This discourse contrasts conventional leadership theories with the profound, timeless principles of leadership taught by Swami (Sathya Sai Baba), emphasizing inner transformation and spiritual grounding over external skills and situational approaches.
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My humble pronouncs at Bhagwan's lotus feet
feet
respected heads and office bearers of
the Sri Satyasai central trust the
Satyasai Sava organization
the Sri Satyasai leadership for self
transformation the Sri Satyasai
institute of high learning
dear students of the leadership program
our guests of honor
our panel members, organizers
and devotees.
A loving sum to all of you.
At the outset, I would like to
congratulate the 2025 batch which is the
outgoing batch and also welcome the
The topic which is given to me is about
what Swami has said about leadership.
Leadership is probably one of the most
observed and least understood phenomena.
Over time, leadership definitions have
changed based on the circumstances.
People have spoken of leadership as
traits. People have spoken of leadership
as a relationship between leaders and
followers, behavioral theories,
theories about contingent leadership on
how situations determine leadership behavior.
behavior.
There is a plethora of theories on leadership
leadership
and all of them have been in response to
circumstance or situation.
Earlier leadership was about managing
labor, physical labor.
Then comes the industrial revolution.
Machines take over physical work. And
then leadership shifted to mental labor,
strategic planning,
vision, how to
how to organize different resources.
Today when we live in the world of
generative AI, agentic AI, LLMs and ML,
cognitive tasks can also be given to
machines, to technology.
What will leadership be about?
They think it's all going to be about
emotional labor.
Leaders of the future in an hybrid
augmented environment
where a lot of decision making and other
intricate concept you know because you
can do big data processing and also make
decisions much more easily.
All of you who use chip know how it has
So they say research today says that
leadership will then focus completely
on creating environments where human
creative skills will be of importance.
So leaders will be burdened with the
task of creating psychological safety, trust,
trust,
creating anxiety um you know reducing
anxiety when technological changes
happen all these kind of predictions are
there but why am I talking of all this right
right
the reason why I'm talking of all this
is because today I'm going to contrast
and compare what Swami says about
leadership versus what is popularly
believed in the domains of leadership
And why am I driving this comparison?
Simply to show you
that you have first mover advantage.
You have an access
to something so fundamental that it will
be relevant in all times.
What Swami spoke of leadership or not
just leadership about human beings as a
whole is something which is timeless. It
doesn't matter which era you are in or
what future comes it will still be relevant
relevant
because he does not speak of external
skills. He speaks of the substratum
the soul the center from which all this emanates.
So let's take the first theory
leadership and power. Power is a very
integral part of leadership. Management
theory talks a lot about basis of power.
Power comes from legitimacy, position,
title. Power comes from expertise. Power
comes because of relationships.
Power also comes they say because of
reference in a sense referent power.
It's a power of personality.
But Swami tells us differently
in Satyasai speaks volume 10. Swami says
The beauty of the way Swami taught
leadership other than the discourses
which were directly about leadership. He
demonstrated it. He spoke of it in
formal and informal situations.
So let me share a small anecdote with
you. It is about power.
So you know Swami used to go to Kurkanal
and he would take those fortunate blessed
blessed
students with him and sometimes he would
allow them to ride in his car.
And can you imagine the excitement a
student will have sitting in the same
car as Swami breathing the same air that
Swami breathes and filling his eyes with
this divine enchanting form. I mean they
were mostly tongue tied when they sat
with him. On one such occasion Swami
asked him ask some questions
and then this boy volunteered. Swami you
know the first thing that came up to his
mind I suppose I don't know and then he
said Swami
when uh you went to Bombay
there was this man who challenged you
that he can walk on water and he
challenged you whether you could do the
same and Swami you refused the challenge
but the next time he tried to walk on
water he fell into the water.
Swami, can you tell us what went wrong
with him and why didn't you take that
challenge? You're God.
And Swami explained. He said that man
has power
but it is acquired power. And Swami went
on to say how this acquired power did
not function when he got inflated with
ego. So Swami said when you have a
siddhi or a talent or capability but you
get inflated with ego you lose that
capability and then Swami said I don't
have such powers.
The boy's eyes widened
The point made here then Swami went on
to say
what is acquired can be lost but what
you are can neither be lost nor exhausted.
exhausted.
What Swami wanted us to create in
The second thing which they talk about
is about leadership and influence. You
know all of leadership theory is about
leaders and followers and the influence
the leader has on followers and types of
followers and how to motivate each kind
of follower. It's unending that amount
of theory which is available there.
But when Swami's influence we see that
influence it's of a different degree.
Let me again tell you an incident.
This was narrated to me in person
by the student who actually had this experience.
experience.
