Leadership – I

‘What does it take to be a good leader, VR?’ asked Maanav after turning on the Ramayana Reboot app. ‘You see, my classmates want me to stand for the G.Sec. (General Secretary) post. I am still not convinced that I can be a good leader. So I wanted to understand how to be a good leader, the Ramayana way!’‘Thanks for the question, Maanav, and again for providing me with the right context. There are many styles of leadership, and one can choose the right one based on one’s personality. But definitely, there are some pointers of both good and bad leadership that one can learn from the Ramayan. Would you like me to start with the good or the bad, Maanav?’ asked VR.‘Hmm…let us start with the bad first so that the contrast will be clearer when you mention the good.’‘All right. For bad leadership, one needs to look no further than Ravan!’‘While I know he is the big bad guy of Ramayan, I have heard that he was a good king to his people. So why do you say he was a bad leader?’ asked Maanav curiously.‘Ravana built his wealth by stealing from others. After gaining invincibility from most groups of beings except Men and Vanaras, Ravan went on a military campaign against almost all of them. He started with his cousin Kuber and then fought with Devatas, Nagas, Yakshas, Rakshasas, Danavas, and so on. He even went on to challenge Shiva Bhagwan but was completely defeated there, after which he became a devotee of Mahadeva. Most of his campaigns were undertaken to satisfy his ego or his greed, but in the process, his army was constantly occupied in unnecessary warfare and bloodshed.’.‘That sounds like many of the expansionist-minded kings and leaders that we have seen in recent history as well,’ replied Maanav.‘True, further, just to satisfy his lust, he abducted Sita without consulting anyone and even ignored the advice of Mareech. This was an act for which both Vibheeshan and Kumbhakarn criticised him! After Hanuman devastated Lanka, Ravan was humbled, and he even admitted that good leaders take everyone into consultation before acting and bad leaders act on their whims and fancies.’‘Ah, so he did show some remorse. That is a good quality to have, right, VR?’‘Indeed, it is Maanav. But what he did after that was exactly contrary to that.’

Leadership – I

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