In management, as in life, conditioned perceptions of change and self frequently deter progress. Mental disposition clouds reality and spawns reactive responses, which in turn mar overall performance. Notions of change cast dark shadows along the obscure way and the self is caught up in endless ego play. Two thousand five hundred years ago Gautama Buddha found a way out of this haze and called it the Dhamma. He then showed the way to all who cared to follow it. The Buddha is reported to have advised a seeker, “In your seeing, there should be only seeing; in your hearing nothing but hearing; in your smelling, tasting, touching nothing but smelling, tasting, touching; in your cognizing, nothing but cognizing.” In other words see reality as it is not as you think it is or want it to be.
An empirical understanding of truth makes this possible. Change need not bring fear, unease and doubt. The self need not delude. All phenomena, including the all important ‘I’, are subject to incessant change. Flux is universal, timeless and a cosmic reality. Whilst in deep meditation the Buddha understood, through experience, that the human entity is made up of minute indivisible particles, which arise and pass away at a rate exceeding trillion times a second. Each one of us is just a mass of constantly changing mental and physical processes. This explains the futility of attachment to impermanent phenomena. Is there any point in clinging to that which is transitory? This “I” that we obsess with throughout our lives is really illusory, the stuff of conditioning. Apparent or external reality is not absolute, it is a serviceable truth. Ultimate truth goes beyond the mundane and awareness of this advances everyday functionality. In the Aggi Vacchagotta Sutta, the Buddha says, “The enlightened one has cast aside all theories for he has seen the reality of matter, sensation, perception, reaction, and consciousness, and their arising and passing away.”
Thus change and self are not really so confounding after all. With hard work and honesty we can develop true detachment and understand both change and self for what they are, subsequently evolving into better managers and leaders.
Where does Zen figure in all this? Basically Zen stresses on bringing the mind into focus through meditation, thus attaining a state of calm and clarity in harmony with cosmic oneness and the laws of nature. The formal beginnings are traced to Bodhidharma who founded the Zen school in China around the sixth century AD. According to the Association of Taisen Deshimaru, “Zen finds its source in the experience of Shakyamuni Buddha…….Zazen is nothing other than the return to the normal condition of body and mind….” Today Zen has many versions, ancient and modern, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese to name a few. Zen principles of awareness, equanimity, liberation from ego, freedom from greed and hatred, tolerance, loving kindness, noble speech and silence, self discipline, right livelihood and wholesome competition, responsible action and self reliance are adapted from the Buddha’s teachings.
‘Emotional quotient’ and ‘spiritual quotient’ are fairly common terms in management parlance today. ‘Creative consciousness’ is another phrase that does the rounds. These actually refer to more subtle mental states and are useful in helping to bridge the gap between theory and practice in management. The Unmoving Mind, which Zen masters refer to, is focused and balanced, one with above average EQ and SQ. Such a mind is detached, has direction, can prioritise clearly and frame strategy to suit organisational goals. Creativity is nothing but doing things in a new and original way. Zen emphasizes the search for individual truth and self reliance. This in turn leads to higher creative ability. Zen stresses the practice of moral conduct, right awareness and equanimity.
Let’s understand the importance of awareness that some Zen practitioners refer to as ‘light’. Through the practice of sustained concentration one develops right awareness which helps one move from delusion to reality, from darkness to light and gradually develop mastery over the mind. A person who cannot lead himself, who has no control over his mental processes can never lead others. Focus and objectivity are essential to good management because they enable lucid and impartial assessments of people and situations. A tranquil mind sees others for what they are and understands what is and is not attainable, thus taking right decisions at the right time.
Classic Zen meditation manuals refer to the inherently whole and unsullied mind which is above prejudice, in other words an equanimous mind that has the ability to remain balanced in any situation. Experiential understanding of impermanence through insight results in equanimity. Ignorance and attachment hinder decision making and co-operation. Fear obstructs execution. One has to free oneself and rise above vested interests to develop a neutral and proactive approach as opposed to a reactive stance, thereby enabling systematic and dispassionate treatment. Strategic management comes about when one stands back with detachment to get the real picture. The Buddha said that nothing whatsoever should be clung to. A good point for managers to remember.