This was around 2006 when the sports
stadium was being constructed.
And when the stadium was being constructed,
constructed,
Bhagwan used to go very often. He would
bless um the workers. I mean, as you
know, all Swami's projects are made in
record time. which is inhumanly not possible.
possible.
And when Swami used to go there, he used
to in his inimitable style bless the
workers, bless uh everyone.
U he would take prasadam for them. On
one occasion, he gave them watches.
So this particular student was busy
doing some work there and one of the
laborer boy approached him and asked him
if he spoke Telugu and came to him and
said uh I want some information and he
said okay go ahead
and this boy must be around 18 19 and he
was obviously impoverished
and he said you have a hospital here can
I give my eyes as donation?
This was a very weird request.
So this student asked him like why why
do you want to donate your eyes?
Then the boy said these eyes have seen God.
God. These
These
heart has felt his love. I want to share
it. I want to give my eyes to somebody else.
else.
It was a spontaneous response of
somebody who's touched
that is influence
and that influence comes because Swami
represented love and selflessness. Leaders
Leaders
Swami said should be selfless and must
truly love.
It is then that they have true influence.
influence.
Now comes the question how do you
develop this then has swami spoken about
how to develop this kind of characteristics.
characteristics.
Yes. In fact, almost all the discourses
of Swami if you go through it is about
transformation process because when you
transform it hardly matters whether
you're a leader, a follower, a
homemaker, whatever you are, you have
positive contribution to society.
So therefore Swami did not deal with the
superficial. He dealt directly with the
substance of being itself.
One of the things that Swami often spoke
about was trickh and you all are
familiar with that concept. I'm sure the
students who have passed um are passing
out have read about it
thought word deed unity
and this is something which in
leadership parliament we call as
integrity but I don't know whether they
go so deep into integrity but our
integrity it is
now we generally think when there is
thought toward deed unity this is
something very difficult a leader is
facing a crisis is there's some
impossible situation and it's difficult
and you have to choose between two goods
or two bad things and all this kind of
drama goes in our mind but Swami made
thought word deed unity very fundamental
everyday life has to have it again let
this was about an Anandpur alumni and
she came from a devoted Ed family who
was to come pretty often to putati and
spend many blissful days here.
Eventually she studied in the campus.
Then she passed out. She got married and
went to the US.
Quite an inevitable destination for many.
many.
And once she went there, life became
totally busy.
Job, family, and believe me, there you
have to do all your work yourself from
cleaning your yard to washing your
dishes etc. And she had twins to bring
up. So you can imagine it.
So she was harried, worked up. At the
same time, in this quiet moments,
longing would come in our heart. So long
since I saw Swami, so long since I went
to putarti. So this was a slight nagging
in her heart.
So brief moment she would think of him
like this.
Finally the day arrived and she came to
India and her parents said let's go to
Pati. She was overjoyed. They came to
putati and Swami was so gracious to call
them for an interview.
And with all that joy she went and sat
in the interview and Swami looked at her
a frown came on his face and he said you
should have thought, word, deed, unity.
What you say you should do. And she was
taken aback. She mustered the courage
and said swami tapi sham chandi tell me
tell me what I have done wrong. And then
one slight smile you know Swami had that
smile what would reach his eyes first
and that came and then slowly Swami said
your children both of them they used to
fight in America they want to sit next
to you in the car and you told them that
is Swami's seat and you pushed them in
the back seat because twins right I mean
they both can't sit so she had used that
swami seat sit at the back
and then you dump your file, your purse,
your bottle on that seat. Where am I
supposed to sit? He asked.
Was it a reprimand? Was it a revelation?
But basically, Swami was telling her, I
am there with you everywhere all the
time. And in small things, keep that
thought toward unity. If you believe I'm
there, act as if you believe I am there.
This is an easy way to practice it,
isn't it?
So this is one thing Swami. Now just to
get a little more technical, I like to
read out some things that Swami said
about um servant leadership. You know in
management theory we talk a lot about
servant leadership. And you know how
they define it? They define it as leader
being like a servant or serving
employees and other stakeholders. I mean
that's the definition of servant
leadership. But Swami goes deeper. Swami
says to become a leader one must first
be a servant and learn to follow before
leading. True leadership is cultivated
through service. A sak can grow into a
nayak by serving others.
Now comes the punch line when he says
this involves practicing renunciation
and exerting oneself in a task even if
it means not receiving immediate
recognition or increased pay.
July 1978.
So Swami is not just talking about
serving others. He's talking about the
attitudes that accompany service. The
deep renunciation to the fruit of action.
action.
