Management lessons from the Mahabharata

One of the jokes, I overheard during Print Summit 16 was, What is your dream bit of kit? The answer was: A time machine, to make those deadlines easier to meet.

30 Jan 2016 | By Priya Raju

Iqbal Kherodawala, CEO and Chief Mentor of Printline Reproductions did that. He made the audience travel through time into the Mahabharata, and deploying Sanskrit shlokas and examples from the great epic, he highlighted the virtues of planning, leadership, management strength and strategic wisdom.
 
In his presentation, he espoused the universal quality of the Mahabharata along with appropriate examples from the print industry.
 
He said:
 
Don’t be a Bhishma:
The organisation has to function without you, you simply cannot do everything
 
Don’t be a Drona:
Don’t have favourites. You exist for the organisation and not for nurturing individuals
 
Don’t be a Karna:
Don’t try to belong to clubs where you are not welcome. You don’t need others’ approval. Focus on the task at hand
 
Don’t be a Arjuna:
Don’t analyse too much. Too much analysis leads to paralysis. You can’t be successful all the time. And it's ok to fail.
 
Later, Kherodawala mapped mantras for a print CEO., again with suitable print firm, examples.
 
Preparation: How have companies prepared themselves for their future wars
 
Allies: How have certain companies aligned themselves with others to be ready for the future
Team Spirit: One team. One goal. How a printer/converter can boast of team spirit
 
Leadership: Which company uses different people to head different divisions, with the main boss staying only in the background. 
 
Motivation: Which printer/converter uses internal motivation to strike a good growth chart. Just as Arjuna was focussed on Karna, Bhima on Duryodhana to achieve total success, examples of our people focussing on individual targets
 
Right Managers: Krishna as a crisis manager, Bhima as a direct attacker, Yudhisthir to pacify the elders and take them on their side, Arjuna as the main overall commander etc 
 
Women Empowerment: Any company which uses women as their chief decision maker.