Lord Rama was the embodiment of righteousness. He was also the perfect example of how a leader must lead his team towards victory. Ramayana is primarily the tale of the triumph of good over evil. However, how this victory is brought about has important lessons in leadership and teamwork when observed closely.
As kids, most of us have read (or even watched) how Lord Rama defeated the demon king Ravana to get his wife, goddess Sita, back to their home safely. We also know that Lord Rama was living in the forest along with his wife, Sita. Lord Rama’s father king Dasharatha had made a promise to one of his queens, Kaikeyi. To fulfil this promise, he had to send Lord Rama to exile. Lord Rama’s brother, Laxman, voluntarily accompanied the couple and went to live in the woods with them.
Keeping the importance of promises and loyalty aside, when looked at at a deeper level, Ramayana also has lessons in leadership and teamwork. Here are seven lessons that one can learn from the scripture.
1. Planning and vision
A good leader knows the goals to be achieved and has a clear vision to achieve them. Lord Rama’s goal was clear, which was to get his wife, Sita, back from the demon king Ravana. He laid out his plan accordingly and slowly worked towards executing it. Lord Rama knew exactly what he was going to do when it came to executing his plan.
Similarly, a good leader must know the goals he/she wants to achieve and then develop plans to achieve them. Planning and having clarity of vision are two of the most important characteristics of a good leader. Once you have a vision and a plan, half the battle is won as you know how to proceed.
2. The importance of making allies
If Lord Rama had taken it upon himself to execute the entire plan and get his wife, goddess Sita back all by himself, it would have taken much longer. But Lord Rama relied on others and made allies who helped him achieve his goal. He helped king Sugriva in winning over his kingdom from his brother Bali by defeating him. As a mark of his gratitude, Sugriva then gave Lord Rama his army to fight the war against Ravana.
A good leader, therefore, knows the importance of making allies and knows how to forge useful connections to achieve targets.
3. Building employees’ confidence and trusting them
When Lord Rama and Laxman were abducted by the demon Ahiravan, Hanuman took an independent call to save the two. This happened because Lord Rama trusted Lord Hanuman to take important calls. This had instilled in him the needed to make such bold decisions.
It is not possible for a leader to look after everything in a workspace and there are times when an employee must face certain situations on his own. A good leader trains their employees to tackle adverse situations by themselves and relies on them in times of need.
4. Making employees feel valued
In Ramayana, Ravana’s younger brother, Vibhishana, realises that he is on the wrong side of the war and wants to be on Lord Rama’s side. Before agreeing to let him stay with him, Lord Rama called a special council of elders and asked them about their opinion, making them feel valued.
A good leader must also provide employees with the opportunity to speak their mind and make them feel valued in the workplace.
5. Delegating tasks and assigning the right people
Lord Rama knew who could carry out which task in the most productive way. Be it asking the Vanar Sena to build the bridge to Lanka, or sending Angada to Lanka as a messenger, he understood the individual strengths and knew how to delegate tasks accordingly. A leader must know that the best results are achieved by delegating certain tasks and choosing the perfect people to carry out those tasks.
6. Humility
Lord Rama was the epitome of humility and compassion. He humbly welcomed Vibhishana, brother of his enemy Ravana, to his team after he realised his folly. Not only this, but Lord Rama also made Vibhishana the king of Lanka after winning the war. Thus, being humble is one of the most important characteristics of a good leader. There is no place for ego or arrogance in a workspace.
7. Adaptability and using the available resources efficiently
Lord Rama was born a prince and was used to living in opulence. However, he was sent to exile where a completely different lifestyle awaited him. The resources were limited, he had to stay in a hut and give up all the luxuries of the palace. When goddess Sita was abducted, he had nothing much at his disposal. Yet, from the limited resources available to him, Lord Rama raised an army, travelled to Lanka without any fancy vehicle, and defeated Ravana. He thus adapted to a completely new atmosphere and used it to the best of his advantage to rescue his wife, Sita.
How to adapt to the changing situation and using the available resources efficiently is something every leader must know. It isn’t necessary that you will always have the resources required to tackle every situation. What counts in such challenging times is a leader’s ability to use the available resources to their best advantage.