Five Concerns I Have With The People Who Work For Me

By krishnasmercy on May 17, 2024 • ( 0 )

“O sinless one, certainly, how can any king accomplish his objectives if he doesn’t have such a messenger working for him?” (Lord Rama speaking to Lakshmana about Hanuman, Valmiki Ramayana, Kishkindha Kand, 3.34)

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एवं विधो यस्य दूतो न भवेत्पार्थिवस्य तु
सिद्ध्यन्ति हि कथं तस्य कार्याणां गतियोऽनघ

evaṃ vidho yasya dūto na bhavetpārthivasya tu
siddhyanti hi kathaṃ tasya kāryāṇāṃ gatiyo’nagha

1. They will not take the assignments seriously

“Well, I really hope this person is not like the one who preceded them. That guy was a total disaster. There was trouble with everything. Something simple like asking them to send an email to the head of another department to set up a meeting. Responding to issues in a timely manner. Reaching out if there are any questions. Providing status updates along the way.

“Nope. Those were all too much for them to handle, I guess. It is like they were too afraid to try. I don’t know. I am only speculating as to the reason. I am so glad they are not with our company anymore. It is like addition by subtraction, if you know what I mean. If you ever needed a dictionary to define a ‘negative resource,’ I already have a glaring example for you.”

2. They will undermine my authority

“I am really in a bind. Things are pretty bad right now. This is all the work of that one employee. She is like a cancer to this office. She speaks poorly of me with the other employees. She brings their morale down. What is her problem, anyway? What did I ever do to her?

“Now I face this uphill battle, to right the ship. I need to get everybody back on board, rowing together, steering in one direction. This employee has made my life so much more difficult. It is stressing me out.”

3. They will try to take my position

“You know, this one guy pretends to be loyal to me. He makes a pretty good show of it. They are obsequious to a shameful level. But I tolerate them. They do a good job, but only when I am watching them.

“I know that the moment I am not around, they will try to take over. You see, they really don’t think highly of me. They think they are smarter. They think they could do a better job. I know that they can’t. They are not equipped to handle the responsibilities of a leader. They could not last one day listening to the different complaints that everyone feels no shame in throwing my way.”

4. They will get tired in the process

“This is a high-energy position. I need someone with endurance. I want enthusiasm, as well. There is no time for grief, lamentation, or feeling sorry for yourself. If you need a mental health day, you might as well work somewhere else.

“The tasks will tire you out. But if you persevere, you will get a second wind. When you accomplish something after feeling like you had nothing left to give, it will bring an elation like no other. I need someone who is desperate for that thrill, who will push the boundaries of excellence alongside me.”

5. They will keep nagging me with every little problem

“Oh my goodness, just get the job done already! Stop nagging me with every single issue. That is why I handed the task to you. It is called delegating. If I wanted to do everything myself, I would have done so. What is the issue now? Oh, you knocked on the door and no one answered. Did you try calling them? Did you leave a message? Did you wait five minutes and then knock again?

“Why am I not surprised that you did not try any of these things? It is like you completely lack common sense. I gave you a job to do. I expect you to have the competency necessary to finish that job. I cannot hold your hand throughout the process.

…

विन्ध्यादुत्थाय सम्प्राप्ता स्सागरस्यान्तमुत्तरम्
त्वद्धर्शनकृतोत्साहा हृष्टास्तुष्टाः प्लवङ्गमाः

vindhyādutthāya samprāptā ssāgarasyāntamuttaram
tvaddharśanakṛtotsāhā hṛṣṭāstuṣṭāḥ plavaṅgamāḥ

“Being very much delighted and satisfied, those monkeys enthusiastic to see you arrived at the northern shore of the ocean.” (Hanuman, Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 35.68)

In their first meeting, Shri Rama noted something very interesting about Shri Hanuman, who is the minister to Sugriva, the king of Vanaras in the Kishkindha forest. Rama has a discussion resembling the sidebar in the courtroom. Instead of huddling up with other attorneys, Rama confides in His younger brother Lakshmana.

Rama is so impressed through the meeting with Hanuman that He wonders how any leader could get work accomplished without having someone like Hanuman. The significance should not be overlooked. The profoundness to this compliment cannot be overstated. We should not dismiss the praise as too effusive in nature or exaggerated due to the joy in meeting a stranger who turns out to be a friend.

The foundation is that Hanuman is a good minister. He proved his worth in speaking to Rama. Hanuman came in disguise, as it was peculiar that two youths of warrior-like appearance were travelling through the area. Hanuman quickly gave up the ruse. He began to praise Rama, spontaneously, in perfect words that were composed on the fly. It was extemporaneous speech that could be chiseled into stone and referenced for thousands of years thereafter; such was the significance and beauty to the words.

Hanuman is a good minister, but Rama goes one step further. If a leader lacks a minister like Hanuman, it is an obvious void. They have a gap in their administration that is difficult to fill. Whoever else tries to serve the role will not be as good. Rather, the role of minister, of representative, should be modelled after someone like Hanuman.

This delightful characterization brings hope for the fallen souls, who have lost our way in the illusion of maya. We have been suffering for many births, but since Hanuman also represents the Supreme Lord, he is capable of delivering on the task of rescuing such fallen souls and bringing them back to the eternal realm. We simply remember Hanuman, honor him, and work in a manner pleasing to him.