mahabharata management

Mahabharata Management

1. Mahabharata
Story of Mahabharata

Pandavas:
Mahabharata is one of the longest Indian epics written by Rishi Vedvyasa. It contains about 74000 verses. The Bhagwad Geeta which tells about the teachings of Lord Krishna to the great warrior Arjuna, is a part of The Mahabharata. It emphasizes on the importance of goals, relationships, life's values and practical lessons.

Kauravas:
2. Lesson No 1
Share your responsibilities and focus on leadership.

Pandavas:
Pandavas had a distributed leadership. They had 7 commanders responsible for 7 different divisions. Dhrishdyumna was the commander- in-chief. Arjuna was the Supreme commander and Krishna was his chief counsellor. They won the battle of Mahabharata because they had shared responsibilities and the right leader.

Kauravas:
Kauravas had centralized leadership. There was 1 head of the army who controlled as many as 11 divisions at a time. Bhishma, Drona, Karna, Shalya and Ashwatthama all became leaders at one time or the other but could not manage such huge armies.
3. Lesson No 2
Teamwork always wins over individual brilliance.

Pandavas:
Pandavas had 1 united team and 1 goal. All the leaders had great respect for Krishna, as the counsellor and Yudhishtira as a partner. They had role models of Bhima and Arjuna as warriors. They were all close relatives and were made a part of decision making. They all considered it as 'their'war.

Kauravas:
Kauravas had no team spirit and everyone fought his own war for his own objective. While Bhishma wanted to protect the throne of Hastinapur, Drona and Kripa had allegiance to it. Karna just wanted to prove his mettle against Arjuna and his friendship with Duryodhana. They all had big egos and didn't gel well with each other. Although they were brilliant warriors individually, they couldn't win the battle.
4. Lesson No 3
Always make powerful allies

Pandavas:
Pandavas had made powerful allies all over India. They had Panchalas through marriage with Draupadi, Rakshasas through marriage of Bheem and Hidimba, Magadh through marriage of Sahdev and Vijaya and many more. They didn't have any wealth or power but still won the battle because they had powerful allies.

Kauravas:
Kauravas didn't have very powerful allies except old relations from far off places like Shakuni and Gandhara, Jaydratha and Sindhu and Bhagdutt and Kamboja. They had the power and the greatest empire but couldn't make many friends and allies and thus lost the war.
5. Lesson No 4
Play on your strength and work on your weakness

Pandavas:
When Pandavas went in exile, they prepared for the battle in many ways. Bheema went to meet Hanuman and got more strength as a blessing. Yudhishtira learnt to excel at playing the dice game in case he was challenged and also got teachings from learned rishis. Arjuna acquired Divyastras. They turned their weaknesses into their strengths.

Kauravas:
Kauravas defeated many kingdoms but created new enemies. They acquired their wealth but lost their men. They didn't prepare well for the battle.
6. Lesson No 5
Selection of right Team Members for right motives

Pandavas:
Pandavas selected the right people for the right motives and their individual targets culminated into common goals. Dhrishtadyumna killed Drona, Shikhandi killed Bhishma and Arjuna vowed to kill Karna.This moved them towards victory.

Kauravas:
Kauravas had divided opinions on war. Duryodhana was the only king who wanted to fight Pandavas to establish his supremacy. Most of his other generals like Bhishma, Drona and Shalya were close to Pandavas and were with Duryodhana out of their sense of duty.
7. Lesson No 6
Show total commitment towards the job given

Pandavas:
Pandavas always kept Team interest before individual interests. Although Abhimanyu entered the Chakravyuh alone and the move was considered suicidal, he killed a sizable number of Kaurava warriors. Ghatotkachh took away half the Kaurava army with him as he died. All the warriors of Pandavas showed total commitment.

Kauravas:
Kaurava generals didn't show commitment at all. Shalya, a Kaurava general kept insulting fellow general Karna in the battlefield. Bhishma prolonged the war by killing only inconsequential warriors
8. Lesson No 7
The best man for the job is not the one with brilliance but one who is persistent and loyal

Pandavas:
Pandavas'army had loyalists like Yudhishthira who left behind personal integrity to tell a half truth that Drona's son had died which left Drona devastated. Krishna, Pandavas'mentor almost took up arms to enter the battlefield much against the oath he had taken prior to the battle. Such was the loyalty of the Pandava generals which led them to victory.

Kauravas:
Kauravas had such disloyal generals as Drona who abandoned his weapons and left the battlefield as soon as he heard of his son's death. He cared less about Kauravas'victory. Karna didn't kill Yudhishthira and Bheema even when he got a chance as he was only gunning for Arjuna's head. He also gave away his kundalas and protective body suit or kavach just to keep his word.
9. Lesson No 8
Place the right people as managers

Pandavas:
Pandavas had the greatest crisis manager in Krishna. Each time the pandava army was in crisis, he provided the solution. It was Krishna who advised Yudhishthira to speak the half truth that Ashwatthama had been killed devastating the Kaurava general Drona.

Kauravas:
Kauravas didn't have any one person who could gauge the crisis situation and dissolve it. In fact, Duryodhana made a blunder when he chose Krishna's army over him knowing very well the worthiness of Krishna.
10. Lesson No 9
Exploit your opponents'weakness and take calculated risks.

Pandavas:
Krishna was very smart. He sent Yudhishthira just before the battle to the Kaurava's camp to take blessings from his elders. He won them over with this move and they all gave him the secrets of Kauravas'army. He also played the trump card by inviting anyone who wanted to change sides and Yuyutsu, Dhritrashtra's son came to his side exposing the non-cohesiveness of Kauravas.

Kauravas:
Kauravas didn't know their opponents'weaknesses hence couldn't do much about it. Duryodhana was so proud that he cared less about his army.