Focus on the Enduring: Timeless Leadership Lessons from Geeta Chapter 2, Verse 2.18 for Project Managers

Introduction

In Chapter 2, Verse 2.18 of the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna offers profound wisdom on the transient nature of the physical and the eternal nature of the soul. The verse reads:

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(Antavanta ime dehā nityasyoktā? ?harīri?a?, Anā?hino ’prameyasya tasmād yudhyasva bhārata.)

Translation: “These bodies are perishable, but the soul within is eternal, indestructible, and immeasurable. Therefore, fight, O descendant of Bharata.”

For project managers, this teaching serves as a timeless reminder: focus on what is enduring and valuable, not the transient obstacles or noise. In the ever-changing project environment—where deadlines slip, resources shift, and issues arise—it’s critical to recognize what drives true success and focus energy on the essential, unshakable goals of the project.

Here’s how I applied this wisdom to overcome a seemingly insurmountable resource crisis in a GenAI project.

Scenario: The Vanishing Data Engineer and the Bigger Picture

The clock read 6:45 PM. The hum of the office air conditioner provided the only background music, punctuated occasionally by frantic keyboard clicks and sighs of frustration.

“Tushar, I swear this model will retire before I do!” Priya, our backend engineer, slumped into her chair. “We can’t proceed without the data prep pipeline. And the data engineer just dropped off the grid!”

It wasn’t her fault. We were mid-way through a critical GenAI anomaly detection deployment for a retail client. The model was powerful—its accuracy could revolutionize how the client handled real-time analytics. But the departure of our data engineer had left a critical hole in the pipeline configuration.

Rajiv, our QA lead, peeked over his monitor. “So… do we email the client and say the data is playing hide and seek?” He grinned, but his humor was starting to show cracks.

I looked at the blinking failure logs on the GCP dashboard. The project felt like a ship caught in a storm, and morale was sinking with it. For a moment, I felt overwhelmed. Then Krishna’s wisdom echoed in my mind: Bodies are perishable; the soul is eternal.

The data engineer’s departure was temporary, but the value of the project—our end goal—remained unshakable. I needed to refocus the team on that core objective.

Key Challenge

The absence of a critical resource led to bottlenecks in the pipeline, stalling progress and impacting team morale. The team, frustrated by the situation, was losing sight of the bigger picture.

The Turning Point

I gathered the team in the meeting room with a clean whiteboard and a fresh perspective.

“Okay, folks, we’re not here to mourn a missing data engineer,” I said, trying to lighten the mood. “What’s our real goal here?”

“To show the model works,” Priya replied slowly.

“Exactly!” I nodded. “The value lies in the model. Rajiv, can you help Priya mock a clean dataset so we can validate performance locally? Karan, let’s spin up a lightweight pipeline on GCP for now—just enough to simulate production flows. We’ll document everything so the new engineer can pick up where we leave off.”

Priya blinked. “We… we can do that?”

“Why not? It’s not perfect, but it’s progress,” I smiled. “Let’s focus on what we can achieve.”

The team sprang into action. Rajiv and Priya mocked test data, Karan optimized temporary workflows, and I updated stakeholders transparently about the adjustments. Within 48 hours, we had a proof-of-concept that demonstrated the model’s capabilities—clean, clear, and effective.

The client’s feedback? “This is brilliant! Let’s discuss next steps for production rollout.”

Personal Reflection

This experience taught me to separate transient disruptions from the enduring goal. A missing resource or a temporary roadblock is not the end of the project. By focusing on the bigger picture and rallying the team around what truly matters, we not only overcame the challenge but also built stronger collaboration and trust.

Main Argument

Krishna’s wisdom in Verse 2.18 reminds project managers to focus on the project’s core value and long-term success rather than being derailed by temporary setbacks. True leadership lies in guiding teams to see beyond challenges and act with clarity and purpose.

Actionable Framework for Project Managers

• Reaffirm the Core Goal: Anchor the team to the unshakable value the project delivers.
• Break Down Problems: Simplify challenges into smaller, actionable tasks.
• Adapt Resources: Be creative—reallocate roles, mock data, or use temporary solutions.
• Communicate Transparently: Keep stakeholders informed and aligned.
• Document for Continuity: Ensure clarity for when new resources join the team.

In another database migration project, an unexpected environment issue delayed progress. By simulating the data ingestion locally and prioritizing incremental deliverables, we successfully showcased a functional pipeline to stakeholders.        

As Krishna teaches, the temporary disruptions are like passing clouds—they come and go. The essence, the purpose, and the value of the project remain unshakable. Project managers who focus on the enduring truth can inspire teams to navigate chaos and deliver success.

“True leadership is knowing what endures and guiding your team to focus on it, no matter the challenges.”