A shared dilemma, a turmoil unresolved, growth stories undone, organizations fossilized. How do we reinvent ourselves as an organism that will thrive?
“Human Resource” is a term that was coined in 1958 by economist E. Wight Bakke, viewing people as a means to an end (for employers).
Isha Leadership Academy’s Human Is Not A Resource (HINAR), a one of its kind, three-day business program held annually since 2017, challenges this very notion. “When you treat a human being as a resource, it means you believe a human being is an absolute. A human being is not an absolute but an evolving possibility,” Sadhguru says, defining the ethos of HINAR.
For the very first time, Sadhguru personally conducted an interactive session in the HINAR program this year, reminding leaders that the greatest challenge of our generation – the COVID-19 pandemic – can become one of the biggest opportunities to overhaul outdated systems and ideas in order to accelerate innovation. He said, “When uncertainty is the nature of the world we live in, it becomes even more important that you work with people you can trust.”
Three core themes for thriving and resilient businesses: re-thinking purpose, passion as the fuel to drive that purpose, and culture as the glue that binds people and diminishes ambiguity.
The fifth edition of HINAR saw 111 top-level entrepreneurs and decision makers from 11 countries explore three core themes for thriving and resilient businesses – re-thinking purpose, passion as the fuel to drive that purpose, and culture as the glue that binds people and diminishes ambiguity in an organization. Participants interacted with highly experienced business leaders who facilitated small, focused group discussions as resource leaders during the program. They also met one-to-one with peers and leaders in the weeklong pre-and post-event engagement.
Leading the “HR – Rethinking the Mandate” session, Rajeev Dubey, Former Group President (HR and Corporate Services) and CEO (After Market Sector), Mahindra & Mahindra, said, “Unleashing human potential should not be limited to one department. Everyone in an organization is dealing with human beings; everyone must know how to get the best out of each other.”
If our youth, who constitute a large percentage of the population, are skilled, focused, stable, and inspired, we can create a miracle of a nation in 10–15 years. —Sadhguru
Sadhguru urged businesses to adopt a larger vision by empowering rural India and the youth to be leaders. “Industries must set up skill development centers and skill people for the roles they need. At least 10% of your business investment should shift to rural India. Your business will have enormous potential for innovation. Business should go where the people are.” He further added, “If our youth, who constitute a large percentage of the population, are skilled, focused, stable, and inspired, we can create a miracle of a nation in 10–15 years.”
During the discussion on organizational purpose, Aditi Bhosale-Walunj, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Repos Energy, shared, “We discovered our mission first, and then created our organization around it.” Speaking about passion as a force multiplier for purpose, Lt. Gen. Alok Kler, PVSM, VSM, Honorary ADC to President (Retd.), Former General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, South Western Command, said, “Rigorous mental and physical discipline and giving the best of oneself every moment sustains passion effortlessly.”
We have always led by people first, business next, and profit last. —Saugata Gupta
Saugata Gupta, Managing Director and CEO, Marico (one of India's leading consumer goods company with a turnover of ₹7,315 crores), brought in several thought-provoking perspectives on culture, “We have always led by people first, business next, and profit last.” Emphasizing the importance of trust, he revealed that Marico reported its best growth in recent times during the pandemic, despite greatly lowered levels of supervision, management, and face time with employees. He attributed this to reciprocal trust between employees and the organization.
A much lauded and loved feature of all HINAR and INSIGHT programs is when participants get to hear firsthand from the Isha leadership how Isha as an organization exemplifies the principle that “human is not a resource but a possibility.” Maa Gnana, who leads Isha Foundation’s Human Possibilities department, said, “At Isha, the focus is not so much on the outcome as it is on fostering an environment that nurtures and inspires every individual.”
Moumita Sen Sarma, who co-leads the Isha Leadership Academy, shared, “At Isha, Sadhguru takes the ‘Why’ of things to a completely different level, effectively communicating his vision to us. Breaking our likes and dislikes, he has nothing else on his mind but to get an individual to realize his or her full potential.”
Inspiring, valuing, and investing in volunteers to deliver mega projects in a short span of time has become the norm at Isha. Sharing the “how” of it, Swami Ullasa said, “Sadhguru spends countless hours with hundreds of volunteers sharing the vision, relentlessly answering questions until all the ‘buts’ end. Only then, teams sit down to translate the vision, with reiterations to arrive at clarity on the aims.” Swami Ullasa shared an anecdote to illustrate how emotion was an integral element of the way the vision was articulated to the Rally for Rivers teams.
It was a sight to behold how a project in the minds and hearts of a few volunteers transformed into a project in the hands of thousands of people. —Swami Ullasa
A team of volunteers and camera professionals were trained overnight to form a gigantic human map of India at the Isha Yoga Center. The volunteers stood in perfect formation, waving Rally for Rivers placards in a synchronized motion to create a mesmerizing effect. The entire sequence was shot aerially with drones and crane-mounted cameras. Swami remarked, “It was a sight to behold how a project in the minds and hearts of a few volunteers transformed into a project in the hands of thousands of people.”
On building teams for Isha projects, Yuri Jain, who is currently spearheading the Cauvery Calling project by Isha Outreach, said, “We look for commitment, not capability. Putting inexperienced volunteers in unfamiliar terrain enables dramatic personal growth by making them work outside their comfort zones. They realize the enormous trust the leader has placed in them.”
You can uplift your corporate goal and make it larger than life. If you do this, people will become more involved. —Yuri Jain
Yuri also said, “Sadhguru’s focus is on individual transformation; every task is designed to shape the individual. In most other organizations, the fear of failure comes in the way of performance. You can uplift your corporate goal and make it larger than life. If you do this, people will become more involved. Profits and revenues will also increase automatically if you make yourself more relevant towards society.”
A participant expressed his appreciation for the morning Yoga sessions that were held during the program, “I’m glad I didn’t miss it! It gave me peace of mind and energy.”
This has positioned me as an industry leader, overnight. —Nishant Garg
Nishant Garg, Founder and Partner at Gem Machinery and Allied Industries, shared, “There was so much learning and inspiration. Immediately after HINAR, I decided to initiate a webinar for my industry with global participation. I shared the reason of why we exist with my team, and they rallied behind me to make this event happen, literally putting in 16 hours of work every day. I took stage virtually in front of a global audience of 400+ people from 39 countries. This has positioned me as an industry leader, overnight. Something like this has never happened in our industry. It has been a game changer in my trade. Thank you HINAR 2021.”
To know more about the programs at Isha Leadership Academy, write to leadership@ishainsight.org
