Stephen Manallack
They both used creative symbolism to propel their causes into the
Spotlight — Mahatma Gandhiwith his spinning wheel and simple clothing,
Sir Richard Branson with balloon flights and other challenges. But what
if they met — would they have got on?
Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) is regarded in India as the
Father of the Nation, leading the campaign for freedom from British
rule, and Sir Richard Branson (1950-) is the British founder of the
Virgin business empire, also known for humanitarian activism.
The
quietly spoken Gandhi opens the discussion by reminding Branson: “The
best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
Gandhi
explains what this means for business: “A customer is the most
important visitor on our premises; he is not dependent on us. We are
dependent on him. He is not an interruption in our work. He is the
purpose of it. He is not an outsider in our business. He is part of it.
We are not doing him a favour by serving him. He is doing us a favour by
giving us an opportunity to do so.”
Branson is
nodding and interjects: “No company can train its front-end people to
handle every situation, but you can strive to create an environment in
which they feel at ease doing as they would be done by.”
As
Gandhi continues with the cotton spinning wheel, Branson enthuses: “…it
is necessary to give other people the space to thrive, to catch people
doing something right, rather than getting things wrong.” Gandhi is
vigorous in agreement: “Freedom is not worth having if it does not
include the freedom to make mistakes.”
But what about
choosing the right approach to life? Gandhi sets the scene with: “Live
as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”
Branson, the enthusiast, responds: “Look for people who take their roles
seriously and lead from the front, but who are not slow to see the
lighter side of life.”
A Family
In
response to Gandhi’s quizzical look, Branson continues: “A company
should genuinely be a family, who achieve together, grow together and
laugh together.”
Gandhi reminds his colleague that
even in families, disputes can occur and anger can arise. He points out:
“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the
strong.” As Branson nods in agreement, Gandhi continues: “Anger and
intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding.”
Branson
wants to discuss creativity, leading with: “No one has a monopoly on
good ideas or good advice, so as a leader you should always be
listening. Be visible, note down what you hear and you’ll be surprised
how much you learn.” Gandhi responds with wisdom: “The golden rule is to
test everything in the light of reason and experience, no matter from
where it comes.”
And leadership? Again, from Branson:
“Nobody respects a leader who doesn’t know how to get his hands dirty
and innovate personally.” This point of character was so important to
Gandhi: “If you have no character to lose, people will have no faith in
you”.
Gandhi warms to the theme: “I suppose
leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along
with people.” Branson can barely restrain his thoughts: “Having a
personality of caring about people is important,” he says. “You can’t be
a good leader unless you generally like people. That is how you bring
out the best in them.”
But Gandhi wants to move from big picture to the individual, reminding Branson to: “Be the change you want to see in the world”.
Taking Pride
Reflecting
on this point, Branson highlights the importance of being proud of what
you do: “If you make something you are proud of, that filters down to
your staff, as well as your customers.” But Gandhi is more impressed
with action than words: “An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of
preaching.” He reminds Branson that tolerance is a key human value,
explaining that he has “…a tolerance for all faiths”.
Glancing
at his enthusiastic visitor, Gandhi cannot resist stirring the pot:
“There is enough in this world for everyone’s need, but not enough for
everyone’s greed” and explains the real source of a happy life:
“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in
harmony.”
Branson relishes this shift in the
conversation and expands on business in the community: “Take a look
around at your community and you will likely see problems that need to
be fixed – from reversing environmental degradation to creating local
jobs. As an entrepreneur or business leader, you have a role to play in
solving those problems.”
Coke deed
Inspired
by the great man, Branson sets out a vision: “Coca-Cola sells 1.7
billion drinks every day, from Paris to Mumbai. If a fraction of those
consumers were inspired to do something good each time they drank a
Coke, the company really would be teaching the world to sing.”
Gandhi
almost shudders at the mention of the fizzy western drink, removes his
round glasses and his parting words linger in the mind of Branson as he
flies home: “The things that will destroy us are: politics without
principle; pleasure without conscience; wealth without work; knowledge
without character; business without morality; science without humanity;
and worship without sacrifice.”
The writer is the author of ‘Soft Skills for a Flat World, combining the best of India and the best of the west’.
“Anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding.”
(The Hindu, empower, 30:01:2013)
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