Managing the Self The aim of self managing leadership is to learn how to better manage the inner organization

as a means for more effective leadership of the external organization and develop a practical selfmanagement plan so that one can get the best out of oneself and others too. As the external environment changes fast, the importance of self-management increases. It is hardly possible to manage the external environment with the existing setup anymore. There has traditionally been a view of management that if you could manage the external environment then you could manage the change successfully. But the experience is that it is not always possible to manage the external environment. The emphasis has shifted from the external to the internal i.e. towards managing our inner environment that is, harnessing our inner resources which we have so far tended to neglect. We can consciously create our future on the basis of guiding values and a focused vision of the future or we can sit back and be driven by the external situations and circumstances. Life in the present time is a sea-going adventure, like a voyage undertaken by Christopher Columbus. The challenge says in setting off into the unknown, without any maps and he was not aware of the type of journey that he was undertaking. He was also not aware of the turbulent times that he would have to go through, charting new territory and finding a safe passage through storms and heavy seas. He was not even aware of the wild sea-creatures that might be after him, much less of the silently moving undercurrents of the ocean. The only thing he had with him was a compass which gave him a constant direction and showed him in which direction he was moving and with the help of the compass, he was successful to certain extent. Likewise, we also have started out for an unknown future in this age of uncertainty and we have no clear maps. We are not aware of the turbulent times we would have to go through, and finding a safe passage through the storms and hurricanes of life. We are also not aware of the type of creatures that we may have to deal with and who may be after us. We are not even aware of the silently moving undercurrents within our own inner organisation. The worst part is we do not even have a compass that can tell us whether we are moving in the right direction or not. Therefore, we are totally at the mercy of crisis. It is time to build up the personal resources which are required if we want to do better than merely cope with contemporary life, and do more than simply react to events as they unfold. The challenge is to re-define, re-invent and re-orient ourselves for the future.

In this present time, there are three key propositions: 1. There is no turning back Things are not going to go back to the stable patterns of the past and we will see a world characterised by fierce global competition. Competition begins when a child starts going to school and he has to struggle for survival in the highly competitive world till the last breath of his life. In order to survive in this competition we need to have a great mental presence, an alert state of mind, a lot of creativity and also intuition to act at the right time. 2. We must find new bearings It is felt that only those people will succeed who have a realistic approach and a highly developed sense as to where they are headed and what they stand for. So, we need to have a clear focus about our organisational mission, vision and values so as to steer through the changing times and direct towards achieving it. Further we make it fully clear to all the people working in the organisation that each one understands where we as an organisation are headed to and what the organisation stands for. Similarly, we have to be equally clear about our personal mission, vision and values, wher am I heading and what I stand for so that I can align my personal mission, vision and values with the organisational mission, vision and values and lead a meaningful or purposeful role in its success. If I am not aware of my personal mission, vision and values then I would be constantly experiencing stress, inner conflicts and a lot of confusion within my own self and it would be very difficult to contribute to the achievement of the organisational mission and vision. I have an electric cord with me and I can tie the electric cord from one corner of my garden to the other corner and hang my washed clothes on it and nobody can object to as it is none of their business. But is that the purpose of the electric cord. To hang the washed clothes is not the purpose of the electric cord. The purpose of the electric cord is to transmit electric energy. As such, when I use it for its actual purpose I get the benefit, happiness and contentment. Similarly, I can spend my life in the way I want to, but is that the purpose of life. When I spend my life on the basis of its real value with a clear focus and there is no confusion, stress or anxiety about it, there is satisfaction in life and I lead a meaningful, purposeful life also.

3. We require different skills New and different capabilities are required to be effective in this changing environment. These are not just the technical or functional skills but they are the selfmanaging skills like intuition, flexibility, clear focus, tolerance etc And nobody can teach me how to achieve these but they have to be developed or tapped through proper understanding about the self. SELF MANAGEMENT

(Doing) PHYSICAL Stress Mgt, Diet, Exercise, Nutrition, Health & Safety

(Thinking) (Feeling) MENTAL Intellectual development, Mind power, Creativity, Innovation, Learning, Studing, Reading. SOCIAL Emotional development, Psychological assessment, Quality circles, TGroup Team work, TA.

(Being) SPIRITUAL Values, Beliefs, Spiritual Study, Silence, Meditation, Self Esteem, Innate Power

In any management training programme, development of various aspects of human resources like, the physical, mental, and emotional or social are taken care of, to tap the inner potential to the maximum. For the development of the physical aspect where the doing capacities are connected, ther are various programmes relating to stress management, health, safety, nutrition, diet etc. Likewise, ther are many programmes for the development of ones mental capacities like: intellectual development programme, mind power, creativity, innovation, learning, studying etc which deal with our thinking abilities? Further, as we are social beings and we are emotionally connected with each other, there are developments programmes like. Psychological assessment, Transactional analysis, Quality circles, Team work etc., But we find that the missing dimension is Spiritual which is intimately connected with the being. We are all human beings but hardly do we know how to be. We are more of human doings than human beings. Spirituality is not connected with any religious dogmas; spirituality is connected with our innate values, innate power, self respect, self esteem, developing the belief in the self, enhancing the will-power through meditation and relaxation techniques and the power to apply the spiritual insights practically.

Man+Age+Men+T We always want to manage others, manage men, money, market, material, machines etc But always forget the man within and therefore it is said that the man is before the men. If I do not know how to manage myself, how can I manage others?

