Now, what could be common between a 5,500-year-old scripture and the art and science of management as we practice it today? After all, while on the battlefield at the beginning of the Great War, Arjuna was facing a dilemma – to fight or not to fight. Surely, the poor fellow could not have then opened his smartphone and ask AI or ChatGPT as to what to do. He could not have expected a blockchain app to come up with a strategy to defeat the 11 divisions of the Kaurava army while using only the 7 divisions of the Pandava army.
Luckily, he had Lord Krishna acting as a friend, philosopher, and guide to assist him in the matter. The Lord patiently removes all his doubts, much like a friendly mathematics teacher would. Towards the end of the 18th chapter, he does not say what Arjuna should do in that situation. Rather, having motivated him to do his duty, He leaves the choice to Arjuna, who decides to fight the war.
Humanity is thus gifted with what I would refer to as the ultimate Manual of Motivation. It provides us with a template of inner transformation. It tells us how to live our lives to be more contented, joyful, and happy.
I confess that Gita is not easy to understand. Most of us believe that it is something a reading of which should be deferred to our post-retirement days, in our sunset years on this planet.
Far from it. The earlier one starts grasping the philosophical thoughts of Gita in life, the better it would be.
When looked at from the jaundiced glasses of either a CEO or a management executive, it offers rich lessons in navigating the corporate jungle. It provides a moral and ethical compass which we can use to handle real-life situations.
It does not provide a band-aid kind of two-minute solutions to the daily challenges we face. Instead, it does a root cause analysis and offers a long-term perspective on life and the googlies it throws at us from time to time.
Could we, ordinary people like us, even aspire to become an Arjuna? He had the capability to fight. He was facing a dilemma. Above all, he had options.
In a business situation, a brand could have been going downhill. Could it be reaching the end of its product life cycle? If so, would you recommend to the management to scrap it altogether and consider newer product options? Consider what Gita says:
Therefore, remaining unattached, go on doing action worthy of performance. Engaging in action, truly unattached, man attains the supreme.
Lord Krishna suggests that we detach ourselves from one of our favourite brands and try to look at it objectively. We could then see the writing on the wall and sense that it may soon be taken over by another product based on advanced technology. He expects us to focus on preparing the plans for designing such a product, test-market it without delay, and then proceed to launch it.
Likewise, there are many situations in our careers where Gita can help.
The soon-to-be-released book Bhagavad Gita’s Guide to Corporate Dharma may help one to grasp the nuances of this unique scripture.
Once a week, I shall endeavour to keep you posted.
(Mr K V Rao, Senior Advisor – BCG, Chairman Tata International Singapore Pte Ltd & TML Holdings Pte Ltd, had posted this thought-provoking article on LinkedIn, wherein he summarises insights shared at a talk with students at IIM Ahmedabad — The E.A.G.L.E. Mindset. His permission to blog it here is gratefully acknowledged!)
Earlier this month, I had the privilege of visiting the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad — India’s undisputed premier management institution and one that consistently ranks among the world’s finest business schools. (Thanks to the IIM Alumni Association of Singapore Suresh V Shankar and @Ravish Kumar of IIMA).
Over the years, I have worked closely with many IIM Ahmedabad alumni — as friends who have gone on to become global leaders, as colleagues in boardrooms across continents, and as young management trainees who began their careers under my leadership and today occupy very senior roles. Visiting the campus and engaging with the current MBA cohort was both inspiring and energising.
During my interaction with the students, I spoke on a theme that defines our times — how to build a successful career in a turbulent world.
I began with a simple analogy: turbulence on an aircraft. When turbulence strikes, we instinctively look to the pilot for calm and reassurance. Now imagine if the aircraft is facing external turbulence — and at the same time, the pilot is experiencing turbulence in his own mind and emotions. That would be a recipe for disaster.
In exactly the same way, the world today is going through unprecedented turbulence — economic, geopolitical, technological, and social. While we may have limited control over what happens outside, we have complete control over what happens within.
In a turbulent world, leadership — and career success — begin from within.
To make the conversation practical and memorable, I introduced a simple framework built around an acronym — E.A.G.L.E. – essentially to help do some self reflection !
E — Empathy: True leadership starts with awareness. Empathy allows us to understand people, not just processes. It helps us see the ‘why’ behind the ‘what’ and make decisions grounded in human connection. We seem to be loosing that personal touch and people connect, as leaders.
A — Agility: Agility is the modern superpower. It is not just about changing, but about how fast we adapt. In today’s world, the biggest risk is standing still, and this skill does not come naturally and adaptation demands a great deal of plasticity.
