Lessons from Mahatma Gandhi for Corporates, Public Servants

Am no authority on the Mahatma. Have been to Sabarmati Ashram multiple times, love what's written on the walls, read My Experiments With Truth a couple of times and also Sudhir Kakkar's magnificent Mira and the Mahatma a few times too (a great book to see the human side of the great man). Reading him and about him inspired a few changes in my personal life (particularly around diet, focus etc) and am jotting down a few crisp points which could help folks in the corporate world or public service

• Know Your Consumer : The Mahatma was rich (qualified to practice law, no mean feat those days). He gave all that up to become involved in fighting the good fight (against apartheid in South Africa and the freedom struggle in India). What was truly remarkable about him was how he always chose to travel in Railways, third class (unreserved), while he was touring India. He felt it was the only way he could be in touch with the common man. In fact, a lot of his little anecdotes in his autobiography came from his halts at railway stations across India, while he met the poor, understood their problems, got to know the largeness of their heart. It's almost shameful when you contrast this attitude with those of corporate folks (mostly remain cosseted in their offices or elite business class life) or those in public service these days (politicians, bureaucrats, even High Court judges) who keep demanding more and more special privileges, VIP treatment for themselves (in fact, even in the most acrimonious Parliament sessions, there will be a rare show of unity when it comes to giving themselves a pay hike or a new perk). A lot of our problems as a country begin because most large corporates, public servants no longer have to do the things the common man have to do, undergo on a day to day basis. Perhaps time to take a leaf from the Mahatma's book ?
• Engage & Involve Your Community : Knowing your consumer gives you an extra edge when it comes to figuring out a way to engage and involve your community - whether your employees or the consumers / public at large. The Mahatma realized quite quickly that the message of freedom struggle needed to spread, and there needed to be a way that everyone could join in the fight. Thus were born Satyagraha and Ahimsa. Satyagraha - whether it was via initiatives like the Swadeshi movement, Non payment of taxes etc, ensured every Indian could join. Ahimsa - a trickier debate - but in simple terms, the courage for violence isn't for everyone (salute to brave souls like Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, Subhash Chandra Bose and the countless others who could follow this path) - but, having met many folks during his travels, Mahatma realized that Ahimsa, the ability to protest without indulging in violence, was more suited to the Indian psyche. And everyone could join in. What are the things corporates or public servants can do, which can enable everyone to join hands in a transformational journey ? Swachh Bharat could be considered as one such movement possibly, though it's a long way ahead, still to go ?
• Experiment : Few know this side of the Mahatma, but he was always experimenting on his self, especially when it came to personal habits (no, the salacious rumors aren't true) and diets. Literally trying new ones every few months or so, even 'encouraging' the residents of his ashram to try them. I find very few companies able to experiment freely, most obsessed with the fear of failure or in trying to research every minute detail, rather than, especially in today's digital world, just going out and trying something new, adapting as circumstances change. This is even more true of public policy, as digital governance moves ahead at a slow pace, still requiring human / bureaucrat intervention at several levels (currently struggling with Pune Municipal Corporation on one such issue) - rather than obsessively figuring out ways to give power to the people!
• Focus : Right from my early career days, I realized the importance of focus, as I watched some of my first couple of employers shift focus multiple times, literally having a different vision / dream every year (or even sooner). It was only during my time in Reckitt Benckiser, first under @BartBecht and later under @RakeshKapoor (as an observer, wasn't working with them then), that I realized what true focus meant. Both had different visions but have followed through on them consistently, ruthlessly for several years. Even today, as I consult various companies or mentor students / start-ups, from the outside looking in, you can see people try for too much too soon. And perhaps no one epitomized steely focus more than the Mahatma. Focus means having to say 'No'. To a lot of things, especially if you have a big dream to chase. The Mahatma, through his philosophies of Aswaad (treating food, drink as medicine, purely consuming for nourishment, sustenance, without regard to taste) or even his more publicly known vow of celibacy at the age of 35, made these sacrifices purely so that he could focus all his energies on India's freedom struggle. Whether you're a corporate or in the social impact sector or public service, what is your dream ? And what are the things you are eschewing to make them happen ?