The Nine Lessons from Maryada Purushottam
- Vulnerability is Strength
- Duty Bound / Dharma is Divine
- In the Present (Now & Here)
- Harnessing the Potential
- Beyond the Comfort Zone
- Compassion to Accommodate
- Devoted to Commitments
- Self-Aware
- Empathy over Equity
Compassion to Accommodate – (Collective Leadership, Not Directive but through Consensus)
Throughout the journey across Aranya Kand, Kishkindha Kand, Sundar Kand and Yuddha Kand, Lord Ram has opportunities to meet various characters who represent a diverse spectrum of individuals (from the humble Shabari to insecure Sugriva to Arrogant Vali to Learned Jamvanth to Devoted Keval & Jatayu to noble Vibhishan to his devotee Hanuman and so on). But in his interactions with all of them, never do we see Lord Ram take a stance of ‘I Know’ or ‘Follow me’ attitude. Instead, he always respects and accommodates his followers. His compassion remains constant irrespective of who the stakeholder is and how much that stakeholders is going to contribute to his success/mission. This undiluted compassion and eagerness to accommodate them is a rare virtue. Lord Ram often exhibited through his action that there is no place for ego or arrogance but only for compassion and collective leadership.
Throughout Ramayana one encounters the strength and valour of Lord Ram and gets an impression that he is capable of fighting Ravan and his army all by himself. Also, his ability to lead/guide and direct a team is clearly demonstrated. Yet, Lord Ram displays a great degree of respect for views of team members, compassion to accommodate and demonstrates the traits of Collective Leadership, rather than Directive leadership.
Sometimes as leaders, when the stakes are extremely high, time is precious, and outcomes have great consequences we often rely on making decisions quickly. Which means the Leader and their immediate close circle of people are involved in quick discussions and arriving at a decision. However, often these decisions are not accurate or optimal as we miss involving the critical stakeholders who may be down the value chain thus miss accommodating their aspirations/needs while arriving at the decision.
In today’s world it is a challenging task with such a diverse range of stakeholders, with even more wild and diverse aspirations. However, we see that Maryada Purushottam Lord Ram displays this trait throughout his journey and thereby establishing that collective leadership leads to victory.
By K. Srini
