This article is not about a celebrity or an icon. It is about me, a person from the mystic land of India who put the spiritual practice of meditation, yoga and pranayama in his corporate life and rose to the echelons of power, learning and working with the likes of Mukesh Ambani (Chairman of Reliance Industries) and other leaders of repute in India. I would like to illustrate the top 3 insights I practiced which gave me recognition, power and money. Meditation gave me the calmness and centered approach to tackle some monumental projects with Reliance, be it a roll out of 1500 retail stores across the length and breadth of India or the appointment of 1700 franchisees in less than a 6 months’ time frame. Yogic postures like the “suryanamaskara” and others gave me the physical dexterity to follow a rigid schedule of approximately 75 flights, hundreds of miles of road and train travel across cities, towns and smaller districts. The much needed relaxation and rejuvenation were mastered through by regular pranayama (deep breathing exercise) done 3-4 times a day while in the plane, train, and car, or in the hotel room.
1. As a leader I let go of control: I have a near perfect balance of head and heart. I was able to use my head at all levels of commitment to my duty and listen to my heart and be empathic when hearing from the team of a plan that didn’t go as decided. I never attached importance to my role as I knew it was short lived. Rather I practiced my virtues of simplicity, long term vision for people’s growth and care, as they are genuine and would last a long time.
It was one the most important days of my life when we had organized for the very first time a videoconference from Reliance (as the technology partner) to H.H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (the world renowned spiritual guru). H.H. would be speaking live to his devotees across 140 locations in India. All end point technical assistance was in place and planned. The challenge, however, was the connectivity, which at some locations in far outposts of India was weak. Everyone in Reliance, including the Chairman and the top brass, knew the importance of this project. I was spearheading the project and knew the significance of the event.
There were close to 100 people across India working on this, and there was no way I could monitor each end point operation. In those tense moments, I administered my knowledge of letting go of control. With a few deep breaths and a centered approach of being in the present moment, I experienced an experiential level of not controlling but believing in my people and the power of teamwork. I experienced the perfect balance of head, as all that needed to be done for a smooth operation was duly completed, and the heart where I believed that all the hard work put in with my team would yield results.
The event was a success and marked the beginning of a new way for H.H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar to talk to the masses. Today the Art of Living Foundation uses technology extensively across the globe for getting
From Bangalore, India
The Leadership quotient – Part One
By Seshadri “Sesh” Ramaswami
Seshadri “Sesh” Ramaswami