Putting your best whether it gives
rewards or it doesn't. These are deeper
qualities. And then Swami says in the
Satyasai speaks volume 9 service is
difficult and is a discriminating process
process
because you have to discriminate what to
do what not to do for whom to do how
much to do and you should have emotional
balance and separation from it then only
you can do nishkama karma. So when he
talks about service, he's not just
talking about a surface level. He's
talking about deep attitudes.
Another thing which leadership is
heavily connected with is self-confidence.
self-confidence.
Self-confidence Swami says is the
foundation of it. And any leadership
textbook you pick up, there will be a
whole chapter on self-confidence
and how to develop it. There are
artificial means to do it. Now the thing
is when Swami talks about
self-confidence he is qualifying the
self in the self-confidence. He says you
should have faith in the atma only then
and when we try to practice it now I'm
going from the follower point of view
when we try to develop this
self-confidence and understand our true
self most often we meet disappointment.
Yesterday when they were talking to you
many people were saying there is a big
difference between practice and theory.
When you actually try to follow
something you come across a lot of
problems and these problems are some in
you and some in external situations and
they don't allow you to do what you
Now I want to narrate a personal
experience regarding this. I think it
was sometime in my second year BCOM that
means I was about under 20 years of age
and u quite literally I used to try to
follow him you know with not much discrimination
discrimination
and invariably it would lead to
depression and dejection because I would
fail more often than pass
and one such time I had got into this
whole mental um self-inccrimination
And Swami was giving pad namaskar. We
had just finished a play. He was very
happy with us and he gave us namaskar.
And I thought I am not deservant of a
namaskar. This is another form of ego.
It's called inverted ego but it exists.
So I was sitting and not taking
namaskar. And then Swami gave everyone
namaskar. There were about 30 40 of us.
And then he said everyone took. I also
nodded. Then he pointed out to me like
this. Hey. So then I had nothing to say
and he told me come and take namaskar.
So I walked around that whole group of
girls and reached him and by the time I
reached him all the defense mechanism
broke down. So when I put my head on his
feet I sobbed quite uncontrollably.
I remember that moment his fingers
touching my head and saying chaloo chalu
stop stop.
When I looked up, he asked me, "What do
you want?" And I told him, "Swami, I
If I had purity of thought, then
everything would be easier.
My diagnosis, Swami looked at me and he
said something which is relevant to all.
So that is why I'm sharing this." Swami said
said
ahara and vihara create thoughts.
You are not those thoughts.
Ahara is the food we eat and we eat
through all our senses. Vihara is the
company we keep. And you know what we
do? We have some thoughts we keep more
company with some negative thoughts. you
know I'm useless anyway it's going to be
like this only whatever you know each
one has their own set of beautiful
thoughts which we keep company with and
these are the things which shadow who
you are and he was pointing that out to
me so when he talks about
self-confidence he's talking about the
deep self you know inside you
the other thing which is talked a lot
about leadership and u is communication
ation. You know, a lot is talked about communication
communication
and Swami says about communication. I'm
just going to read that out. I'll make
this short. I think I'm exceeding time.
Uh leaders, they should persuade and
advise rather than command or punish. It
is important to speak obligingly and
cleanse speech of cynicism and satire
maintaining sincerity and sweetness even
when you differ from others and Swami
said that in Satyasai speaks volume 14
but believe me this is though people say
you can go to communication workshop
it's not easy to master this
communication which Swami is talking
about on one occasion in an interview
Swami told us and he said if you take
two words it's too much if you tell one
word it is too less you should speak one
and a half
and we all blinked and swami looked and
said only I can do that well
which is true
this is swami for us now the last point
I want to make this is also a beautiful
experience I thought it would be best to
end with it
so there was This boy who's used to sit
probably here for Dan and these were the
days when there was sand here and the
open sky and Swami would come to the
edge of this viranda and stand with his
hands tucked behind him slowly gently
swaying and bajans would waft in that
breeze. It used to be an ethereal sight.
Okay. So many people were attached to
that sight of him. So this boy would
close his eyes and imagine this sight
all the time. Okay. When budan is going
on. So one day he was sitting and doing
the same. Closed his eyes visualized
swami. Swami came swam and then he felt
a tap. He opened his eyes and he saw
Swami standing in front of him. Swami
tapped him and then Swami tucked his
hands behind and again swayed like that.
The way he imagined him. You know this
boy was stunned and happy. And then
Swami leaned closer to him, looked into
his eyes and said, "Both are same."
And then he said, "This form is the same
as this form." And he pointed to the
heart of the boy. And then he said,
"This form has a beginning and an end,
but that form has no beginning, no end."
And then he added this form has come so
that that form can blossom in your heart.
So the final takeaway that you should
have is sigh see inside always. See
inside. See I say see always inside
and then you will see Baba
bliss awareness being atma.
So with these few words I take your
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