Author: Vrushali Deshmukh
Having been raised in a Maratha family, the values of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaja run in my blood. People close to me know very well about the fact that I idolize him the most. From being a Warrior to being a Management Guru, he pulled off every character excellently. I was fortunate enough to read his biographies which have been written in Marathi. Emulating his management fundas and implementing them into the daily corporate scenario can be beneficial for our personal and organizational growth. Here’s what I have learned from him:
1. EQ+Inspiration = Conquer Minds and Hearts
He was a simple and honest leader with high moral grounds who believed in his principles and humanity. He was the man who walked the talk and won the hearts of the people. He inspired them with his ideologies and conquered their minds too while they admired his personality. He was accommodating and tolerant towards all religions, faiths, castes and genders.
2. Loyalty and Merit
There was no hierarchical system and he believed in a meritocracy. Merit was the only key in his rule for recruitments and promotion. He took the service of only the loyal people who were devoted to Swarajya.
3. Effective Communication and Diplomacy
A great orator himself, his words bore the agony and pain of the people who had lost their livelihoods or lives to protect the Swarajya. His freedom from the detention by Aurangzeb at Agra and freeing his father from Bijapur speak volumes of his skilful diplomacy.
4. Noble Cause and CSR
The objective of Swarajya was to provide shelter to those who were homeless in their own homelands and to overthrow foreign control. People’s interest and their wellness were his priorities always.
5. Efficiency and a competent Board- Grass root level administration
He introduced the Ashtapradhan Council that is a board of 8 ministers who were honest, independent and efficient enough to administer the state. There were no middlemen to administer or for taxation, thus safeguarding the people from vicious cycles of injustice, corruption and poverty.
6. Setting goals early, Vision and Farsightedness
He started his journey at just 14 and set big goals for Swarajya. He practised what he preached and upheld his ethical values whatsoever the situation would be. He suggested that analysing all the ifs and buts and what-ifs were a good roadmap for success and that career would take a flight only if a person had the foresight of all the pros and cons.
It was his set of groundbreaking strategies that gave everyone the courage to trust him and make actionable attempts towards success.
7. Learning is continuous
From battle-grounds to parenting Sambhaji Raje, he kept on learning throughout his life. He fearlessly combated all the challenges and took personal initiatives for leadership success. He learnt from every possible source in whichever possible way.
8. Right Mentorship and Motivated Workforce translates to Great Leadership
The seeds of Hindavi Swarajya and pure character were sown in him by his mother, Veermata Jijaau while Sardar Dadaji Kondev coached him in battle lessons. Both of them instilled leadership qualities and ethics in him which he never compromised with. Samarth Ramdas taught him warcraft and the art of examining impending dangers. Atmosphere plays a key role in shaping the character of any human, therefore one must invest his time in those who can groom him and invoke noble character. He led by example. The level of commitment that the Mavalas had for their homeland and Swarajya was undeterred. They were focused and confident and would even die providing their services to the nation happily, thanks to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
9.Be Alert, Update and Adapt
He always stressed on harnessing newer innovations and technology in his kingdom. Having foreseen the importance of a naval base, he was quite alert and kept on adapting himself to the modern age. He is known to be the father of the Indian Navy. We need to identify opportunities and mould ourselves to meet the dynamic talent needs.
10. Strategy, Organization and Execution
By the dint of his exceptional powers, he gathered the scattered Marathas and turned them into a well organized formidable force. His strategies were phenomenal and so his execution was meticulous. He took calculated risks thanks to his ganimi kava and guerilla tactics. Owing to the SWOT analysis that he did before meeting any enemy, he efficiently organized the military and managed to win 40 forts in a single night at one point of time.
His legacy is unparalleled and eliciting such heroism from followers and countrymen cannot be mandated or forced, it can only be inspired by great persona, skills and character. Swarajya was built on the strong pillars of leadership, administrative efficiency, humanitarian values and ethical knowledge that united people from all over the nation to collectively idealise him as the selfless role model of the modern world.
I would also suggest reading Namdevrao Jadhav’s ‘Shivaji- The Management Guru’ for better understanding. Little do we know that this is a full-fledged subject at Boston University and so, we must give it a shot!
Jai Bhawani, Jai Shivaji! 🚩
His teachings are like real life lessons and they way you have expressed is truly amazing.