How do I manage myself? The word age in the word management teach me the tact. Age does refer to the physical age but it also refers to the courage or self-confidence. Just as we have the courage to direct others as to what they should be doing, why they should be doing and how they should be doing, similarly, are we able to direct our sense organs with proper understanding of these aspects. Just take the example of the short tongue. Are we able to truly manage our tongue? There is a beautiful saying that this tongue has no bones but it can break bones if not managed properly. Similarly, for the ears we need information every moment but are we able to analyse the information and take accurate decisions. On most occasions, the information slips through the tongue in the wrong place, at the wrong time, in front of the wrong person and one cannot avoid

the consequences that arise. Then this is the difficulty in managing oneself. If I am not able to take the responsibility of managing my own sense-organs, how can I take up the responsbility of managing my life, my family or my workplace and maintain a balance in all the different areas of my life? In short therefore, we need the courage to manage our own selves. Age also means maturity. We need the maturity in the cause, when to manage,where to manage, how to manage, to what extent we have to manage and in which way we have to manage. If we do not have the maturity or understanding, then it would be difficult to survive as we can easily become victims. Age also means experience. In this creative age, we cannot depend on the past experience always. We have to create new experiences with changing times. It is said, experience is the best teacher but if we start depending upon them and get stuck and are not willing to adapt ourselves with the changing environment, we are not able to build ourselves with new experiences the experience may be killing us at times. So, we should have the maturity to think where to use the required experiences and in which way. There are some people who are like the fish who have an access to working in a particular way and have developed certain patterns and they were successful before by using those methods, but as time changes they are not willing to change and they use the same old styles, put all the effort and try their level best but cannot achieve results and then they dont understand what has come in the way. Finally, they give up thinking they cannot be successful anymore. After a while, somebody else comes, does the job in a simple way and achieves results and moves forward. That is where great frustration develops which depending on those experiences, virtually kills them. Therefore, we have to manage the self with courage, maturity and creative experiences through the changing times and manage others through the inspirations and by being an example in front of them. The challenge is to re-define, re-invent and re-orient ourselves for thw future so that we can lead change creatively.

Management with Hands, Head and Heart We cannot change the consciousness of the organisation without changing the consciousness of the people working within the organisation. According to the need of time, the organisations managed on the basis of American system or the Japanese system, used to move forward. But, today even these systems do not seem to work. If we go into the history of management, the locomotive of economic change affecting every organisation of the world was either America or Japan.

Following the Second World War, most of Europe was heavily devastated in one way or the other and it provided an opportunity to rebuild and reconstruct. The Japanese economy and the Japanese industry was flattened and it gave Japan a chance to start again. In America, the situation was different. Its industry was fairly intact although it suffered a loss of many lives. But in gearing up after the 2nd world war, industry went through s huge chsnge. When the America generals came back home they had two things with them. They had earned a lot of money during the war and knew that after the war, there would not be another war immediately. Secondly, they were literate people. It was the first time; an educated working class was emerging in setting up industries. The way in which the economic formula was used for growth and development was one which encouraged the production and credit arrangements. The management system adopted by them was more like military style where the commands and controls were in their hands and as they would command the people down the line had to follow. As the people were not literate, they asked the people to come with their hands to work They said, come with your hands and we shall use our heads. The two main criteria of that time were stability and growth as the commands and controls were in the hands of one. This was the American system of management with the Taylorist approach, and was also known as the pyramid style a much centralised decision making. It was perfect for stability and permanent growth. This system of management successfully went on for about 30 years. But, after that period, the criteria for the world became exactly the opposite. Unstability and recession, particularly in the western countries, followed where the market started contracting and so they shifted the industries from the West to the East as the labour costs in the East werelow. The social laws in the Eastern countries are without protection, without rules and regulations and it was easy to get the product at cheaper rates without providing any social security resulting in social dumping. The organisational world wants the hearts of the people, i.e. the organisation wants selfmotivated, committed and responsible people. How do we get people motivated and committed? We need to identify their values in order to get motivated, committed and responsible people. Therefore, the cultures with very deep spiritual roots like India have competitive advantage which is now being realised even by the present day management gurus who are trying to find some solutions to the organisational problems from the Indian ethics and its spiritual wisdom. Some five thousand years ago, India had an ancient cultural heritage of gurukul. In this gurukul Sri Ram and Sri Krishna also went for their education. What were they taught in this gurukul? Through the spiritual insights the guru guided them to identify their value-system and function on the basis of those values. They were taught the art of self-management so that when they take the reins of their kingdom in their own hands, they rule the kingdom with

responsibility, commitment and at the same time be motivated to lead and inspire their subjects through their own example. Motivation cannot come from outside and it is for this reason that it has been realised that nobody can motivate anybody else. The motivation has to come from within; it cannot be taught.

How do we bring ones heart at the workplace or how do we bring a change in his consciousness? Consciousness changes with a flow of new information. And, sometimes the information we get is very subtle but it gives a competitive advantage. For example: In the Olympics, the difference between the first winner and second is marginal but the first is remembered and the second is forgotten. Similarly, in the world you can create your space just because of your smile. Therefore, one need to have a sharp understanding of which situation is right now and what it will be in five minutes and what are the means required to face the new situation and be safe and then take precautions for safety in order to be successful. If one doesnt have the information about the changing situation he cannot be successful. Information helps to change our way of thinking and helps in taking decisions. In the Taylorist system, because the decision-making was centralized, the level of understanding information was not really important and there was no need. But in modern times,people have to be more knowledgeful or informative in order to enhance their level of discernment and their capability to take decisions. It is only then there is motivation to do and a commitement to take up the responsibility.

