MAINTAIN SECRETS TO AVOID ATTACKS - Chanukya's way

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MAINTAIN SECRETS TO AVOID ATTACKS - Radhakrishnan Pillai

A leader holds a very responsible position in any team and, hence, also in an

organisation. He has to be very careful in his talks and with the words he uses.

A single, wrong statement from his end can destroy his organisation.

 

One of the important factors that a leader should know is how to maintain

secrecy.

 

Kautilya warns the leaders,

 

 

" To as many persons the lord of men (the leader) communicates a secret; to so

many does he become subservient, being helpless by that act (of his) " (1.8.9)

 

 

There are various projects and issues that the leader should never talk about in

the open. Until and unless the right time comes, he should not make them

publicly known, at least till such a time which is right.

 

Every work being executed in an organisation goes through three stages –

conceptualisation stage, preparation stage and delivery stage. At each stage,

there are key `secrets' that only a leader should know. He should never let

others know these secrets.

 

What if he keeps telling his secrets to others? Let's look at two possible

repercussions:

 

1. HE HAS TO BEND DOWN

 

A leader has to bow down to all the people who know his secrets. If more people

come to know his secret, the leader will have to bend down that much more. A

leader should always be in control of the situation, and not allow others to

control him. If he has spoken the `right' thing to the `wrong' person, he has to

be at the mercy of such a person to keep that secret intact. Such a person can

not only blackmail, but also leak the information to even competitors and

enemies.

 

1. HE BECOMES HELPLESS

 

Having opened out his secret to others, the leader becomes totally helpless.

Instead of thinking of how to carry out his plans, he will be worrying about how

to protect himself from the attack of others.

 

A golden rule in business is, think twice before you speak. Even a tailor is

adviced during his apprentice days, " Measure twice, but cut once " .

 

Kautilya's (Chanakya's), enemies were afraid of him because they could never

understand what his next move would be. He always had multiple plans ready in

his mind. If one plan failed, he was ready to attack with the next, totally

surprising his enemies.

 

Chandrashekhar Azad, the freedom fighter, was another person who was always a

mystery to every one. He would never allow anyone to know where he would be

going next. Not only the British, but even his own team members, like Bhagat

Singh, would not know his hideouts. He believed that he was `Azad' - the ever

free person. If he wanted to be truly free, he had to keep himself unknown to

others.

 

Therefore to be free – keep your mouth shut!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ROAD TO WEALTH GOES BY THE COUTRYSIDE

 

 

Go rural, is the theme of every big corporation today. While FMCG companies

eagerly wait the post-monsoon rural demand to boost their sales, bank, which now

sell myriad financial products, are gradually realizing the potential of rural

areas. Several corporations are re-orienting their growth strategies – ITC's

e-choupal and Hindustan Lever's Project Shakti for example – to bring villages

to the centre of their planning.

 

Kautilya operated from this principle to manage his treasury.

 

" Wealth and power comes from the countryside, which is the source of all

activities " (7.14.19)

 

 

Going rural has two benefits. First, country side is the place where raw

material is available in plenty. Minerals, food crops, labour all find their

sources in the countryside. Second, it is also a ready market for volume

business. India even today lives in Villages. Be it the soft drinks, the mobile

phones or the insurance industry all have already made their way to penetrate

deeply into the rural sector.

 

In the second book of Arthashastra, chapter 8, verse 3, Kautilya points out

various

elements which contribute to the increase in the treasury,

 

1. Increase in commerce and trade

 

Commercial activities recycle the wealth of a nation. It helps the wealth to

flow from one sector to the other, from one geographical area to another.

Trading helps in wealth being circulated from one nation to another. Exports and

Imports are the life line of any economically developing nation.

 

2. Arresting crime such as theft and robbery

 

Monitoring and controlling theft is essential. A system of checks and counter

checks are necessary to protect the loss in treasury. Theft can happen

internally in an organization or due to external elements.

 

3. Reduction in establishment

 

Controlling expenses can be done by reducing the size of an organization. This

is done by keeping the minimum required employees as well as liabilities.

Outsourcing is one of the best concepts in controlling overheads of a company.

 

4. Plenty of crops

 

India even today is an agricultural based economy. A lot depends on the monsoon

rains. Investment in Research and Development in this sector to increase crop

yields, better warehousing of agricultural produce, and food processing could

add significantly to the growth of the economy.

 

5. Plenty of marketable goods

 

Sales and Marketing should be supplied with enough products. Availability of

stocks at the right time, sales order processing, logistics and distribution

have to in place to ensure the achievement of any Sales target.

 

6. Freedom from calamities

 

A lot of unseen and unknown factors affect the economy of a nation, organization

and also individuals. The board of directors should consider all these aspects,

under the `Risk Management Plan' of an organization. Insurance, savings, right

investment plans are steps to ensure freedom from Calamities.