to recognise when others are ready to lead. This is important on many accounts; including for growth and encouragement of the individual; and helping pass knowledge. Sometimes we see when people are handed responsibility, the ego kicks in quickly, and their lack of ability to maintain a balanced and selfless consciousness, results in various forms of abuse of power. If leaders incentivise shows of power and fame over and above valuing human values such as humility, truthfulness and compassion; we will have a fast growing momentum going in the wrong and a very dangerous direction. In such scenario, there may be much success also, but it will tend to come at a steep price either now or in the future. It is better to sacrifice such success if there is little confidence in the current values, and ensure that fundamental values are secured and maintained. Then success will come with meaning and depth, attractiveness, inclusion, substance, and longevity. Jumping up and down at incentives that are flashed at us on a daily basis, without ensuring human values are first and foremost prioritised, doesn’t show a trajectory to fulfilling the potential and values that human minds and brains have been designed for.

“Wasting time is one thing, but wasting your life is another thing.”

His Grace Chaitanya Charan Das

 

 

Importance of the Next Generation

Importance of the Next Generation

When Lord Rama was sent to gurukul, his teacher was Vasishta Muni, a renowned and very wise sage, said to his students, please do not take on my bad qualities, and please accept any good qualities I may have. This was his humility, and that too, fitting for a great sage, and in the context of great students. Srila Prabhupada, a great teacher of the essence of the ancient Vedic principles particularly in the West, had a disciple who was a particularly talented artist. One day he was speaking to this disciple, and he said, “I can write, but you cannot write. You can paint, but I cannot paint. Let’s work together in Krishna’s service.” Whilst these examples are fundamentally spiritual in their objectives, when principles are extracted from such perfect scenarios, when even a small effort is made to apply them in the situations and contexts we are in today, the results can be astounding. As part of arranging a nicer situation, one should take stock of where they lack; even if it may not be ability, but simply time, and engage others according to their inclinations. This requires introspection, awareness, and an interest in others. Only then can one successful expand something.  The Vedic system has always placed emphasis on the training of the future generations. We see in both the Ramayana and Mahabharata, the great King’s, Queen’s, families, would take keen interest in the next generations upbringing. This is very important. A few weeks back, we held an event, and rather than inviting another senior speaker to say some words, we decided to have the youth speak. With some training, they were able to engage their energy positively to great effect. The result was simple; inspiration for the current generation, and promise for the next.
 

Unless we aim high, values may not be necessary

If someone sets low targets, then they don’t need discipline; they don’t need to abstain from certain things, they can be lax, and still come through. If we are striving for high goals, in whatever field; then we will need discipline; we will need regulation; we will need continual inspiration and encouragement from those better than us. When people strive high, and do things in the right way, they will need certain values. As one of the students pointed out to me today, the only place you can find success before work, is in the dictionary. In order to work, we need to be regulated. In order to repeat success many times, if we want to deeply understand the principle, we will need humility. UFC legend, and welterweight champion, Georges St-Pierre is a great example of humility and success. He openly posted a video of him trying to do a one-armed pull up. He said, I cannot do this, I do not have the power, but if someone can, then please show me and with your help, maybe I can learn. Earlier this weekend, I was fortunate enough to spend some time with the Chief Executive of Hong Kong Rugby Union to discuss a few things. In addition to that role, he is one of the head coaches for the Hong Kong Youth Team, and often has the likes of Martin Johnson alongside to train with them to impart his knowledge and experience. He shared that, we try to make them better people through rugby, and that he firmly believes they do become better people. He said when they lose, they should learn to lose with humility, and congratulate the winning team humbly. When they win, they should be humble and tone down any celebrations, and console the other team. His words were those of deep experience, not only of the greatness of such values, but also of the dangers of not having such values. In extreme scenarios and situations, with positive advice, comes implicit warning in not heeding the advise. So goals should be set high; even if we may not achieve them, the transformation that will happen to us in the process, will yield values that we would never imagine could be cultivated if we had set the bar lower.

Action & Destiny

The question is often asked whether we determine our fate, or whether pre-determined by destiny. The word 'crises' is often used when factors beyond our control come into play, and factors accelerate beyond expectation or control. On the contrary, we do seem to have an ability to maneuver, to act, to decide etc, which does influence and shape our future. There is often times a tug of war in ones mind over what is within ones hands, and what is beyond our control. How a leader views this dynamic will determine how responsible the leader is, and how well a leader learns.