What do we need to start the wheel of self motivation? The two key words are self-confidence and self-satisfaction. Self-confidence brings self-motivation and there is job satisfaction. But what are the roots of confidence. There is no confidence without will power. When we have the will power we get the will power? Knowledge is power, so knowledge or information about a particular subject generates the inner strength and confidence. Knowledge has to be digested well in order to get the strength. If the knowledge is mere information in our heads and not digested and brought down to the level of understanding, we cannot have the power or strength. Knowledge at the level of knowing is different from the knowledge brought to the level of understanding and being. So when we have knowledge, we have the will-power, and the confidence. On the basis of the confidence, we have the courage to

take the initiative to do something and bring about a change. When we master that change, there is job satisfaction. Satisfaction is the most important factor for incentive and motivation. It enriches us with valuable experience which adds to our understanding and enhances our knowledge which in turn gives us more power and this is how the wheel of self motivation starts. This induces us to take up responsibility and commit ourselves. When people enjoy their activity, they spontaneously try to get more and more information. But in the initial stage, if we lack in information, we dont have the requisite power, confidence and courage to take the initiative to bring about a change and then there is no job satisfaction as there is stagnancy. Thus, there is no enjoyment and satisfaction because there is no feeling of progress and self-development. The motivation is also affected and life becomes a mechanical process. The Practical problem in todays world is that people are not willing to part with complete information; that means that they do not want to give the power and so how can we expect people to work with responsibility without adequate information or knowledge, which results in resistance and a reactive focus is created. But, when we take in information we have to be very selective and capable to filter that information, otherwise, instead of being motivated, we may get into a vicious cycle. We need to be self-empowered to take in the correct inforamtion to enhance our knowledge and understanding; otherwise we bring about a temporary change at the superficial level only. We are not able to bring a permanent change from the consciousness level or at a deeper level. There are various levels of change. The most superficial gross form of change is at the behavioural level, that is, to bring about change in our actions or activities. The second level of change is at the intellectual level when we start understanding things in a different way.

How do we manage the inner mechanisms? At the roots level, that is bringing a change in the consciousness. Consciousness means the state of mind. To change the consciousness means to change our thinking process. Think in a different way. How do we think in a different way? It is a cycle. Consciousness or the state of the mind is formed on the basis of thought pattern. What stimulates the thinking? Circumstances, situations, desires, needs, environment all these are registered in the memory. It is from the memory that the mind gets the stimulation. Just as whatever we feed in the computer is stored in the memory, similarly, the human memory is alike whatever we perceive through the senses

about the environment, the circumstances, the needs or crisis everything is then registered in the memory. Then, according to the time or need the thought process starts. Where do we break this vicious cycle? We all know that without our conscious awareness the memory is absorbing maximum negative input. Where do we bring the change from? According to psychologists, human memory is so powerful in the early morning hours that it absorbs the inputs like a blotting paper. Some people have the capacity to absorb for half an hour, for some it is 45minutes, one hour, two hours, three hours, depending from individual to individual. When the memory reaches a saturated state, it does not absorb any further. We have to be selective, especially in the early morning hours when the memory is in a high state of absorbing. As such we have to be cautious of the quality of nourishment we are giving to our memory, because accordingly our entire system will function. When I nourish my mind with healthy positive inputs, I empower my self. Spiritual dimension thus enables one to empower the self which is the only source from where we get quality information or knowledge. Knowledge generates will power and we can thus take the focus of control in our own hands. Once we are self-empowered, we look at the problems and situations in a different way and instead of being influenced and coontrolled by them; we can manage them in a better way so as to easily control them. We can maintain a positive attitude, a positive thinking process and deal accordingly. This is how we manage our complete inner mechanishm.

Managing Change In rapidly changing times, the challenge to our organisation is to provide a framework for people to understang their journey through change, so that they can contribute their best to the organisation. In order to play a leadership role or as agents of change within the organisation, we must be able to bring about significant changes in our own inner organisation. As the external environment changes fast, the importance of self-management increases. It is hardly possible to control the external environment, anymore. The emphasis has accordingly shifted towards managing our inner environment that is to harness our inner resources which we have tended to neglect. The future of our organisation rests on the autonomy, maturity and confidence of our people. Many have been trained with particular technical and functional-oriented skills and they were promoted on the basis of it. They were fine in a relatively stable world, but not in a chaotic world. The skills and abilities that are required now, are how to lead through a never ending process of change? How to be calm and confident in the face of upheavals? Change is a continuous process. We have to move along with the changing tomes constantly. As we are moving through rapidly changing times, if we are not able to change and empower ourselves from within, it will become very difficult for us to survive. There are three things that we need to manage any change process. They are knowledge, that is, an understanding of what to change and why to change? Second is the desire

