management lessons for entrepreneurs

Mahabharata is not just a popular epic one can learn Kurukshtra lessons from. The sermons from Lord Krishna to Arjun form the basis of Bhagwad Gita which is the holy book for Hindus. However, the epic also consists of many management lessons that entrepreneurs could derive out of it.

5 management lessons one can learn from Mahabharata are:

1. Honesty isn’t always the best policy

This might not be the best moral lesson to derive out of the epic for entrepreneurs but it definitely a very important one. An entrepreneur cannot afford to be truthful and just in every situation. Some situations require him to be cunning and smart. In Mahabharata, even the great king, Yudhishtira, who never lied, had to lie to his teacher during the time of war. If he hadn’t lied, the entire Pandava army would have been slaughtered; so he betrayed his morals for the sake of a bigger win. He did what was required at the moment which is entrepreneurs should do too.

2. Make strong alliances

The Pandavas were initially a team of only five brothers without an army but they managed to defeat hundred brothers with a kingdom. This was possible only because they made smart alliances which paid off in the time of need. The Pandavas were helped by Lord Krishna and other people who were more cunning and experienced in the art of war and could lead them to success. Similar, to succeed, an entrepreneur needs to make strong alliances with people who are smart or/and successful.

3. Build a dedicated team

The Kauravas were far more than the Pandavas in number but they lost because the Pandavas were more close-knit and focused towards a common goal. The values of unity weren’t spread amongst the Kauravas which is why their determination wasn’t as strong as the Pandavas. In the same way, an entrepreneur should aspire to build a dedicated team of employees who work together towards achieving a common goal. If there are disputes or conflicts of interest between employees, it can hamper the whole company.

4. Every single member is important

In the beginning of the war, Pandavas and Kauravas were given a choice between Krishna and Krishna’s army. The Kauravas without thinking chose his army because they saw quantity there; however, what they failed to see was the potential and qualities of Krishna as an individual which were what eventually led to the victory of the Pandavas. Similarly, in real life, an entrepreneur should choose the qualities of an individual over hiring more people because a single employee might turn out to be a better strategist than thousand others.

Related Post: 8 books every entrepreneur must read

5. Focus on your goals

It is very important for a venture to have a common goal and focus on it because without uninterrupted focus and hard work, all goals are impossible to achieve. This is a crucial lesson which Mahabharata teaches us.
Arjun could hit the bird’s eye and become the greatest archer only because he focused hard and trained well. Also, the Pandavas common goal was to win their kingdom back which is what they solely concentrated on and didn’t stop until they accomplished their goal.

If you haven’t read the epic yet, go ahead and read it because it will teach you how to strategize and more importantly how life really is!

Sholay was probably the biggest blockbuster ever made it India. The movie ran for over 100 months and the songs and the story proved to be a hit with the masses. For the next few years, all Indian audiences could rave about was Jai and Veeru’s friendship and how good a villain Gabbar was.

The movie also contained a lot of management lessons that entrepreneurs and startup founders could learn by watching this Bollywood blockbuster especially from the most feared villain of Bollywood, Gabbar:

1. Risks are inevitable

A major chunk of an entrepreneur’s job profile reads taking risks. An entrepreneur needs to take risks in terms of income, time and career to succeed in his life. One shouldn’t be afraid to take risks or be afraid of the outcome just like Gabbar said “jo dar gaya samjho mar gaya”. He lived his life on a very steep edge but it is very essential for an entrepreneur to take calculated risks.

2. Outsource work to better employees

An entrepreneur knows that he cannot sustain as a one member team. To actually succeed, one needs a dedicated team which is specialised in various areas. This concept is explained beautifully in Sholay as Thakur knows that he is old and won’t be able to catch Gabbar, so, he delegates the work to two younger and fitter people, Jai and Veeru to bring the villain to him.

3. Communicating with your staff is important

Gabbar shows us the power of communicating with the staff. He always asks and converses with his staff because putting any thought into action. He even asks one of his employees “Arre o Saambha… kitna inaam rakhi hai re sarkaar humpe”. In the same way, in real life, entrepreneurs communicate with their team and seek their opinion before taking a decision. This makes the employees feel more involved in the whole process.

4. Incentives to push the taskforce further

Gabbar knew that incentives make a person go beyond her boundaries and she eventually learns to put in her 110%. So, he told Basanti “Jab tak tere pair chalenge, iski saans chalegi” which is why she put in extra effort to save them. Similarly, in real life if incentives are offered to employees, they aspire to do the job in a better and more effective way. This tactic works in every situation and a simple bonus could be an incentive for a person to work harder.

5. Team work

Other than their epic friendship, one thing we can definitely learn from Jai and Veeru is how they worked together as a team all the time. They were coordinated and knew when to work and when to have fun. Their friendship shows the importance of team work and that is how a real entrepreneurial team should actually work to achieve their goal and targets successfully.

6. Don’t underestimate your competitors

A lot of entrepreneurs make a basic mistake of underestimating their competitor the minute they start gaining success which is a very wrong thing to do. Even in the climax, Gabbar, looked at an old and arm-less Thakur and laughed “Tu kya ladega mujhse Thakur”. However, Thakur beat Gabbar to pulp just using his feet which reinforces the fact that we mustn’t underestimate our competition.

If you are an aspiring entrepreneur and haven’t watched Sholay yet, stop everything and go and watch it right now!

Tag: management lessons for entrepreneurs

5 management lessons entrepreneurs can learn from Mahabharata