My review on “Life’s Amazing Secrets by Gaur Gopal Das”

In first place, this book was like specially written for me. I was striving hard to find answers for the purpose of my life, once I started reading this book I thought maybe its  gonna be like “Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus” 😅 but,  when I gradually went through I felt even as an individual this is going to be of great help. Especially, when it comes to making healthy relationships , let it be for parent-child relationship or husband and wife or even among friends.

The overall essentials of life classified into 4 wheels were really amazing and every summary given after the chapters is very useful for multiple time reads. Many new stories both imaginary and mythical ones were well aligned with what the takeaway was focused on. Also what the busy people tend to forget is all caught up in this 200 pages book.

I was wondering Gopal Das ji tried to emphasize over chaos that usually happen between husband and wife (Harry and Lalitha’s story, I loved the twists and turns in the climax) when there can be audience of bachelors or bachelorettes (like me), but definitely there will be a time we must be prepared for the same. So, I recommended the book for my parents too 😉 and I honestly believe that if there is peace at home then there is peace in the whole world.

The worksheets given at the last helped to self assess at various points and this is exactly the book I wanted to read.

In a nutshell, I recommend this book to all those who want to follow what you love, what you deserve and what you are really passionate about.

Imparting knowledge – Corporate Chanakya (Part III: Training)

To impart knowledge that we have gained is the perfect way of sharing our thoughts to our people around.

The thumb rule of the universe is, “Once if we train the people around us with positive inputs then there will be positive vibes surrounding us and we will keep moving in the right direction.“

Trainees

One need not be a scholar in academic and must be in huge position to speak over to a crowd. If you feel something that you have practiced and it works well, then it is the right way of preaching it to others as well. When we need to train a batch of people be it our colleagues in work place or children below our age or employees in a company, one should first inspire them with their actions. Note that we will be watched by everyone, so be careful when you let the words out of your mouth.

“Self training” is also a vital part of every mentor. We must learn to grasp the best qualities from our friends. A friend of mine is a good speaker, her body language and the nuance attracts the audience, so I quietly watch how she does this and apply when its my turn of course to this I add my own style too. Here the author gives the right advise for the modern trainees, the management institutions of India. Today in a scenario where there are 1000+ institutions give out many MBA grads, but the real candidate is the one who puts the subjects into practice after he has graduated. At first learn to work under someone’s guidance and pick the talent of running the company from your boss.

Boss

Having a bossy nature is not something we get right from birth, it is all about how we learn to become the real asset of an organisation step by step. We all would have been under this bossy kind of people or even we would have been one like, when we were at school we would have been chosen as ‘class leaders’, then in college life as a ‘class representatives’ and at the work place as a ‘project lead’ or ‘owner of a company’. All these roles in life will differ at each stage just by names of the posts but the responsibilities and risk factors are the same. If we are not a boss yet but would like to become one, then start observing the boss nearby, regularly watch his activities and imitate it. If you work in a place where there are two bosses, learn to tackle and control conflicting situations and learn to say ‘No’.

Being a boss you need to keep in mind a few responsibilities:-

  • Identify the best members in the board, award them.
  • Remember always those who helped you to get here.
  • Never force anyone.

Organisation

The individual contributions helps in making a perfect organisation. We at some point must be a job seeker or job giver, which is a universal truth and it will remain an eternal truth too. It is vital to have ‘self-discipline‘ at an organisation, this will enable the trust towards you. It’s just like a “Bigg Boss Show”, we will be watched through every angles and we must be true in front of those eyes. This is because, every organisation invests on its employees, so discipline is of great importance. It is also highly important that one should keep his place of work clean and must not damage, these are basic professional ethics.

The author here insists on ‘expanding the pie’, if you are running an organisation try to get into a huge market and collaborate with the smaller companies. It is also essential to follow up a good system for your organisation, frame the rule book along with your employees. There must be a unique factor that attracts more employees, and they must feel that they are in the right place. If the company has taken up anything destructive or immoral it is suggested to stop it right way, because these companies will not persist forever. If you would like to take a pause, then one may go for a higher studies and get themselves mastered in the specific stream.

If you wish to go abroad then you may go and learn the sneak peeks but remember to come back and enlighten the fellow citizens of your own country. It is in our hands to make our country FIRST in all outlooks.

