Performance Inspired By Good Leadership

The successful management of an organisation can be measured by the people working for it and their level of satisfaction and happiness. The overall success of an organisation must necessarily be geared to the satisfaction and happiness of the customer as well. In the business world, customer satisfaction is given top priority — the customer is always right, no matter what! Much depends on the leader in an organisation, who must rise above limited views. He must carry in his mind the total vision, the complete panorama. If his idea of success is limited, then his success will also be limited. Ultimately, the vision of the totality that the CEO carries, determines the growth, development and success of his enterprise. True knowledge gives us humility. Humility leads to greater ability which in turn leads to higher prosperity. Prosperity if used for righteousness will lead to true happiness. Every leader has some duties or responsibilities towards those working for him. A good leader must assume three basic responsibilities towards his employees: 1. He must give security to his employees. 2. He must design their job content appropriately. 3. Teach them what dharma is. Explain to them the significance of ethics, and the importance of right values. Of the three, the third aspect is most important. A leader must instil the right moral values in his employees and teach them the right way to live and work. Inspiration gained from the empirical world alone cannot give true fulfilment. People must understand that joy lies in inspired action and not in material gain. When happiness depends on the result, we postpone our experience of happiness to the future. There is a contradiction here. We want happiness in the present but have, by depending on the result, delayed the experience of enjoyment to the future. The result that we look forward to with great anticipation also does not last. We often lose it and promptly return to square one. The secret of enjoying life is to understand that joy lies in the very performance of the action. Action is always in the present and so too is happiness. When workers are happy, they are more productive. If they are disgruntled production figures fall. The higher or greater the level of inspiration, the more will be the output of the workforce. When people discover joy in the very execution of action, the quality of their performance changes. With dedication the quality of performance undergoes a radical change. When actions are dedicated to a nobler and higher ideal, inspired thinking produces more refined performance. Akbar was very pleased with Tansen’s singing prowess and praised him greatly. Tansen humbly requested the emperor to listen to his guru, who he opined was a greater artist. Akbar was intrigued and after listening to Tansen’s guru, wanted to know the reason for the difference in the quality of his singing. Tansen attributed the superiority of his guru’s singing to the fact that his guru sang for the Lord, whereas, he himself sang for the emperor. The inspiration gained while working for the Higher Self is much greater. Inspired performance will yield superior result. Knowledge leading to humility ensures success and power, which in turn leads to greater knowledge, more humility and even greater success and power.