Leadership has three aspects: the individual or the leader, the people who are to be led, and the goal or destination.

The Leader

The leader must have a clear and concise knowledge of the destination or the goal to which he wants to lead people; he/she must also be aware of the path and the means necessary to reach the goal; and lastly, the leader must understand the psychology of the followers. This is a particularly important aspect. If the leader does not have any idea of what motivates them or their way of thinking and speaks about extremely high and lofty goals, it will not be effective.

Leading by example is the best way to guide others. The leader must be detached, patient, enthusiastic, dynamic and inspiring.

The Goal

The motivation of a leader should be the welfare of all (loka saìgraham). A true leader is one who is interested not only in the material prosperity of people, but also in their spiritual unfoldment. These two are the goals of dharma – all round prosperity in the world and spiritual unfoldment. Both are necessary for a flourishing society. Suppose all people become ascetics and sannyäsés, how can a nation go on? Or if all are indulgent, thinking only of power play, material prosperity and pleasure, will that bring happiness and peace?

It is necessary to work and achieve something in this world. Without the acquisition, there is no renunciation. Renunciation has no meaning if there is nothing to renounce! Therefore, a beggar cannot be called a renunciate. Renunciation is meaningful only if one who has gained wealth or success in this world renounces them.

A leader needs to recognize that the majority of people have countless desires and ambitions for worldly things. They are fascinated by glamour and material wealth. They want to improve their standard of living and better their lot. At such a time, one cannot talk only of renunciation and the highest spiritual goal. That will not motivate them. But they should be shown that there is a greater goal and greater good also. It should be pointed out that if they go on acquiring more and more of the same things, there will only be a quantitative change in their lives; there will be no qualitative transformation. This fundamental idea has to be gradually introduced.

A leader should guide people on the right path towards material prosperity and also impress on them that there is a spiritual goal in life that has to be desired and attained. However, this is a slow process.

The Path

The path to the goal must be very clear. And it should follow the universally accepted ethical values. The best path is Karma Yoga – performing selfless actions dedicated to the Lord.

Accept, Motivate and Guide

The leader should have adequate knowledge regarding the ability of his team. Managing people is a special skill in itself. In fact, of all the diverse types of management – money, time, and so on, people management is the most difficult. Generally, people do not like to be told that they are wrong. A capable leader would say, “What you are doing is good, but there is a better way of doing it that will benefit you.”

Hence, one has to guide people judiciously. One should not reject or go away from them; it is important to be with them. At the same time, one should not simply order them around as it will create resentment in their minds. The leader must be in tune with their needs, remain enthusiastic and active and work joyously so that everyone is inspired.

Recognize Capability

A true leader does not take everything upon himself, nor does he delegate everything! The principle of delegation is simple – you should never delegate that which you alone are supposed to do, and you should delegate everything that you should not be doing. It is crucial to identify the right, capable person to whom the work can be delegated. The leader must understand that no one is useless; each person is unique and has a special capability. There is a beautiful çloka in Sanskrit that states:

amantram-akñaraà nästi nästi mülama-nauñadham,

ayogyaù puruño nästi yojakastatra durlabhaù.

There is no letter in the alphabet that cannot become a mantra. There exists no root which cannot be used as a medicine. Likewise, there is no person who is totally useless, but it is difficult to find one who knows how to use them!

Swami Chinmayananda

Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda was a brilliant example of such an excellent and dynamic leader.

He knew that he had the serious responsibility of guiding people and was very clear about the path to be followed. In addition, he had a deep and accurate understanding of the nature of those whom he led. With unending patience, he constantly guided everyone and was able to get an incredible amount of work done from all of them. He appreciated the work done, but at the same time, pointed out clearly and firmly all that was required to be done. He had varied interests and was a powerhouse of knowledge, with information on innumerable subjects.

He always led from the front and showed the way to rise and reach the peak. He had the ability to garner all the resources necessary for the successful completion of the projects he undertook. Even today, people are motivated to work just by the power of his name.

Footnote: Edited excerpt from Pujya Guruji’s discourses on ‘Action to Perfection’ in Delhi from November 2013.