“Think long term”, is the key for a career is mandatory to be kept in mind especially for today’s freshers. Employability being a key factor of today’s concern, the major thing to be considered is  how to help an organisation during the times of recession. As one reaches the top levels of the corporate ladder, one must always be humble and easily approachable. Being a true and major asset of an organisation, the ‘time’ is the parameter for making critical decisions and here Kautilya categories the top management personnel as follows:

  • Directly perceived- This is a kind of person who physically communicates with the fellow people and gets some information.
  • Unperceived- This is a kind of person who in an indirect manner of knows about things happening around as he cannot be everywhere at the same time. But not much reliable decisions can be taken as the former case.
  • Inferred-  This person is keen about taking ‘knack’ of quick decisions with many proofs and experience to support his decisions.

Finally, the real time application of Arthashastra will help in the progression of a business model. Chanakya had raised the Mauryan dynasty, so definitely his tantras will be of great help to make a progress of our own dynasties and sustain the winning strategies over a long period of time.

This is one of the best  books I have ever read. Definitely this will help me to establish my entrepreneurial life and also an inspiration to all budding startups.

How to bring things into control – Corporate Chanakya (Part II :Management)

When I was reading this part in the book, I imagined myself as a boss of a company. This made me to learn the lessons in a businessman’s perspective.

Employees

Being the head of a company the foremost thing is to treat employees as the true assets of the organisation. Only if the employees are treated well our goals can be achieved. Once we find the true assets it is equivalently necessary to retain the asset, so a personal care to the personnel must be given upon monetary care.

Don’t delay until you realize they are also humans, so treat them with humanity always.

Finance

Chanakya’s view on making a track of the profits especially during hard times is thoughtful. Here the author takes us to the courtyard of ancient times where, he compares the  king to the leader  and his subjects to the employees. Today’s generation is not much exposed to finance as it is not part  of the academics. But for a smooth survival financial study is very important. In order to cross over or prevent the debt- stage it is vital to keep a track on “running capital”.

Running capital must be remembered upon expenses and taxes.

It is also essential to make  a good proactive network which can help us during any kind of financial crisis. Moreover, there may come a time when we have to extend our help too!

Teamwork

This is the most crucial chapter for me to  understand. I wasn’t much interested in being a team player, but after I happened to realize that nothing on this earth or  at least the business world cannot function without “Teamwork” and “Teamspirit”. When we consider an organisation this teamwork can be put into action only through board meetings. Therefore, to have effective meetings without any boredom is the primary need for any companies. Although there are now many software to automate, schedule and report about the meets, but it is very much needed to give  a personal touch and care on this part as a boss.

Appreciations are the right tool to engage your people.

I found that humans to give their cent percent results  upon appreciations, it has personally happened with me too. Honor the strengths of every individual in the team.Above all, do not give away your partnership or friendship with your teammate at the times of trails. Take advantage of such trails – the optimist nature.

Strategy

The author has neatly given that the main source of strategy is “information”. I highly agree with this point because today’s top trending business are reliable on these valuable information. It is necessary to gather some case studies on what way  can the business take its place in market. This may include: Men and Materials, Place and Time, Failure rates and Work Accomplishment.

Be a multi-tasker. It’s good for you!

When we handle many tasks at same time there are many benefits that follow up. If we manage them all we can be more time- conscious towards all our duties. Moreover, we may also tend to follow self- disciplines which will change our life style in a more beautiful manner.

Aanveekshikee – The inner beauty of every individual 

It was interesting to learn about this new term. It means a combo of  – lateral, logical, alternative, analytical and out-of-box thinking. It is “the science of  thinking” and the scientist is within us. The medicine that helps us in bringing out the scientist within us to the outer world is by developing the IQ and convert oneself to a strategist.

As a note of conclusion to this part, I learnt and changed my attitude towards my fellow people, because I know that only if I could cultivate this habit of studying people around me I can be the ‘right boss’ to my employees.