Quicker through the Traffic

I was recently walking through Hung Hom station, which connects mainland China with Hong Kong. Next to Hung Hom station is the Hong Kong Coliseum, which is often the venue of many concerts and public exhibitions. Being the busiest land connection between China and Hong Kong, there is almost always a lot of traffic and large movement of crowds walking through this station and its nearby vicinity. Cutting through these crowds very regularly, it is interesting observing the dynamics. Sometimes there is a situation where there is a small gap to go through, of approximately an equal distance between you and an 'on-coming party.' You have one of a few options; Option 1 – you can courteously slow down, and wait for the person to go through first. Option 2- you can continue at your own pace, and arrive at a decision point where both parties have to decide who will go first, or Option 3- you can speed up and make it through the gap before them and avoid waiting for the other party and also having a decision point. When I first saw the sea of people at Hung Hom station, I thought, it will take me far longer than it does when it is empty; that is a certainty. However, by the time I got by to the other side, I had reached there quicker than when the path was all clear. How was this? At each instance when there was this situation of a narrowing of a gap, and there were many such instances, I took Option 2, of moving through the gap quicker than the oncoming party. Of course, if you keep doing that, and going faster than you otherwise would if it were empty, you will cut down the headline time. It is clear, when we are in situations that demand a response, which stretch us, and we have to choose; Do we slow down? Do we fail to react? Or do we speed up and live up to what the circumstance require of us? Swift progress, and personal growth lie in choosing the last of these options. We often do not have control of our circumstances, but we certainly have a choice over how we react to them. The extent to which we are conscious, will determine the extent to which we can make a beneficial choice.

Half Empty v Half Full?

There are two extremes; on the one hand, a very audacious person, perhaps overly self-confident would argue that there is no such thing as destiny; you are free to act as you want, achieve what you want, at your own will. On the other hand, there is the person with no motivation to act, a sense of lethargy, unwillingness to take responsibility, who would argue that ‘everything is out of your hands,’ we cannot control the outcome of our action; as it is pre-destined, and what will be, will be. The pragmatic person understands that there is clearly a balance between action and reaction; they have some ability to plan, to do the best they can, and the outcome is then something that is then, out of our control. Bhishmadeva, the great sage, said that “A leader is a man of action.” This leaves very little ambiguity on what is to be done by a leader. What does it mean to act as a leader. There are various types of action needed at different times. If we are really grounded, thinking at a higher level, being connected to the higher energies, and through these higher energies, to all those around us and everything around us, we will know what action is appropriate as a leader. Such ascertaining of what is right in terms of how to act, should also always be done through consultation and confirmation with the right people where appropriate. The Vedic teachings are extremely dynamic in many senses; and whilst there may be much guidance in terms of morals and principles, often they do not dictate the precise specifics of a situation; rather they understand that those are determined according to time, place and circumstance. They have even gone so far as to state that when a leader is so absorbed in acting under the higher energies, that whatever that leader does, that defines dharma - one interpretation of dharma, is appropriate or fitting behaviour.  For example, Hanumanji, the great servant of Lord Rama, his mentality and his actions, due to his consciousness, in his particular context 'defined' dharma.

 

Humility: an all-important value in action

Many contemporary leadership teaching will speak of the above principles of growth in adversity, however, not many will teach the value of humility through all of this. The Vedic teachings, along with many other ancient teachings, emphasise the absolute need for humility in achieving real success. In the epic Ramayana, Hanumanji had reached Sri Lanka in his quest to find Sita Devi, the consort of Lord Rama, who had been kidnapped to this City full of demons.  Hanumanji passed the house of Vibhishana, the younger brother of Ravana, the King who had kidnapped Sita Devi. Vibhishana was actually a very saintly person, a stark contrast to his brothers. Hanumanji, recognising this and wanting to speak with Vibhishana, concealed his original monkey form, and took the form of a saint. He began chanting the names of Lord Rama. Vibhishana asked this person, who are you? Are you a great demigod who has assumed the form of a saint? Are you my Lord, who has assumed this form? Please reveal to me who you are. Hanumanji replied, I am absolutely none of those things, I am simply a lowly person, born of a species, whose name if you mention, it is regarded as inauspicious. Hanumanji had genuine humility, he did not at all think about, let alone dwell on his achievements, qualifications, or anything else. Rather he very naturally thought of those things that would keep him very grounded.

Being ready, willing, and able to act is the duty of any leader. Whether things are down to own action vs destiny is irrelevant when executing in the mindset of a leader; the leader gives it their best effort and takes responsibility. Such an attitude should be balanced with continual checkpoints or reviews of the values we are cultivating, how much our leadership is a demonstration of integrity, how much it is encouraging others to live by values, and very importantly, how much it is helping our own internal state of balance in being humble, grounded, but powerful leaders.