to change or the will to change and third are the skills that show us how to change. When we have these three ingredients, any change process can be accurate. But, if any two are there and the third ingredient is missing, change cannot take place in the manner we want to. Supposing I know what to change and why to change, that is, I have the understanding, I also know how to change that is I have the skills as well, but there is no desire or will to do the needful, no change can ever take place. Similarly, at times we have the desire to do, that is, we want to change, we also know how to change that is, we have the required skills, but, we dont know why we should change, that is, there is no clear understanding, then also change cannot take place. So all the three are equally important for any change process to practically happen. Change adopted in a systematic method according to the need of the hour brings enthusiasm and newness. It is not that people do not want newness or they are very fond of the old ways. In the present time, we find wherever people get together what they talk to one another? The theme of their talk generally is change. Sometimes people discuss about the change in the government and its policies or change in systems and structures, sometimes they would want the society and people or the elders or the young generations to change their way of thinking, at times they feel that there should be a change in the traditions, rituals or customs and the cultures adopted, or that there should be a change in the total environment. Thus everyone wants everything else to change, except his own self. He does not wish to become a role-model for others and take up an initiative to lead others through the change process and when one does not want to change himself, no change can ever take place. Sometimes, the people want to change but, the situation is like the trapeze artists in a circus. We have seen the trapeze artists entertaining people they swing from one rod and go to the other rod, and let go off the first rod as they catch hold of the other rod. Again they swing on the other rod and when another rod comes, they change over. They have this art of changing from one and jumping to the other. It is this skill of changing that entertains people. But, supposing if he lets go off one rod and is not able to catch hold of the other rod, he falls; or supposing he is afraid and he wants to hold the first rod and at the same time he also wants to catch hold of the other rod as well then also he fails in his job and cannot entertain the people. Whenever we want to introduce change in an organization, people should be clearly informed to develop a clear focus. But many times we find people are often asked to do things, without any explanation as to why they are doing, or what it is all about. This creates stress and feelings of insecurity. When people are under stress, they act in a different way and often they develop fear of losing something. Mostly resistance to changes comes from insecurity caused by lack of information. Therefore, we have to clarify what people would be gaining from the process so that the fear of insecurity is not there. Otherwise, people will continue to do what theyve done before as long as it works. It is only when they are faced with the realization that the way they have been used to solve the problem it is no longer working or it is too painful and unpleasant, that they start thinking about doing something in a creative manner. So we need to make people realize that the old way with which they are working is no longer going to work and

they need to readjust their way of thinking about the task in hand. But, when people are under stress and worried they tend to retreat into their own private world and are not willing to work together as a team because of the feeling of insecurity they have developed and it takes time for them to re-build the trust. Hence, we have to be sensitive to the underlying feelings of the members of the team. We cant just assume that everyone is sharing the same level of commitment to change. We have to listen to those who are negative and resistant, as probably they may have good reasons for it. If we force change on such people, they will handle it only for a short time and then start rebelling. So to avoid this situation, we have to involve people in the change process and let them set their own limits. In majority of cases it is experienced that when change is forced on people without clear information, they revert back to their old behavior as soon as the pressure is taken off. The lesson as such is, dont try to change people by force, give them the information, inspiration and time and allow them to change themselves. Normally, whenever time has demanded change from people there are 5 types of people with 5 types of reactions towards change. These are, People who resist change. People who try to flee away from change. People who ignore change. People who deny, they dont want to change. People who embrace change and adopt it in the way it comes.

There are two ways to change. The hard way and the easy way. The hard way is where we are forced to change. If we are slow to change, the real world forces us to re-think and we are forced into making adjustments, which are not always pleasant. Many people have this experience. On the other hand, change can be exhilarating when we take up the challenge of being pro-active and plan to change before time. The best time for change is when we are changing and growing and learning. When we are at peak performance and the level of satisfaction is high, everybody would like to grow and learn and change and no-one would like to be stuck up and remain stagnant. Reactions to Change Reaction Ignores the necessity for change Accepts the necessity but has fear of leaving the status quo Accepts the necessity and pretends to change problems for other Result Is run over by the changes Lives uselessly in the past Deceives the self and creates

Accepts but doesnt know how to go about it mistakes in the name of change Accepts, analyses them well and carries out a step-by-step plan and opens the way for other Holding onto the old while trying to establish the new means twice the work

Commits many Survives the change

Reactions to change havent always been good. We have been pushed into changes that havent always had a positive outcome. When there is no clear focus of how to go about the change process, people respond in different ways and they experience painful results. There are five types of results that various people generally experience: The first type of people is those who ignore the necessity for change and are run over by the changes. This is where change becomes a very painful process for them. Time is demanding a change from them and they ignore the necessity to change, so time forces them to change. The second type of people are those who accept the necessity but have a fear of losing their status quo do not wish to change and so they continue to live uselessly in the past. Someone else takes over and then they feel dejected and ignored. It is then that they start grumbling that nobody cares for them; nobody takes their advice etc The third type of people is those who accept the necessity and pretend to change but deceive themselves and create problems for others also. The whole atmosphere becomes stressful and team-spirit and motivation of others is also affected. The fourth type of people is those who accept but dont know how to go about the change process. They commit many mistakes in the name of change and cant maintain pace with the rapid changing times. The fifth type of people are those who embrace the change and survive. They accept the change process, analyse it well, and carry out a step by step plan. They do proper planning, analyse data and then execute it in the right manner therefore, they survive the change and open the way for others to follow. On the basis of the various results experienced by different types of people there is a beautiful formula that has emerged for managing the change process. The formula is

C = A + B + D > X. C means change can only be practical when A + B + D is greater than X. A is the acceptance of the need to change. Being sensitive to the demand of time and accepting the necessity for change and adopting it with proper planning. B is the belief in the ability to succeed, the self confidence and the self motivation to take the initiative to bring change and achieve the desired results, developing and using the abilities to be successful in the process. D is the desirability of the future state. A very clear vision of the future state is the desired form after the change. And X means the cost of changing that is whatever cost is incurred in the process of change, the resources we use, the time consumed, the energy, money, abilities, all the resources that we put in the process for change. These three ingredients: Acceptance of the need, Belief in the self and Desirability of the future state are greater than the cost incurred, then only change can be successful, otherwise we respond in a reactive focus and waste the money, time, energy and all the resources.