G — Growth: Learning is the process, but growth is the destination. A growth mindset means being willing to outgrow your old self to become your future self. This is what creates an internal stretch, and development
L — Learning: The moment we stop being students, we stop being leaders. In a world where knowledge has a shelf life, curiosity is the most valuable currency. It is a continuous cycle of learning, unlearning and relearning!
E — Endurance: Resilience helps us bounce back. Endurance helps us stay the course. Success is not built by sprints alone — it is built by marathons. It is most crucial to build that mental and emotional resilience to endure for the long haul to build a career in an uncertain and challenging environment.
When these five traits come together, we don’t just navigate turbulence — we perhaps rise above it. In a turbulent world, leaders don’t merely survive the storm. They can learn to fly through it or over it. This is like creating a strong inner compass to guide through the storms that are known and unknown.
After introducing the E.A.G.L.E. framework and sharing these perspectives, what followed was a truly engaging and energising interaction with the students — a group that represents some of the best and brightest young minds in India. Their questions were thoughtful, their curiosity was sharp, and their ambition was inspiring. The conversation moved effortlessly from careers and leadership to purpose, values, resilience, and navigating uncertainty in a rapidly changing world.
It was a powerful reminder that while the world may be turbulent, the future is in very capable hands.
A comfort zone is a psychological space where a person feels secure, in control, and free from stress. It encompasses habits, routines, and environments that offer familiarity and predictability. While comfort zones provide stability and a sense of safety, they can also hinder growth and limit opportunities if one becomes overly reliant on them.
Management experts of all hues, sizes and shapes keep exhorting us to get out of our bubbles of comfort. Ultimately, growth begins where the comfort zone ends. By stepping into the unknown, individuals not only expand their skill sets but also develop resilience and adaptability. Recognising when to challenge oneself and when to retreat into familiar territory is key to a balanced and fulfilling life. Embracing discomfort as a catalyst for growth can transform how individuals approach challenges, unlocking new possibilities in the process.
Dilip Mohapatra proposes that we keep getting out of comfort zones all through our lives. Most of the times, we may be blissfully unaware of our doing so in an unconscious manner. This is what he has to say:
You cross your first ever comfort zone when you are emerging from the womb your body covered with amniotic fluid and your umbilical cord is severed from your mother’s placenta and the midwife picks you up by your legs and slaps your back for you to cry out loudly…
Then you are cleaned up and wrapped up in white linen into a bundle and you snuggle upto your mother’s warmth and a new comfort zone appears that soon gets embedded to your mother’s embrace assuring you of your security as you grow up and finally fly out of your nest to savour the world outside.
As you taste the uncharted waters of the boarding schools and colleges you experience a new comfort zone through bonding with your friends taking care of one another and creating the safety nets under you and a protective circle around and your membership guarantees you comfort and safety till you venture out to your hunting ground for your survival and success.
On your way you meet your mate and soon you are entrapped in a new comfort zone that is built around you by your partner its boundaries delineated by a fence with love as its posts and possessiveness born out of insecurities as its barbed wire… and you are happy to stay within its limits and dare not to move out to face the consequences and anxieties outside.
Then in your twilight years when all fences dissolve away one after another you create your own self made comfort zone with bricks of experience and plaster of accumulated wisdom and find your recliner to slowly rock to the rhythm of the waves of memory lulling yourself to soothing slumber.
Then as you venture into your spiritual realm in search of the infinity the comfort zone loses its meaning and you move into the divine comfort zone having no boundaries no limits and you levitate into a state of perpetual bliss that is both ethereal and eternal.
About the author
A decorated Navy veteran, he wears many hats. Has dabbled in the corporate world. Author. Poet.
Whenever you pass by the desk of a colleague in office and see him staring with blank eyes at nothing in particular, you may be wrong in assuming that he is either worried about his upcoming annual appraisal or concerned about the academic performance of his kids. For all you know, like Rodin’s ‘The Thinker’, he could simply be withdrawn into himself, in a rather introspective mood, and trying to unravel life’s managerial mysteries which appear unfathomable at normal times.
One of the profound mysteries is that of facilitating innovation. History of major breakthroughs tells us of at least one factor which prompted the coveted ‘Aha!’ moment – a spot of idleness. Not the kind of idleness which is a trademark of laziness, but the dynamic type where the mind, firing at all six cylinders, suddenly decides to take a break, looks at its own self in a detached manner…
No one needs a word processor if he has an efficient secretary. Robertson Davies.
