Litmus Test for the Right Leader

(This series unravels the dharmic dialogue between Narada Muni and Raja Yudhishthira in the Sabha Parva of Mahabharata. Part XVII and XVIII dealt with the first five amongst eight qualities of a good leader; Part XIX follows.).Sage Narada gives a short exposition on what are the admired and necessary qualities of a good leader. The first five he listed were confidence, courage, intelligence, patience and good conduct. Now, we shall see about the remaining three.Narada Muni goes on to ask Yudhishthira if the commander-in-chief possesses the above five qualities, as is he also nobly born, competent and devoted to the king. Here, the quality of ‘nobly born’ is to do with a background check and not a hereditary trait. Narada prompts the king to check if his commander-in-chief comes from a clean background. It is no surprise that most of our ideals and values are shaped by our upbringing. A person’s steadfastness, loyalty to the country, basic ideologies and non-negotiable values are often a product of the kind of family and education systems they have been put through.Further, before reaching the status of being anointed as the commander, the past records of the person must speak for themselves. Is the person honest? Does he possess integrity? How has he delivered on the job? If the leader being appointed has a track record for negativity, bad decisions and failures, the team would never have faith in him. In the current scenario, every company does a background check and speaks to candidates’ references before hiring them. So, imagine the scrutiny before picking the leader for one’s army!.The next question comes about the commander’s loyalty. What happens when someone vested with so much power and responsibility has ulterior and selfish motives? What if they are motivated by personal interests and not by a larger cause - be it the team, the organisation, the country or the army? Such a person is capable of compromising on the goals at any given instance. Haven’t we seen how easily people at every level of the government succumb to temptations of bribe? If they placed the needs of the public and the service to the country at a higher level than their own selfish needs, we wouldn’t be exposed to the plague of corruption. Similarly, if an individual player values the team’s victory higher than their own personal glory, we clearly can see them elevated to the level of a sports hero. They become natural leaders. This is true in every field or profession, as much as it was true in Narada’s advice for choosing an army commander.Many people misunderstand loyalty. It does not mean building a coterie of ‘yes men’, it does not mean blindly agreeing to the king. Keeping only ‘yes men’ around is a low level of leadership. If anyone is surrounded by people who only praise and flatter them, the person is sure to meet their downfall in no time. It would be a disaster. Loyalty clearly implies the ability of a person to stick by another’s side during highs and lows. Their ability to work towards your good. Their intention and willingness to advise you for your own good. They should be able to call out your mistakes to your face, as much as their strength to stand by your side once your decision is made. Simply saying “yes” cannot make one loyal. A loyal person should have wisdom and courage, otherwise they are only self-serving..The last quality that Narada says is that the leader chosen must be competent. They must be able to deliver. Their work must be of the highest quality and should be of top class. If responsibility is placed in the hands of the incompetent, a good project and a noble vision will just fall through the cracks. The king must be able to assess the competence of a commander before appointing him. These are the eight qualities that Narada Muni asks Yudhishthira to check in a person before making him the commander-in-chief. In our current organisations and team settings too, it augurs well to check if our leaders pass this litmus test.