Event Reaction Cycle Every event, situation and problem demands a creative response from individuals from time to time and when people do not realize the necessity of time to time and when people do not realize the necessity of time to adopt creative measures or develop a clear focus towards it they react to the situations and events as they come up in the same old ways. Their negative generated emotions influence their own behavior, which in turn feed into the event or situation making the situation worse. This is how they waste their resources and turn mole-hills into mountains and later waste their time and energy in getting rid of the mountains which create frustration, anxiety etc And ultimately they find themselves in a vicious cycle of negativity, reacting with events and situations not realizing that time is demanding a change in their response. Whenever such situations and events come up the demand of time is to bring about a change in ones response in a positive manner and respond accordingly. This generates positive feelings and a positive behavior feeds into the event or situation smoothing it and this is how mountains once again turn into molehills and we become successful. The art of managing change is to realize the necessity of change at the right time and respond to times demand in a proactive manner.

Starting from the inside out There are two circles which affect an individuals life. The circle of influence and the circle of concern. The circle of influence is where we have control and the circle of concern is where we do not necessarily have direct control, but, it is concerned with all our dealings. We cannot control everything outside ourselves, but we can control our own internal self to lead change. The circle of influence is the internal circle of our own values, vision, beliefs, attitude, assumptions, thoughts etc. The circle of concern is the external circle comprising the government policies, economic conditions, global competition, which is beyond our control. When we become too concerned about the external circle that is about the government policies, economic conditions, competition etc And want them to change, it starts pressurizing the inner circle of influence. It pressurizes our values, vision, attitudes, our beliefs, thinking process, and we develop a reactive focus. Reactive focus is when the inner circle of influence starts producing negative energy waves and contracts, which means the effectiveness and the change that we want to bring about, becomes difficult if not impossible and we start blaming others that they are responsible, the circumstances are responsible, the situations are such and we cannot be effective and as such we cannot change. However, when we expand our inner circle of influence that is, our values, visions, thought process, assumptions, beliefs, the gap between the circle of influence and circle of concern gets reduced and this is where we become proactive which means we are able to focus on the things that we have direct control over and which produce positive energy waves. These positive energy waves carry their influence on to the circle of concern as well and in adverse times when situations try to pressurize us, we can still be effective and bring about the change desired. The result is that we do not get influenced by any external force but, are always optimistic and are able to bring about the changes in the way we want. Thus, we do not become handicapped by external forces. The challenge of the time is to move confidently and powerfully through selftransformation. When we are in a powerful awareness no upheaval in the atmosphere, people, situations or circumstances can affect us. When we think that change is difficult, it does become difficult. Once we understand how change takes place, we realise that a little bit of upheaval is part of the process. The most significant breakthrough occurs when there is a change in our perception. We will generally come to realise that it is our inner stage of consciousness that is influencing our perception of the outer world. Many of the outer realities are just a reflection of our inner state of mind. At present, the emphasis is therefore shifting towards managing ourselves and finding inner competencies, our latent powers and specialties that make us effective in this new environment. We need to harness our personal power to bridge the gap between what we have to do and what we are actually doing by overcoming our inner shortcomings To be effective, we have to be powerful. To be powerful is to have the ability to

handle all situations and apply the right powers at the right time. Hence, we require selfrealization and not merely self-knowledge to manage the change.

The Planning Model The challenge to various organisations is to provide a framework for people to understand their own journey through change so that they can best contribute to the organization. The way to plan and re-engineer change in ones own life is done on the basis of a model very identical to the corporate planning model that is used to re-engineer the organization; because planning of the individual is planning for the organisation. This is the key to effectiveness by creating a link and alignment between the individual and the organisation. The organizational planning model is like a compass or a road map that gives a direction to the people to determine the way they have to navigate and achieve their vision. Similarly, self-management also provides a personal planning model for selfdevelopment. It includes the identical steps as the organisational planning model to develop a clear focus and reorganize from within. The organisations direction is determined on the basis of the facts obtained from the organisational SWOT analysis so as to move into the future and reach out for those opportunities that are opening up. The insights help to redefine the mission, vision statements and the values become fuel to reach out the vision but at the same time the barriers cannot be ignored in the Key Result Areas and precautions have to be taken to achieve the vision. The strategies adopted should be in alignment with the values and then an action plan and an implementation process has to be developed. Very similar to this planning model, self-management personal planning model becomes the road map for self-development and in leading a meaningful life of fulfillment and satisfaction. But, it is important to have the right mental state when planning for our future. We should be free from all preconceived notions about the self and the things which are influencing us. The best mental position is that of a detached observer. In the state of being a detached observer, we are able to see ourselves and the influences in the way of our life. We have to be cautions of them so that they dont distort the judgment and discrimination. The key to stability is balance. The personal planning process involves two major areas of balance: firstly, the balance between the past and the future and secondly the balance between hard thinking and soft thinking i.e., to be analytical, logical and rational but at the same time be intuitive, creative and emotive. In order to play a leadership role, we must be able to bring about significant changes in our own mission, vision and values. The important principle of leadership is that the leader is

someone who is easily able to exercise both thinking styles, i.e., hard and soft according to the need. Many people lack this balance some are too emotional and others are too rational. A leaders mind features a fine balance of both. Step 1 Fact (SWOT) Therefore, when we begin the process we start from the past facts. We are able to find these facts from a personal SWOT analysis.

