Managing an organization is like fighting a righteous war. This presentation shows plus & minus points of great war leaders who were part of this epic war.

1. Do Not Be A Bhisma
He was hoping to solve all problems and create a
perfect world.
He did not accept inadequacy of others.
He did not create a talent pool.
He refused to believe the world could function
without him
He convinced himself he was indispensable
Lesson:
The organization has to function even without you
and you cannot do everything

2. Do Not Be Drona
While Drona claimed loyalty to Kurus, his real
obsession was his son Ashwatthama
Krishna knew this & he spread rumor that
Ashwatthama had been killed.
This broke Drona’s heart & he lost will to fight.
Lesson:
Do not have favorites. You exist for the
0rganization, not to nurture favorites
Don Not Be A Karna
Karna aspired to be an archer
He was supported by kauravas who found his
talent useful
Pandavas, who felt he should follow his family
vocation and not aspire beyond his class / caste
Karna continuously suffered from what is called
the status anxiety
It became an obsession

3. Lesson:
Do not try to belong to a club where you are
unwelcome. You do not need other people’s
approval to be validated. Focus on tasks at hand
Do Not Be Yudhishtir
Yudhishtir always spoke the truth
Respected elders
Wanted to be a model for everyone
Yet it was addiction to gambling that had
resulted in loss of Pandava fortune & the
resulting war
Lesson:
Do not try to be perfect. You are not. Nobody
likes someone who is always perfect. They
come across oppressive. Life is not perfect. So
admit vulnerability. And remember,
shareholders love ethics, so long as it does not
come in the way of their profit.

4. Do Not Be A Bhima
Bhima swore to kill each & every Pandava and
even drink their blood to avenge humiliation.
He went about it with a force that frightened all.
Yet for all his work, he was overshadowed by
more charismatic Arjuna.
Most people assume Arjuna is the hero, when
Bhima did the real work.
Lesson:
While doing your work do not get so obsessed with
achievements, that someone else takes away your
glory. Make sure you are the face of your
achievements.
Do Not Be An Arjuna
Arjuna was the greatest archer
But when he entered the battle field, he looked
beyond the target and realized his enemy was his
family.
He feared if he killed them, social fabric will get
destroyed

5. These thoughts paralyzed him, until Krishna came
to his rescue and gave him a discourse that
enabled him to get back into the fighting spirit.
Lesson:
While action is good, do not let analysis leads to
paralysis. Sometimes you just have to go ahead and do
things and take responsibility of consequences
whatever they may be. You cannot be successful all the
time or go good all the time. And it is ok to fail.
Source: Economic Times
Corporate Dossier
28 Aug 2015
Author: Devdutt Pattanaik