 

My take- away from “Corporate Chanakya” (Part-1 Leadership)

This book is a great guide for me. I like the way the modern problems are been dealt with the solutions from the past i.e., from the verses of Arthashastra, composed by Chanakya (aka Kautilya) himself. Here the author Mr. Radhakrishnhnan Pillai has clearly emphasized on various aspects of “Management skills” that every individual must possess to handle a company or even the ethics of life. Today let it be for aa working in a corporate or an entrepreneur, it is very much important to have Leadership qualities in a remarkable way that set’s us apart from others. Moreover, the leader must be the person who is wanted by all the teams of that organization. Here the author gives his piece of my mind on various aspects that directly / indirectly reflects on a leader.  The main subtopics are:

  • Power
  • Qualities of leader
  • Competition
  • People
  • To Avoid

I would like to give here a crunch under each of these subtopics which instigated me the most.

 

Power:

Kautilya says- “Control over the senses which are motivated by training in the sciences, should be secured by giving up lust (Kaam), anger (Krodha), greed (Lobha), pride (Mana), arrogance (Madh), and overexcitement (Harsha).” (1.6.1)

 This verse helps me to sustain my vision for a long time and also this is a great practice to keep one at the topmost position always.

Here the author gives a crystal clear idea about “The Seven Pillars of Business”

  1. The King (the leader)
  2. The Minister (the manager)
  3. The Country ( the market/ client/ customer)
  4. The Fortified City (Head Office)
  5. The Treasury
  6. The Army
  7. The Ally (Friend/ Consultant)

Qualities of leader:

I salute to the Guru, Chanakya for his reverence towards womanhood. Chanakya refers to the priority that must be given to a women during a crisis:

“From a dangerous situation he should move away with effort, after removing the womenfolk.” (7.5.46)

This very much applies to today’s society, I will be even more happy if this is been practically applied too. Moreover, a leader’s quality includes respecting the other gender which is the first priority to be set any organization.

Competition:

The author tells that Chanakya was a pioneer of the Game Theory, also called as “Mandala Theory” in Arthashastra. Here Chanakya says:

“If near him (enemy), he should strike in his weak point.” (7.2.12)

In this aspect I like the way a competition has to be studied well before we participate in it i.e., by knowing the rules of the game and good practice. Chanakya’s advice to respect the enemies:

“He should enter the enemy’s residence with permission.”(1.16.10)

This book gives the distinct comparison between “Strategy” and “Tactics”.

Strategy:

  • Long-term
  • Forward looking
  • Vision-based

Tactics:

  • Short- term
  • Situational
  • Need- based

People:

To sustain the human resources of an organization, high motivation is needed. According to the author the application of Chanakya’s theory of motivation includes:

  • Sama (Consultation)
  • Dana (Reward)
  • Danda (Punishments)
  • Bheda (Split)

In addition to this, the delegation of work to employee has been substituted to the ‘Training of elephants’. Chanakya had in fact included this as a chapter in Arthashastra, he said:

“In conformity with the appearance, he should give exercise in the gentle and the dull (elephant), and to the animal with mixed characteristics in various types of work, or in accordance with the season.” (2.31.18)

To Avoid:

In this section the author gives 10 insights that a leader should not do. I felt that it could be taken in a more optimistic approach but the author himself justifies that these ten Don’ts will be of high alert and be carefully followed by a person at any point in their lives. The gist of the 10 insights is as follows.

The reasons for dissatisfaction of subjects expressed by Chanakya  :-

  1. Discarding the good and favoring the wicked
  2. If a leader starts to harm others in a way that was not used before; by indulging in wicked deeds and suppressing good deeds; by performing actions that should be avoided.
  3. By not giving space for new ideas
  4. By not punishing those who deserve to be punished
  5. By seizing those who ought not to be seized
  6. By failing to prevent from thieves and by robbing himself
  7. By ruining human exertions, by spoiling the excellence of work
  8. By opposing the elders, by partiality and falsehood
  9. By not requiting what is done, by not carrying out what is settled
  10. By negligence and indolence of the leader leads to decline, greed and dissatisfaction among the employees.

Above all, the secret is all set to be revealed – “Applying Arthashastra in Business”, Chanakya himself said about the benefits:

“The science (of Arthashastra) brings into being and preserves spiritual good, material well-being and pleasures, and destroys spiritual evil, material loss, and hatred.” (15.1.72)

 

 

print("Hello World!");