SWOT analysis is an analytical tool well-known to those familiar with the management sciences. A SWOT is commonly used in the strategic planning of a business but it is used in a different way for personal strategic planning. A SWOT analysis is an analysis of our own personal strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Our personal strengths are those aspects of life which are really good and working well. Weaknesses are those aspects of life which are not so good and are causing sorrow or discomfort to us. Threats are those things that we may be worrying about in the future, and opportunities are those golden chances that may be right there in front of us if only we are able to recognise them. In order to review ourselves, we have to adopt the mindset of observing ourselves in a loveful but detached manner. It is important to be objective and unemotional during the process. Thus, being in the present moment we go into the past times, recollect the memories from the past happenings, events and situations and find out what were the particular personal strengths that we have used, in order to be successful and on which we can depend on in the future. Likewise, from the past what were our old weaknesses and how they could be removed? It would have a greater impact on our life because if we are not able to do that then in future greater risks or negative challenges will come and we will have to deal with them in future. If we are able to get rid of them then what are the opportunities that we can see opening up in our own life so that we are able to navigate our life on the basis of that. In doing the SWOT analysis the aim is to analyse the present position in life so as to become clear about where we are standing, what are our personal resources and what do we need to pay extra attention to in order to steer through our life for personal development in the direction we want to. But it is important that we are in a right mental position to be effective in finding out this direction. We must be in a right frame of mind. It reminds me of an example. Just as when a pebble is thrown into a still lake, the ripples start to spread out from the point where it hits the water. In the same way, everything starts with the state of the self and then radiates to the body, relationships, society, environment and the world. The inner qualities affect our mental state which affects our physical state, which in turn affects our relationship, society and the environment. To help us develop the right mental

state for undertaking the SWOT analysis it is important therefore, that we know more about the inner self before proceeding to the analysis of our outer life. Hence, after understanding our selves in a better way through a personal SWOT analysis we move forward onto the second step which is the SPIRITUAL INSIGHTS. Step 2 Spiritual Insights Insight is he spiritual wisdom which is the missing dimension in our present life. It helps us to understand our innate self in a better way. So that we identify our inner powers and capabilities which are at our disposal to determine the implications of the changes that are going on around. Understanding our weaknesses we have the practical tips from the spiritual wisdom to overcome them, as we are aware of the organisation where we work. There is an organisation within ourself which is also very powerful and in order to manage ourselves in a better way we need to know and understand our inner organisation in a better way. What is it that we have to know and understand about the inner organisation? There are two aspects of us: the innate self or the real self and the acquired self or the physical self. The innate self is also known as soul, atma, spirit, which is the essence and store house of all values. It has three main faculties through which it functions or performs all the mental activies the mind, the intellect and the sub consciousness. The acquired self or the physical self is whatever I have acquired after coming to this world: the Ego, the role, image, possessions, skills, body, relationships, position, achievement, beliefs etc. We are so conscious of the acquired self that all our actions and resources are concentrated around the physical development. Hence, developing the ral human resource is neglected, due to lack of awareness of our innate potential. In order to develop the innate resources we have to understand the inner mechanishm of the three faculties which perform all the mental activities The mind, the intellect and the Subconsciousness or sanskars or the personal MIS management information system. If we know how to manage ourselves on the basis of the information or the wisdom then our system or our life will be better organised. Applying the insights means to understand how the mind works and how to change our mindset, understanding our thinking mechanisms and our decision-making processes. The mind is a very powerful faculty which imagines, thinks, feels, forms ideas etc. Every moment the mind creates thoughts: thus we can say that the mind is the palnning committee of the inner organisation. All the ideas or the thoughts created by the planning committee are then passed on to the next faculty the intellect which is the decision- making committee of the inner oeganisation.

The intellect is where the wisdom and the will-power to take decisions are stored. This is the most crucial faculty which understands each and every thought and reasons and analyses, discriminates, evaluates, and then gives its decisions whether to carry out the practical actions or not. All the actions get registered or filed in the sub consciousness or sanskars as the records of the self in the form of experiences, tendencies, habits, traits, talents or memories and as a result forms our personality. Any records from the sub consciousness can be traced within a fraction of a second and accordingly the thought process starts. There are mainly four types of interferences: 1. Mental Positioning Mental positioning or the conditioning of the mind. This corresponds to the way in which we perceive information. For instance do I see a glass half-empty or half-full? According to my mental positioning, I will perceive the situation. Half empty is negative and half full is positive. Another example of mental positioning comes from a French author. During the last world war, he was trying to escape with some of his friends from the German Gestapo. After a few weeks, they were captured and thrown into jail, with of course the deadly fear of what would happen next. To help his friends to keep hope, this author told them: Look my friends when we escaped, we had the fear of being caught and now that we are caught we have the hope of becoming free again. So, our mental positioning determines our analysis of situations and thus our response also. What kind of mental positioning are we used to? Is it the one that will help us to keep on creating new opportunities or will it fail us when opportunities arise? This is something we can work on and that can bring a lot of change in our life and in our relationships with others. 2. Mental Limits These are all non-visible limits that we create either ouselves or that are created by our education, our parents, society etc. It is very easy to create mental limits in children. For instance, so often parents say to the child; Dont touch this; dont do that because you are clumsy, so you will break it. But the result will be that this child will become a clumsy person who will never allow him/her to do a lot of things because of the mental limit that has been created in him. Ww can see the same type of behaviour in ourselves sometimes, when we say; This is my nature, I cant help it, Ive always been like that, I will not change now, its too late how many times do we say I cannot out of fear, though we would be able to do it if we had the courage just to try? Amongst our limits are of course all our habits, thinking patterns etc. Our natural trend is to create a comfortzone in which we feel safe and in which we try to maintain ourselves, but this can be

