CONTROL YOUR OFFICE TO WIN THE WAR - Chanukya's way

[Guest guest]

CONTROL YOUR OFFICE TO WIN THE WAR - Radhakrishnan Pillai

 

 

The office is an integral part of any organisation. Even in the olden days, it

was compared to a fort – or Durga in Sanskrit. This was the place from where the

king used to rule. Keeping control of the fort was essential for the king.

 

This is no different from today's corporate world wherein a CEO Director needs

to keep control of his office.

 

Chanakya says,

 

" He should cause the treasury and the army to be collected in one place, in the

fortified city, in charge of trustworthy men " (5.6.7)

 

 

This is the prerequisite of a good office.

 

But let us see each aspect of this `office' in detail:

 

1. TREASURY

 

The head office is the place from where the treasury is monitored. Once the

treasury is well-managed, only then can other things be directly controlled.

Otherwise, if the treasury becomes weak, problems start arising. Hence, it is

essential to keep it full and protected.

 

2. ARMY

 

An army includes all the employees - right from the CEO, to the peon and the

driver. All of them form a complete unit. There's just no division in team-work.

Each person is equally important. When there is a war or competition, each

person should be able to deliver his best. Thus, a good office has good,

talented, skilled and capable men.

 

3. TRUST WORTHY MEN

 

In every organisation there are key people who run the show. They are the

lieutenants of the commander. Such people should be trustworthy and should also

be able to trust others. These key positions - decision makers - are the

backbone of any business unit.

 

So, in the above verse, the strategy given by Chanakya is that the `He' (the

leader) should control the treasury (finance) and the Army (people) always at

one place - the fortified city (the office / plant) – and let trust worthy men

(managers) run the show.

 

Once having achieved this set-up, the CEO or Director will have another bonus

advantage. The fact that all these components are under one roof makes them easy

to monitor on a regular and continuous basis.

 

Now, since we are already talking in modern terms, let's understand one thing –

the office should also be well equipped with the latest weapons. This means that

the installed systems should be constantly upgraded, the technology should be

latest used and the computers and other effective tools should be properly used.

 

But then, all these do not guarantee success. Just like in war, the success of

any group or organisation depends on multiple factors. But at the end success

lie in the `brain' of the leader.

 

As our present Indian Army Chief, General JJ Singh puts it, " Finally it is the

man behind the machine, who makes you win the war "