Trust: The Foundation

Usually, these entries are written in Hong Kong, however, this particular peice was written in Vrindavana, India, a place of great historic and spiritual significance. Being there has helped to reflect more on the principles of purity of mind and heart. The purity of our mind and heart has a direct effect on how others feel when they interact with us. Given that much of our progress in the corporate world is dependent on the quality of our relationships, the topic of the purity of heart and mind is certainly worth reflection.

Real Sincerity is Unmotivated

In the workplace, we look for so many things in the people around us. From our seniors, we want to know they will be fair in our promotions and rewards, that they will give us work that enriches our personal portfolios, that they will treat us with respect and dignity, and help in our career development in the long term. In our peers, we would like them to share experiences and learnings with us, to be there for us when we need support, to help air a collective voice in sharing or escalating concerns to our seniors. From our juniors, we look for commitment, a good attitude, hard working ethic, and technical ability supplemented with a desire to learn. Let us take for granted that the people who enter the increasingly competitive corporate environment are competent; a high standard of educational requirements and high calibre background is a minimum. Moreover, as one progresses in this environment, if they do not have substance they will more often than not be shown up due to the reluctance of profit-making business to sustain such a liability. So aside of technical competence, all of the key attributes we look for in those around us, come down to one key question; how much can we trust the other person? Many in the corporate world are let down by trust issues. If we’re trustworthy, we will certainly stand out; it is a much sought after attribute. In order to be trustworthy, we must be sincere. Sincerity and trustworthiness are inseparable. A sincere person, however, is not sincere because it will differentiate them; this would be a contradiction; sincerity is unmotivated.

Loyalty to Values Strengthens Us

In Hong Kong, there are many billboards with advertisements of the jewelers Chow Tai Fook, with the slogan of “Sincerity and Eternity. A Partner in our business whose behaviour I view as quite exemplary, once said “Always do the right thing, even if others don’t behave that way; the value will show through in the long run.” If we are sincere, that value will last. Even though experiences where sincerity is not reciprocated with may cut us and chop us, and we may duly need to reduce our exposure to such a lack of reciprocation where possible, we should not give up these values; because it is the right thing to do and its effects are too important to give up. Eventually, the values will prevail, and they will be stronger than ever after each experience we go through. When we know we are doing the right thing, when we have consulted with those people with experience and wisdom, we should feel all the more confident in what we’re doing inspite of all the challenges.

Lord Shiva: Epitome of Sincerity

There is a plethora of lessons to be learned from the one story of Lord Shiva and his wife Sati Devi leaving her body in the presence of her Father. To recap, Sati Devi had attended a function at her Fathers residence inspite of him being enimical towards her husband. After she could not tolerate insult towards her beloved husband, she left her body. On hearing this news, Lord Shiva became furious, and created a demon, called Virabadra, who was the embodiment of the anger of the Supreme Lord. Virabadra went to the residence of Daksha, to the sacrificial arena, and beheaded him. He destroyed the entire sacrifice that was taking place. In fear, the demigods scattered, and requested the counsel of Lord Brahma, the personality governing the creation of the Universe. Lord Brahma, knew of the nature of Lord Shiva, and how he is a perfected being. So he suggested they approach Lord Shiva and beg his forgiveness for their partaking in the events that led to his dear wife leaving her body. So the demigods along with Lord Brahma journeyed to Kailash, the beautiful abode of Lord Shiva, seeing many beautiful lakes, trees, and wildlife on the way. They saw Lord Shiva sitting under a very tall tree in a peaceful meditational posture with his many associates, being free of all anger. He was forgiving and gracious. One of the names of Lord Shiva is Asutosha. Asu means "very soon," and tosa means "to become satisfied." The sincerity and purity of Lord Shiva is beyond compare, and such a reaction is only fitting. Anything he does is driven by his sincerity. His anger, which was driven by his love for his wife, and his refute of a punishable act combined, was not just some act of irrational madness in perusal of his own selfish purpose; it was also driven by his sincerity. As always, the magnitude and context is entirely different in the corporate setting, however, when sincerity and purity in purpose is there, our desire to correct the wrong situations, in the appropriate way, following the cultural and workplace etiquette, will be a natural symptom in our care for others.

In essence, trust between individuals is the underlying basis for any environment that is to operate with higher values. Trust and a benevolent attitude towards others are the opposites of exploitation. If as leaders we cultivate this atmosphere, we will be surprised how much more fulfilled people are around us from seniors through to juniors. Since sincerity is the driver for trust, the change begins with introspection of our own motivations. To be sincere can happen in a moment; we only have to do one thing; be conscious.

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.