dangerous, because we do not allow ourselves to develop new skills, to use other types of resources that are inside us, latent and yet never explored. Limit is the barrier that we have created ourselves and that lead us to find the solution of a problem impossible. The logic is that without widening our scope of thinking we find some things very difficult though in fact, they are quite easy. 3. Assumptions These are all ready-made images, all what we assume to be so,all what we guess and imagine and that prevent us from having a right idea of what it is really. Let me illustrate this through a small story. A man comes home with a brand new car. The whole family is looking at it. When the father says he will go to a big town next morning, his eldest son asks if he could go with him. So the next morning the father and the son go in the new car, the roads are empty and the man is driving very fast. A few kilometers from their starting point, suddenly a big truck appears just in front of them. The man cannot avoid it. There is an accident and both are seriously injured and are taken to the hospital. The surgeon arrives and says I will not operate. Why does the surgeon say this? Now there can be many assumptions made that the child is already dead or that there was no one to sign etc. But the surgeon was the mother of the child. Now, normally the image created of a surgeon is connected with a male and hence we cannot imagine the mother of the child to be there. 4. Associated Memories This is the link between the two functions, the intellect and the subconscious. Our experiences from the past and our recorded memories are linked together. This is also known as preconceived notions. For example a special song or music, we hear it everywhere because it is a best-seller and many years afterwards, on hearing the song again, we recall all the memories that are connected. It will be as if it were yesterday. We feel the same emotions, the same feelings that we had at that time. There may be someone regularly cleaning the office. In the office we have a se tof beautiful flower vases of glass. By chance, he happens to break it. We caution him that he has to be careful and replace the same with another one. After a few days something happens and as he was cleaning again he breaks the other one . We become firm with hin and tell him the next time he breaks anything then he would be changed and replaced with another one. Some days later, we come in the office and as we pass by that place we find that it was broken and mended with some solution. Now who would come in our memory that could have done that? Immediately we associate our previous

memory and call the same person and take action against him but actually it was not he. It was somebody else who had done that. In conclusion, when we look at all these interferences, we need to be extremely cautions about the way we act or react towards each situation. Only by remaining alert and unprejudiced and by practicing open mind can we remain free from these old limitations and discover a totally new way of thinking. The method to improve our decision-making is to identify where the blockages and the holes are.

Sub Conscious Spiritual wisdom also helps us to develop the innate and acquired values; it enables us to understand how we have moved away from our innate values towards the acquired values. Further, it gives us the method to reach the innate values once again. This means self-empowerment that is taking the power from within to control ourselves at the right time through the right process in the right manner. In the subconscious are recorded all our experiences and actions, though we are not aware of them, they are latent. Human personality is like an iceberg. 10% of the iceberg is visible above the surface and 90% of the iceberg is invisible beneath the waterline. Now imagine, there is powerful storm coming from the north going towards the south at the speed of 180 kilometers. So in which direction should the iceberg move? You may think it will go towards the south. But the iceberg moves against the storm towards undercurrent running from south to north which is controlling the 90% of the iceberg. The same applies to human beings. What we know of each other, is only a tiny amount of the 10% visible. 90% of our invisible personality which is within the subconscious and unknown to even ourselves is controlled by some very strong undercurrents and is the driving force of our personality in a particular direction. There are five undercurrents moving very silently in everybodys life and controlling 90% of our personality. The first and powerful undercurrent is the various forms of ego or the evils generated from ego. It is the driving force in the present time. The second undercurrent is the records carried forward from the past life which keeps on interfering with the present actions and becomes the driving force. That is when the intellect does not work and we are controlled by these latent subconscious memories. Many times we see mature people making some mistakes and when they are caught, they go through some punishment. If we ask them, how is that they made this mistake, they

would say please dont ask, I do not know what came into my head at that moment and I was driven by it. The third undercurrent is the ancestral, which we inherit in our nature from the parents and grand-parents. We can see how those impressions function from time to time and people are not able to change themselves and they are controlled and driven by those impressions. The fourth powerful undercurrent is the company in this life. Thus there is the saying that a man is known by the company he keeps. There are some children from very good family backgrounds but when they get indulged in bad company they hardly realise where they are being driven. When we make them realise about the company they have indulged in, they would react and sometimes they are willing to leave their homes but cannot give up the company. So human beings are being tossed in various directions by these undercurrents. Sometimes, there is a lot of inner conflict exoerienced because of these undercurrents trying to pull us in various directions. Hence, people are at the mercy of these undercurrents. There is a method through which we can completely rule them out of our life. We can do this with the help of the fifth undercurrent. As it is said an iron cuts an iron. Likewise an undercurrent cuts an undercurrent. The fifth undercurrent is very powerful but quite dormant in majoritys life. It is the undercurrent of will-power. We need to activete it. How do we activate our willpower? In order to activatr our will-power, we need the positive thought energy, as thought energy is the greatest inner resource. But, where do we get positive thoughts from. The source of positive thoughts is spirituality. This is why spiritual dimension is said to be the missing dimension in human life. To keep the process dynamic we have to go into silence and feel the energy of the positive qualities through our own thoughts. As we think so we become. There is time and place for everything. Just as there is an accurate chronology for the development of a baby, so too, on a psychological level, there is an accurate chronology for change. The golden key for self transformation is to apply accurate chronology to our efforts. Firstly, identify and re-emerge our buried treasures. It strengthens the feeling that we have nothing to lose by changing; there are many things to gain. Secondly, recognize the past and build on the foundation of the present ways, accepting the change right now. Thirdly, never be trapped in comfortable habits.

