Are you really an active person, or imagining so?

Name of Paper: Times of India (MUMBAI MIRROR)
15th Sept 08 (Page 21)

ARE YOU REALLY AN ACTIVE PERSON, OR IMAGINING SO?

- Radhakrishnan ‘Chanakya’ Pillai

(This weekly column will bring out the relevance of Kautilya’s Arthashastra in today’s corporate world)

So many people imagine themselves to be hard-working, sincere and ‘active’ – without understanding whether it’s a fact or a figment of their imagination. You do not become active if you are just running around and working.Chanakya had a very simple definition of activity in the Arthashastra treatise:

“Activity is that which brings about the accomplishment of works undertaken” (6.2.2).So, you should describe yourself as an active person only if you have completed all the projects you started. This is quite important, and let me tell you how.Ask yourself if you have always achieved the ‘results’ that you started out for. So many of us – whether students, home-makers, office-goers and managers – have this common complaint: “I work so hard, but nobody bothers to appreciate or understand me.”Let me tell you that, if you finish your work and finish it well, you will be noticed. If you don’t finish your assigned projects satisfactorily, it becomes a mere action, and not something ‘active’.Now how can we plan an activity and achieve the desired results?1) DEFINE YOUR GOAL OR PURPOSEBefore you start, ask yourself questions like “Why am I doing this work?”, “What am I supposed to achieve by doing this?” If you are not clear, take the help of seniors who can you guide you better. Achieving ‘clarity’ of the goal is important before we start any work. Do a goal-setting exercise before you start. It should be time-bound and specific.2) HOW WILL I DO IT?Plan your work well with all the required details. Remember: If you fail to plan, you plan to fail! Also, understand the basic fact of life that you cannot do everything on your own. So, if required, have a team around you along with good advisors and consultants. Once the road-map is set, it becomes easy to reach our destination.3) FOCUS ON RESULTS, AND ACHIEVE ITAs you begin your journey, remember to look at your road-map from time to time, or you will lose direction. Make sure you are proceeding towards the same place you started out for. If you are a truly ‘active’ person, you will plan well, execute effectively and achieve everything smartly. Several people can and will misdirect you along the way. However, it’s you who has to be careful and stick to your goal.


(The author is a ‘strategic leadership’ trainer and consultant and also the Director of SPM FOUNDATION, the vision of which is to bring back ancient Indian knowledge in modern day applications. Can be contacted at rchanakyapillai@spmfoundation.in)


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