Few truths about wearing a crown

“Uneasy lies the head which wears a crown” said Shakespeare. Leadership brings with it, it's own burdens and discomfort. Each one of us gets to wear a crown or a coronet at some point in one’s life, some get to adorn really fancy pieces of silver, and some wear their abilities, achievements, and reputation as their crowning glory, but wear them we all do. ?addy”s  little princess wears her little tiara, as she dances to the tunes of her doting father, little knights, in their teens, preen to their mother’s delight in the presence of her many friends, and finally as prince and princesses, in their chariots of love most play out their fantasies wearing their little crowns. Often In the work domain we not only get to wear a crown, but a mask as well.

?o what does wearing a crown actually entail,

Crowns come in all sizes, shapes and weight. Some are adorned with jewels, sometimes flowers, oak leaves, thorns or wreaths. Crowns may be the mark of recognition of a monarch, or may be the rewards of nobility, sometimes the result of hard work and perseverance, much like the crown of  olive leaves which used to be the ultimate reward for an athlete in the days of the ancient ‘Olympics’.

How easy is it to wear a crown ? Any one who has seen mythological depictions of the Mahabharata on the telly, would have noticed the humongous variety of crowns worn by various characters. Irrespective of the size of the crowns used, they seem to leave no physical fatigue on those wearing them. Would it not feel heavy, and irritating to carry such a large appendage on one’s head!

How does a crown sit on one’s head? Does it come loose with every bump in the path. The greatest of kings have trodden through some real rough terrain, but yet managed to hold on to their crowns really well, and am sure less fortunate of kings have had theirs tumble down from their heads by something as trivial as a sneeze.

Imagine the plight of a king, who bent down to pick a flower or standing at the bow of a ship about to raid a foreign land, looking down into the sea only to have his crown go ‘Plop’ into the water below. What kind of respect would that king command among his subjects. What impact would it have on him; would it make him so conscious of the burden sitting on his head, make him either hold on to his crown with one hand, or stiffen him to such an extent that he would then forever walk like a village belle balancing a mud pot on her head. How would you, in that position handle dis-balance….have you ever felt conscious of how the crown fits you?

1. We forget that even kings are mortals like that, subject to vagaries of the brain chemicals that we all experience, so I guess balance (both of body and mind) is of  utmost importance to effectively wear the crown. The confidence demonstrated by you would go a long way indeed to keep the crown stable.

What about the crown in itself!  We have seen some really grandiose bejeweled pieces being adorned by kings. If the size of the crown were to depict the might of the wearer, then the Napoleons and Ashoka's of the world, would have had one large crown to wear.

One of the simplest symbolic version of a crown is the single plume of a peacock feather adorned by ‘Lord Krishna’.

For someone who is believed to be the ‘supreme  lord of the universe’, there can't be a simpler crown than that. The natural design on a peacock’s feather, resembles pictures of a nebula captured by modern day telescopes, & perhaps signifies the universe of which Krishna is supposed to be the lord and creator of. ?hat is an example of real greatness and simplicity.

Like the Olympic wreaths of yore, the simpler the crown, lighter it is on the head, easy to carry, grace-full, giving a sense of balance, unlike a coronation crown weighting a good 2000Grams

1. ?o keeping one’s head light, and being  careful of the choice of one's crown helps, even if it means wearing a invisible crown. Leadership is only  a state of mind, nothing stops you from leading without a crown.

?oes wearing a crown make you the ultimate authority on what you survey. Definitely not, every great leader reaches out for guidance and seek help when in need. ?here comes defining moments in every leader's life when they are troubled by self doubt and conflicts. ?hat is when external help becomes critical.

àrjuna, the greatest marksman of his time, and known for his valor and skills in the battlefield, and a man of standing in his own right,  does not mind seeking help from his friend and charioteer Krishna, in the battlefield when he sees himself weak and indecisive and unable to wage war on his kith and kin, torn between his goals and tormented by his love and respect for those of his own in the enemy camp.  In chapter II verse 7 he confesses his state of mind and surrenders to guidance from Krishna saying

“ Now my qualities are besieged by weakness and apprehension and my thinking bewildered regarding righteousness, I ask you as to what is right for me, I surrender before you for guidance.”

How Krishna counsels him forms the content of the holy hindu book ‘Bhagwat Gita’. The effect of the counseling results in Arjuna gathering courage to pick up his bow, to successfully win the great war of Mahabharata. Similarly, taking guidance at appropriate moments and making consensus  happen around decisions (wherever possible) are hallmarks of a great leader.

1. When in trouble ask for help, till maturity dawns on young leaders they may mistake seeking help as display of weakness and avoid seeking help. Accepting ignorance is the first step towards letting in light. Treading a lonely path and floundering in the darkness helps nobody’s cause.

How does the new crown look on you,  did you check in the mirror ? Hey, said a friend, a silver one with  ruby on top would have been better. Another said “you could have done better for yourself, may be something very intricate made specially for you” and a third said, Sir, you look royal even without a crown, we bow before you.  This king was indeed lucky to have some real trusted people giving him advice, those who do not mind speaking out the truth. More than that the king was wise enough to ask in the first place.

1. Vision is a multidimensional perception. The view from your throne will not always be the same the from the one on ground. So have an ear to the ground. The courtiers that you surround yourself with may prefer to speak their mind only if you let them, if they start believing that you prefer to hear only what you want to,sweet lies will always come your way. Believe in consensus, take feedback from people who don’t care about the look of your crown.

On a lighter note, if crowns were still in vogue in today’s times, imagine the resultant complications around it…….

Firms like Cartier & Rolex, would be having a field day, designing crowns for the leaders of the corporate world. Entire malls would be dedicated towards selling and designing crowns, and there would certainly be an ‘Apple’ among the firms, which would be the runaway leader due to the unique USPs of its crowns (of course! The products would be wired and networked).

Corporates would have strict guidelines prescribing the right design for each designation.

What about the implications of a misplaced crown ahead of an important investors meet ? In times of austerity would a board down size crowns to match its budget ?

Today crowns are replaced by the Bentley's and Mercs of the world, yet, revive the concept, and you would have the vain glitterati in Delhi, sitting in their vehicles adorning their most expensive crown, rolling down their windows, quite regularly to show off their crowns.

What sort of crowns would people like Bill Gates and Mukesh Ambani wear, Bill’s crown would be real cool, appropriately ventilated by a few windows, and Mukesh’s crown would be the envy of the town, towering  over his head, few stories high, making his managers cringe trying to arrange a suitable vehicle for him to travel by. Airlines would have separate compartments in the first class, where the crowns could be safely locked away, yes, in the economy class, one could always put away their crowns under the seat. A big no no would be wearing a crown during take-offs and landings,  

What about the logo attached to the crown. The corporate Insignia of course would be mandatory.Some had a ‘Kohinoor’ shining on their heads few centuries back, today may be a golden kingfisher would be more appropriate.

What about the brand slogan, American Express guys would swear by theirs ‘Don’t leave home without it’, naturally they would get it printed on their corporate crowns, and Mastercard would say, “There are somethings that money can’t buy”.

?o go ahead and get yourself a crown, if you already have one, wear it the right way for the right cause. If it does not fit your head don’t worry, amazons of the world have a return policy, there will always be some who perhaps would try to grow one’s head to fit the crown.

*********