Let me declare at the very outset I had no idea who Robertson Davies (1913-95) was, when I came across that quote, and like any diligent writer I looked him up. Evidently one of the foremost novelists, playwrights, journalists and poets to come out of Canada; if I had not heard of him, that is down to my ignorance and no reflection on the man’s reputation. His relevance to this piece is his quote on the office secretary which I came across quite by accident, and the subject on which I was spurred to expound. Now the curious thing about that particular pearl of wisdom by Mr. Davies is that in the context of the present day automated, mechanized world in which we live, it could so easily be flipped, with much relevance, the other way…
Exploring the concept of Consciousness further, one may say that whereas a normal organization cares for Results alone, an organization steeped in Consciousnesswould provide an equal weight to all of its three ‘R’s – Results, Relationshipsand Righteousness – in its strategic and tactical thinking.
Results could be either of the financial kind, the market share kind, or a combination of the two.
Relationships would imply a positive working atmosphere where, besides harmonious relations, dissent is not suppressed; rather, it is encouraged. Following human values is an essential part of this attribute. So is respect and dignity towards people in general.
Righteousness would encompass such features as concern for sustainability, giving back to the society and running operations not only within the ambit of law but beyond it, wherever possible. Being pro-active, when it comes to corporate governance; taking care of the rights of the minority shareholders; ensuring that principles of…
A culture which is rooted in Consciousness does not throw up hapless leaders who keep burning the proverbial midnight oil in their relentless pursuit of commercial goals only, while shoving concerns such as the environment, the society and human resources under the corporate carpet. It does not merely mean that our marketing honchos are doing their best in servicing our customers effectively and efficiently; instead, it implies that they do so while ensuring that the product/service as well as its packaging is environment-friendly.
It means that those toiling on the operations side design the processes in such a way that the carbon footprints are at least neutral, if not positive; that our financial wizards keep nudging the organization towards maximizing returns to all its stakeholders; and the human resource executives keep burning the midnight oil to ensure that people and processes respect human values and dignity, while keeping the costs…
It is said that Mr. R. M. Lala, an editor, writer and publisher of repute, once commented to Mr. J. R. D. Tata that the latter believed in excellence. The great man is said to have retorted thus: “Not excellence. Perfection. You aim for perfection; you will attain excellence. If you aim for excellence, you will go lower.”
But even achieving excellence is not a cake walk. Many leaders are not clear how to go about doing it. The mirage of excellence is elusive, and most often, it is not a surrogate for achieving outstanding business performance alone by measuring and surpassing business results. There is more to it than what meets the eye.
Satyendra Kumar’s book endeavors to answer this question.
The author shares distilled insights from his four decades of accumulated learning from various organisations to portray the fundamentals — that are often elusive —in building organisational excellence.
This book is a valuable treasure trove of insights. It has the potential to enable as well as enrich the thinking process of business leaders when it comes to achieving excellence in a sustainable manner.
Elusive Secrets in Seven Chapters
The book etches out seven steps to facilitate the process of achieving excellence, each step being covered in a separate chapter.
The Foundation is obviously laid by a leader’s spark of genius beyond intelligence, evoking intuitive facets to nurture essentials that fuel a never-ending appetite for learning.
This leads to the concept of Learning Forever, which, in turn, instills a norm of Measurement and Predictability.
A climate of learning and measurement provides an impetus for Productive Working that leads to a build-up of confidence across teams and groups entrusted with the task of achieving business goals.
This brings out the criticality of The People Factor which is an important ingredient in creating a Culture of Improvement and Transformation.
Last, but not the least, is the Invisible Backdrop of a deep purpose guided by values and ethics that the author presents as it loops back to the very essence in the acts towards building the Foundation.
Each chapter progressively enhances the value of the conversation with an elevated level of awareness, thereby igniting the intuitive mind to grasp what is relevant and necessary.
Every company eager to protect its soul and spirit for worthy outcomes could benefit from reading this book.
Author’s Profile
Satyendra Kumar has enhanced the quality systems for world-class global organisations with his contributions for over 40 years. He has served on several industry bodies and has received numerous awards in shaping the conversation for progress with his deep understanding of the systems view of an organisation that is a precondition for nurturing a culture of excellence.
Kumar today continues his passion by helping organisations strengthen their systems maturity by providing his rich experience as an Independent Advisor and Consultant to several large and medium-scale institutions and enterprises since 2013. Kumar was the Global Head and Senior Vice President – Productivity & Quality, Technology Tools & Software Reuse at Infosys Limited (2000 – 2013). He has worked as Vice President at IMR Global, the USA, between 1998 and 2000. As Deputy Chief Executive for Tata Quality Management Services – Tata Group between 1996 and 1998, he provided an intellectual impetus in laying the foundation for instituting the Tata business excellence initiative. Kumar’s rich experience spans his consulting expertise to over 50 national and multi-national clients in areas of Business Excellence, Operational Efficiency, Customer Satisfaction Management, Business Continuity Management, Project and Programme Management, and Quality Management.
