Chanakya has got many tricks and techniques for today’s managers. Chanakya has advised managers about how and when to do things and how to satisfy customers. “You can catch an elephant during summer. There is always scarcity of water and elephants come out of the deep forest searching water.” The whole marketing strategy is hidden in these words. One has to assess the market circumstances and satisfy the needs of the customers to become successful in the business. Till recently all corporate strategies are spread around urban customer base. Banks, umbrella insurance companies, telecom service providers and beauty product companies are now looking towards villages to enhance their customer base and grab new markets. Chanakya has realized the potential of rural market and asserted that political power or wealth comes only from villages.
Chanakya has given many suggestions with regard to human resource management also. Recruitment, transfers, promotions, incentives and all other functions of HR Management are described in Artha Sastra. You have to appoint functional specialist to head each department. In today’s companies, you can see functional specialists in HR, heading the departments. Manager – Compensation and Benefits, Manager – Training and Development, Manager – Learning and Development, Manager – Employee Relations are some of the designations, which we are having today imagined by Chanakya thousands of years ago. Chanakya says that nobody should be given absolute power as he knows very well that absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Chanakya has defined development in four phases. First, one has to reach the target. Secondly, the progress has to be sustained. Third, you have to expand the sustained growth. Fourth, you have to take steps to share the fruits of expansion with all the stake holders. A corporate honcho’s responsibility does not end with building an organization. You have to withstand the birth pangs while building the organization. You have to enhance the market cap and become one of the top companies in the world. Your success should be shared among the employees and Society by fulfilling the corporate social responsibility.
Any management book can teach you how to run a business. They are all just like sugar coated ineffective pills. There is no depth in their teachings. But, Artha Sastra will teach you about building a system with sustainable growth. It will also teach you on how to strengthen the organizational structure from base.
If you wish to gather ten elephants, you have to just have one elephant. Elephant is a social animal. It cannot live alone. It will always search for the herd of elephants. Then, you can catch other elephants also. You can compare this to money making skills. First, you have to earn some money. Then, the money will create more money. Present day investment advisors’ roots are lying in the wisdom of Chanakya’s Artha Sastra, which was written three thousand years ago.
Behavioral skills also mentioned by Chanakya wherein he cautions that ‘if somebody is giving you costly gift, beware, that he is expecting more from you’. Do not indulge in unnecessary chatting which may harm you. Always try to control your anger; otherwise, it will control you. Do not go to meet Guru like elders with empty hands. Take some fruits or some sweets with you. It is better, if you bring up your kids in a proper and they come up in life to take care of yourself. Do not try to earn lots of money through corrupt practices which may not be with you. Always be critical about yourself and review your day-to-day actions. What you have achieved till today; where you have to go tomorrow kind of review will give you a clear picture of your future goals. There are many thousands of truths like this written by Chanakya, which one has to emulate to become good and effective manager of all times.