In his book, “What the Buddha Taught”, Rahula Walpola refers to the ego or the self as the “source of all the troubles in the world from personal conflicts to war between nations”. He goes on to say that all evil results from this inherently flawed notion. Who hasn’t encountered ego problems and been overwhelmed by them at some point or the other? As we all know, ego blurs perception, mars judgement and seriously misleads individuals. An egocentric manager has the worrying potential to lead himself and his organisation astray. A level headed approach is that of one relatively less obsessed with ‘I’. Humility, it must be stressed, is not a sign of weakness. On the other hand it implies poise and mental toughness that result from inner strength. Only the truly confident manager can act independently of self interest to steer his organization in the right direction. An ego free attitude advances team spirit because personal interests are subordinated to the interests of the larger group and the company. Egoistic managers wrongly believe that they can gain prominence by disparaging others. This doesn’t work; it results in negative motivation which in turn saps energy. A manager who works on defusing his ego succeeds in bringing about a viable synthesis of people, processes, ideas and goals.
In management the focus is on results. Highly motivated and result oriented managers are cherished by organisations. Zen masters however caution against motivated behaviour. How do we reconcile the apparent contradiction here? The point here is to perform independently of greed, aversion, power and considerations of personal gain. Profiteering and cartelisation are detrimental to individual and organisational development in the long run. In his goal to create wealth for the organisation, a wise manager will uphold truth, safeguard the respect and welfare of all individuals and contribute to the community. A detached manager’s vision is simultaneously contextual and universal enabling him to work towards harmonious goal completion.
Zen stresses on the concept of cosmic unity and teaches tolerance and acceptance of diversity. Let’s extend this principle to the workplace where the manager takes on the role of a cosmic player. He now views all colleagues, no matter how disagreeable, as parts of the same cosmic whole, the same shared vision, and aims to orchestrate diverse energies to achieve synthesis. He understands and appreciates the nature of interdependence in work and in life.
The principle of loving kindness has proved very constructive in life and business. One of the four principle vows that a Zen practitioner takes is to “save all sentient beings”. This noble approach if implemented in management can have an immensely positive impact on long term growth. As one rises to a position of egoless poise, one begins to see clearly and develops greater understanding and compassion for all beings. These thoughts are not motivated by self interest. A deeper understanding reveals that those who harm others do so out of ignorance. One should learn to forgive them. A good way to counter animosity towards someone who has hurt or harmed you is to generate good will for that person. This in no way advocates passivity; rather it means positive action as opposed to negative reaction. Better interpersonal relations then happen naturally.
Noble speech and silence play an important role in peaceful conflict outcomes and in motivating team members. Creative speech motivates team members to give their all and co-operate in the interests of the organisation. The art of listening while remaining silent at crucial moments helps alleviate discord and arrive at negotiated solutions. It is important to work towards a common goal based on mutual understanding.
Self discipline is an important Zen principle which managers would do well to adopt. Regulating food, drink and sleep are included here. Zen discipline helps one stay mentally, physically and emotionally fit. One begins to function better and meet deadlines, thereby encouraging others to do the same.
Zen practitioners are not in competition with each other. Conversely, managers are believed to thrive on competition. How else does one survive in the fiercely competitive business world? However, a careful analysis of our motive patterns will ease the contradiction. Why do we compete? The common answer would be to get the best reward. Our perception of what constitutes ‘best’ is the point here. Competition based on the volition to give customers the best possible product in the right way is wholesome competition and bound to yield positive results. However if a manager’s goal is to put another company out of business or deprive a colleague of his job or win price wars by giving the customer an inferior or harmful product then one need be wary, for such an approach does not work in the long run. One must always be conscientious in competition.
The Buddha taught his followers to take responsibility for their actions by understanding the law of cause and effect. This leads to empowerment which enables one to take control and develop into a mature leader. In Zen the emphasis is on self reliance. In the Maha-Parinibbana Suttanta, the Buddha says, “Each one of you must make yourself an island, make yourself your refuge; there is no other refuge. Make truth your island, make truth your refuge; there is no other refuge.”
Only through mastery over ourselves can we develop the courage and equilibrium to bridge the gap between knowledge and implementation. Principled ways, right awareness and equanimity enable transformation of consciousness. As the curtains fall on illusion, truth takes center stage and the marionette turns master. Proactive management ensues naturally.
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