He has served on many Boards and Panels such as Board member (QuEST USA), On the Panel of Judges – Wisconsin State Award (USA), Administrative Reforms Committee of Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, and Chief Technical Advisor to the Confederation of Indian Industry – Institute of Quality. Has been a recipient of the IEEE-Software Engineering Institute (Carnegie Mellon University) International award (2011) and honoured with the “Lifetime Achievement Award for Quality and Business Excellence” by an IT industry association.
Some Accolades
Satyendra Kumar’s relentless and unfettered focus on excellence played an important role in the high percentage of repeat business Infosys obtained from customers. This book is a distilled wisdom of his impactful journey at Infosys during 2000 – 2013 and many other companies during his professional career. I recommend this book to leaders, managers, and development professionals in any company to read it, learn from it, and deploy the lessons.
— N.R. NARAYANA MURTHY Co-founder Infosys Ltd
Satyendra and I worked together at Infosys till 2009 … I believe his relentless pursuit of excellence played a seminal role in the evolution of Infosys. As you read through this book, you will get a glimpse of what I believe are the fundamentals that need to be put into place to aspire for excellence. The best part is that you will hear them from Satyendra first-hand! I hope that the next generation of leaders invests time and patience to learn from this work and find ways to incorporate it into their leadership, culture, and the basic fabric of their organisations.
— NANDAN NILEKANI
Chairman and co-founder Infosys Ltd, Chairman and co-founder EkStep Foundation
Achieving excellence in business is an arduous journey. One has to design for quality and innovation, and plan for longevity, a truer measure of business success. Satyendra Kumar, with his experience in steering quality movement in the IT industry, provides a practical guide for future leaders in building organisational excellence.
— KRIS GOPALAKRISHNAN, Former CEO and Co-Founder Infosys Ltd, Chairman Axilor Ventures
Satyendra Kumar’s book bestows upon the reader his wisdom, expertise, and countless years of professional and personal experience. We are fortunate that Kumar has taken the time to document his life’s work. One will learn from his many incredible successes and will also learn how to avoid or overcome difficulties he encountered over time. I enthusiastically recommend and endorse this book.
— STEVEN HOISINGTON,
Retired senior executive, leadership coach.
I have seen Satyendra Kumar in action for three decades. His unwavering focus on building a culture of learning and improvement with long term focus is amazing. This book elegantly reflects his experiences and should be leveraged by start-ups or established companies to instill these great practices for long term success.
— ARUN NARAYANAN,
President and the Mentor, US Technologies Global Ltd
Despite the enormous body of literature from the academic and consulting worlds, Organizational Excellence is still elusive to most people. This book precisely addresses this issue through interesting anecdotes, case studies, and experiential stories. It reflects — how organisational learning, people caring, and ethical governance can lead to long-term organisational excellence and sustenance. Satyendra Kumar has nicely brought out many hidden facets that business owners and leaders born or made, and passionate entrepreneurs should read and take advantage of.
— MITALI CHATTERJEE, Former Director General, STQC, Ministry of IT, Govt of India
A powerful and elegantly written book with deeper insights.
— MADAN MOHAN, EVP Coforge Ltd
Satyendra Kumar has written an interesting book backed by years of experience. His narrative is experiential, giving guidance and insights into systems, implementation, and achieving organisational excellence. I recommend this book to everyone in the corporate world who wish to focus on organisational excellence.
— S.D. SHIBULAL,
Former CEO and Co-Founder Infosys Ltd
Satyendra Kumar as a practitioner and leader brings three decades of his rich experience relevant to businesses and business leaders of various types. Quality is not just a buzz word but is about its leaders, their values or ethos and purpose imbibed through a long journey is well brought out. It was a pleasure for me to have been part of leading this journey with him in Infosys as well as relive that journey on reading it.
— K. DINESH, Chairman AHT Foundation and Co-founder Infosys Ltd.
Satyendra Kumar has distilled into this book, decades of his experience in creating a culture of excellence in some of the world’s most successful corporations. His incisive and yet simple principles are relevant equally for large corporations and young start-ups. I have seen him passionately inculcate excellence in every aspect of business at Infosys and I am confident that the book will be a key guide for leaders navigating an increasingly competitive world. Each chapter of the book provides a vivid road map for creating excellence through pragmatic steps. A must read for leaders who aspire to create world-class organizations!
— M.D. RANGANATH, Chairman, Catamaran Ventures, Independent Director, HDFC Bank
ashokbhatia 