Taking Care of the Troops

(This series unravels the dharmic dialogue between Narad Muni and Raja Yudhishthir in the Sabha Parva of Mahabharat. Part XIX saw the last of the eight qualities required in a good leader; Part XX follows.).In the previous few columns, we saw Narad Muni expound the eight qualities of a good leader to Raja Yudhishthir. They included confidence, courage, intelligence, patience, good conduct, noble birth, loyalty and competence. Now that the qualities of the commander-in-chief have been ascertained, Narad gently probes Yudhishthir about how he takes care of his soldiers. In this regard, the immediate questions he asks of the king are:‘Do you treat with respect and regard, the chiefs (generals) of your army, who are experts in every kind of warfare, who are pushing, who are well-behaved and endowed with great prowess?’‘Do you give your soldiers their proper rations and pay at (the appointed) time? Surely you do not oppress them by withholding from them (their rations and pay)?These are great questions to reflect upon, especially for leaders handling large teams. It underlines a common military principle, ‘Take care of your troops, and they take care of the job’. This is most relevant in today’s world where we see companies and even governments fall because of unhappy employees and workers..Let us first look at what the sage means by treating your generals with respect. It is evident by now that the significant post-holders in the army (or let us say an organisation), are there because of their merit. He rightly points out that they have proved their worth to be there—experts in their domain, constantly pushing limits, of great professional conduct and generally talented. Now, if a leader disrespects his lieutenants, there will evidently be two consequences. One, we can expect the disgruntled senior to leave the organisation, thereby creating a vacuum. Second, dissatisfaction can simmer until the very last of the cadre, maybe resulting in a coup or a mass walkout. In either case, we can expect the team to falter and not meet its goals.We can see this highlighted in the military upstaging the government, a terrible recurrence in the Indian sub-continent. Be it Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka or Bangladesh, there are enough and more examples of the military pulling a coup and bringing down the government. Consider the opposite case in a sporting scenario. Irrespective of a stellar batsman or bowler failing to deliver in a game, we have often seen captains backing these senior players in the post-match conferences. They accord these players due respect for their experience, seniority and for being pioneers in the field. And sure enough, in a game or two, these players also bounce back and deliver well for their teams..Now that the second rung of leaders are taken care of, what about the foot soldiers? The real troops who fight the battles daily? Are their needs met? We do know how soldiers put their lives on the line every single day. Imagine if they do not get even their due wages or benefits. What happens to their morale? In a regular organisational set up, do we not see this in employee satisfaction? It’s all the more evident when we have whole departments dedicated in every large company to solely cater to employee benefits and welfare. It is definitely the duty of the top management to assure its employees of a dignified pay commensurate with the work done. Further, if they are entitled to other benefits such as travel allowances or insurance or any other options, the company must hold on to their end of the deal. We have evolved to such times that these rights of the workers are justiciable and can be challenged in the court if violated. However, the management and leadership in any set up must proactively ensure that whatever it takes to protect the troops, must be implemented. And in good time, not retrospectively.

Taking Care of the Troops

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