Important Management Lessons from Mahabharata

Mahabharata, the biggest epic ever written ages ago. It’s said that whatever is not there in the Mahabharata, cannot be found anywhere else. The legendary tale continues to find prominence in every form of art and continues to overwhelm us even today. Mahabharata story has so much to teach us. There are a lot of skills and lessons we can learn from Mahabharata.

The corporate world is one of the best places where the ethics from the epic can be easily applied. Mahabharata is the perfect guide be it for managing business relationships or achieving goals!

Here are few lessons that we can learn from the epic.

1) Right Leadership and Mentorship

Kauravas had a one-man leadership hierarchy. The whole of the army was under one person’s command. On the other hand, Pandavas had different generals directing the operations and had authority to take decision. The Pandavas had Lord Krishna, and the Kauravas had Karna. However, Duryodhan was really weak without Karna.

Shri Krishna’s help in mentoring was one of the significant parameters that led to the success of Pandavas.

2) Target and Smart Strategy

At the end, War was the target for both Kauravas and Pandavas. Karna went to subdue other kings so that Kauravas may get wealth. On the other hand, Arjuna, Bheema and Yudhisthra set out to acquire Divyastras, strength and strategic wisdom. If Pandavas didn’t have Krishna and his master plan, they wouldn’t have witnessed the victory they did.

3) Learning and Development

Arjuna grasped whatever came his way. Not only did he learn the best of military science from Drona, but he was also interested in learning about divine weapons from Indra. Also, he treated Yudhishter and Krishna as his mentors too, and continued learning whatever they had to offer.

4) Commitment and Common Goal

In Kauravas side every one had personal bias. On the other side, Pandavas were committed wholeheartedly and were willing to achieve the common goal. The Pandavas never stopped fighting for what rightfully belonged to them. Their courage and determination is definitely something to admire and learn from.

5) Participation of Women

Pandavas always gave respect to women and their decisions. Kunti, Draupadi, Subhadra are few influencing female characters in Mahabharata. On the other side, Kauravas were all patriarchal structure. Gandhari was not heard and there was no participation of women in decision-making.