A person visits a medical center/hospital for a regular or executive health check-up. The person apparently appears quite healthy on the outside. However, the medical examiner checks certain essential parameters such as blood pressure, body temperature, pulse rate, respiration rate, blood sugar etc. These essential parameters, known as “human vitals” are used to monitor the basic bodily functions and detect medical problems, if any. In other words, based on these core human vitals, the medical examiner arrives at a basic conclusion as to whether the person (who is apparently looking healthy) is having any medical issue or not.
Applying the analogy of the above, let us consider the scenario of a business organization/company. An organization/company may have the best infrastructure, set-up, technological advancements etc. However, these appearances are only on the outside. Is the success of the organization dependent only on these? Or is it more dependent upon something “within” the organization? An organization that may apparently appear as one of the best functioning organizations on the outside may not necessarily, in reality, be so since there is an issue within its “core vitals” and this may cause its collapse in the near future.
So, what are those core vitals of an organization that are essential for it to thrive? Let us see a few major of them as below:

1. Ethics/Values based on Dharma – An organization can really thrive and be successful on a long-term basis only and only if it has a core set of values/principles/ethics which are based/founded on Dharma. In this regard, Pujya Guruji Swami Tejomayanandaji, in his book Dharma Shastra beautifully defines the term ‘Dharma’ as -“Dharma is a divine, universal constitution for all human beings to remain happy in this world and beyond.” Guruji, in the said book, further refers to the famous Sanskrit verse in the Vaishesika Sutra (1.1.2) – “yato abhyudaya nihshreyasa siddhih sa dharmaha” which means “That from which all-round prosperity (abhyudaya) and absolute good (nihshreyasa) arise is Dharma.” For all practical purposes, Dharma implies living the highest values/principles of life which lead to ultimate and all-round happiness, peace and prosperity. When each individual in the organization starts living these values, the entire organization is knit together in harmony which in turn leads to welfare, not only of the organization but also of its people and the country as a whole. Without naming any organization in particular, we have seen cases where entities, which were once on the top pinnacle of success and abundance, met a hopeless downfall on account of compromise in its ethical and value-based practices. On the contrary, those organizations which consistently followed value-based ethics maintained the highest quality of their products/services and achieved continuous and increasing success, prosperity and customer satisfaction. The law of Dharma is universal. In this regard, the Manusmriti (8.15) beautifully declares “Dharmo rakshati rakshitah” meaning “Dharma protects those who protect it.”
   Now, the question is, where can we find these values/principles? A few instances from our scriptures are as under:
   • The Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 verse 50 states – “Yogaha karmasu kaushalam” – “Excellence in action/work is Yoga.” This indicates the need for developing dedication, sincerity and excellence in each and every work undertaken in the organization. Excellent work leads to excellent results.
   • The Sanskrit phrase “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” is found in the Maha Upanishad, meaning, “the world is one family”. At an organizational level, this indicates that the entire organization is one unit/family wherein each individual (right from the topmost management to the bottom most level worker) does his part and works in collaboration with his colleagues to achieve the holistic growth and welfare of the organization as a whole. The organization in turn works to achieve the welfare of the people, country and the world at large. This concept is indicated in the famous motto “All for One and One for All” as well as in the famous Sanskrit phrases “Sarva Bhuta Hite Ratah – Engaged in the welfare of all beings (Bhagavad Gita 12.4) and “Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah” – “May all be happy”.
   • The Bhagavad Gita Chapter 16 – verses 1 to 3 prescribe 26 qualities which are considered as “Daivik Sampatti” – Divine Wealth. These 26 qualities include truth, purity, charity, straight-forwardness, non-covetousness etc. which are to be cultivated by each and every individual in the organization as a whole. In the Mahabharata, the Pandavas won the great war over the Kauravas (even though the Kauravas’ army outnumbered the Pandavas’ army) since, unlike the Kauravas, they were endowed with these qualities/virtues. Similar values are also more or less prescribed in texts such as Manusmriti, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and Sri Ramacharitamanas of Goswami Tulsidas.
2. Right Leadership – The conduct, vision, values and decisions of the leader or the head of the organization or even of a particular team/group is of vital importance since the people of the organization/team look up to him and follow accordingly. The leader is the captain of the ship of the organization/team. The success or failure of an organization/team largely depends upon the leader. As in the human body, the head thinks and the limbs act, so also the leader is to be the head (through planning, vision, decision making) and his members the limbs (through execution) in the body of the organization/team. Further, the leader of the organization/team is to be an example himself for the members to follow. In this regard, the following scriptural references may be considered:
   • In Chapter 3, Verse 21 of the Bhagavad Gita, Bhagavan Shree Krishna advises Arjun: “yad yad ācharati śhreṣhṭhas tat tad evetaro janaḥ sa yat pramāṇaṁ kurute lokas tad anuvartate – Whatever actions great persons perform, common people follow. Whatever standards they set, all the world pursues.” This is also indicated in the Mahabharata, when Yudhisthira says “mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ – Therefore, the path one should follow is the one traveled by the great authorities.”
   • In Sri Ramacharitamanas, Bhagavan Shree Ram, the very embodiment of Dharma, during his period of exile in the forest, when advising his brother Bharata on how to rule the kingdom, said “Mukhiya mukhu so chahiye khana pana kahu eka | Palai poshai sakala anga Tulasi sahita bibeka || Ayodhya kaand Doha 315 || – A leader should be like the mouth, which is the only one to eat and drink, yet it nourishes and supports all the other parts of the body with wisdom and discretion.”
3. Right Team/Workforce – The leader alone cannot do and accomplish everything. Apart from the leader, right people with the correct skillset, mindset and attitude as part of the organization/team are required to be appointed/employed. The leader can only function if he has a strong and robust team-force. In this regard, the Manusmriti in Chapter 7 Verse 55 clearly says about the importance of a team:
   “api yat sukaraṃ karma tadapyekena duṣkaram |
   viśeṣato’sahāyena kiṃ tu rājyaṃ mahodayam II
   Even an undertaking that is easy is difficult to be accomplished by a single man, specially by one who has no assistant; how much more so is the work of the king, which involves great issues!”

Thus, to summarize, the essential vitals of a strong leadership combined with a strong team having its entire flow of activities and conduct based on Dharma will no doubt lead to ever-increasing abundance, prosperity and success of the organization. No wonder then, being established in Dharma, even an army of monkeys/bears led by a strong leader like Bhagavan Shree Ram won over the mighty and formidable monarch Ravan!

– Sevak Chaitanya Bhatt