Progression in Recession

Last few days, I spent some time chatting with employees of large Organisation while doing daily chores. I met front line executive of leading Privilege Banking firm, I spoke to senior staff of a reputed hotel in Mumbai, also chatted with a senior member of a Public Sector Unit. I made seven such contacts.
I asked a question, “what do you make of current scenario building in India…the political stand-off, the capex slowdown, the stress on most balance sheets and seeming recessionary trends”

I got some interesting answers ranging from
…it’s doom time
…we are completely lost
…the company is taking rash decisions
…we don’t know about our future
…india will go back to draconian times
…India shining is passé .

Now let’s unveil the above…any such environment of economic slowdown or stand-offs have something in common…natural slowing of pace of business, slow decision making, slow movement of money, less communication, increased caution in newer things….underlying single word “lack or loss of trust”.

While history-centricity is not always advisable but history at times is “advice-able”. Infinite recession can be seen and interpreted during ancient times owing to epidemic or disease, trade barriers (blocking strategic transportation routes), constant wars, internal coup, natural calamity (flood, famine, quakes, volcano), etc. Ancient scriptures have pronounced some disciplines around these too.

Let me begin with a small story.

Mulla Naseeruddin loved driving a car on freeways. Mulla was a product of worldly existence and was detached or aloof from his spiritual self. He loved speed and boy he indeed did. Once driving, he got a call and got the best news of his life…while he was still driving…he started rejoicing and singing to himself and whistling and buoyed. Suddenly …he met with an accident.

After some months when he recovered, he again was on a freeway. This time with same speed madness. Again he gets a call…only this time…he got the worst news of his life. He lost focus and keel and again crashed his car.

Moral: Body and Life are temple form …somewhat like the car. In either times of huge ecstasy or extreme disappointment…the temple needs to be taken care of before it loses or decays itself.

Different religions have propagated equanimity or poise in extreme situations.

In Judaism it’s called Menuchah Ha’Nefesh,
in Buddhism it is upekkha,
in Christianity it is defined as Equanimity itself by Samuel Johnson.

In Sanskrit there are few words that describe the same thing…

Udasinaha…seated above loss or gain, pain or happiness
titiksha..Forbearance to the opposites of life…again hot or cold, good or bad
Sthithapradnya …steady state in extreme opposites
Same Kritva…having equal mind in good or sorrow

The beauty of all these scriptures were that they used to hold satsang or gathering during extreme situations to discuss the same. In bad times, there used to be discussion forums to transparently discuss the uncertainty.

There used to be confidence building exercise, we-are-in-it-together. In fact, some great leaders in those times ( the senior brass of kings, their ministers) use to dilute their own wealth to distribute for the subject…the prajaa…the community.

What’s perhaps lacking today is due to the information asymmetry or analysis asymmetry which the board or top management keeps to itself. The rest of the organization keeps second-guessing. Also there are little efforts on part of leaders to compromise their compensations in favor of retaining some of the talent, etc.
One of the hallmarks of great leadership is to communicate even more during crisis or downturn. Show equanimity and poise. As humans, I guess most employees don’t want to know the “certainty” element so much as the element of “constant empathy”, togetherness in crisis, transparency. Great Organizations display grit and full-effort-commitment ….

…results or destiny or karmaphala anyways is not deterministic or guaranteed.

Communicate in Crisis,
Compassion in Crisis,