Fourthly, take all challenges, opportunities on the path and avoid the feeling of incompetence. Develop a clear understanding of the self and recognize the self-made defense mechanishms.

Developing a Clear Focus The key to fundamental transformation in the self is to develop a clear focus, willpower and capabilities. We can change our direction when the understanding about the situation changes. Focus, Will & Capability A clear focus is required to guide our life activities on the basis of a clear sense of purpose, values and vision. The will-power or the motivation and enthusiasm to introduce and sustain the actions, and the capabilities or the skills and abilities to fulfill the purpose and goals. If any of the three is lacking then we can fail. We may have the focus clear and also the capabilities but if we lack the will-power, then we would bring the change but probably will not be able to sustain the effort as we will be lacking in will-power. Similarly, we may have the focus clear and have the will-power as well but may lack the capabilities. Then too, we would not be able to succeed as we lack the necessary skills and talents to achieve the ambitions which are beyond us. Likewise, we may have the will and even the capabilities but lack the focus, then too, we would not be able to succeed as we are so unclear about what we are doing and so we shall simply exhaust ourselves and run out of energy. Therefore, all the three ingredients are needed together. But where do we start? There is definitely a right place to begin and that is with our focus. Why? Because if the focus is powerful and based on a very deep sense of our inner purpose of life, then that will provide us with the will-power, we need to keep going. If we have aclear driving focus in life and lot of will power to bak it up, we will soon develop the skills and capabilities we need to make it happen. We may not have them in us but our enthusiasm and passion will certainly inspire others who have them to join us. This is what it means to be a Leader.

Step 3 Purpose The third step of this personal planning model is finding out the purpose. Life can be centered on work, money, power, family or socity and there are many ways to make short term gains. By identifying our higher purpose and core values we can live from a principle centre that will lead us to a long term effectiveness based on natural laws. The purpose of our life has to be understood from various perspectives. So that we are able to give a meaning to our life and lead a meaningful life. Discovering ones personal purpose is like cutting a diamond. Every diamond has within it a ready-made design, waiting to be discovered. So does every human being. The secret is to actualize the pattern. For every successful and fulfilled human being, the shaping of a life worth-living starts with identifying and then building on the purpose that each of us was born to fulfill. So let me ask this question to myself Am I labouring in my life without clear understanding of what is the meaning and importance of my existence? Or am I enjoying my life with a clear understanding of what is the purpose of my existence? Our purpose affects the way we work, live, being in the world and the results we achieve. Purpose means to follow the intuition and do the things that really matter so that we use our resources and talents for the greater good and explore what is meaningful. Purpose becomes the basis for our motivation for excellence: it gives a direction to life and a source of conviction and consistency; too clarify the focus and then applying the spiritual wisdom of how to channelize the innate powers and capabilities towards those things which are meaningful instead of just wasting the energy.

Step 4 - Values The fourth step in the planning model is the values. Just as we do not create purpose in our life but we detect it. In the same way, I have to detect what is the pattern of the values that have been important in my life. In other words, we must clarify the innate values and the acquired values which are most deeply connected to the purpose, or clarify specially what we really value in our life and how to use these values as the basis for choice, selection and decision making. Thus our values determine our worth. The values are true motivators and are important for achievements of the purposes in life particularly those values which should be the touchstone for important decisions in our life. Therefore we have to very clearly identify the value-system that we are gifted with. Each and every indidvidual is blessed with a core value-system when he is born. But the values can either be chosen consciously from conditioning. These include traditional influences of family, society, religion, education, media, science etc. There can be a difference between our authentic values and the values that we have which are shaped by unconscious influences. The challenge is to find the right ones

for the time: values which will give us a sense of stability and direction for safe passage. Values are like moral compasses because they guide us in our actions on a day to day basis, while being consistent with our purpose. Different types of values pulling in different directions lead to inner conflict and stress so we need to clearly define our priorities. Once a nurse who participated in one of the programmes, believed that values were connected with big issues. Talking to her and about herwork and what she felt was important to her, she mentioned how important she felt it was to really listen to the patients, and how much her patients appreciated the way, and she listened to them. Iasked dont u think that is a value? She realised. That is what values are all about, the real things in life, the quality that we bring into our relationships, what we bring into our life day by day. Values are like the fuel. In any situation where these values are imbibed, they will decide the course of our action they become the basis or foundation for achieving our vision.

Step 5 Vision The fifth step in this planning model is to have a clear vision. In organisations there is a trade-mark of the products symbolised in the form of a logo which constantly reminds each and every one of the purpose of the organisation, the values that are connected with their vision as a whole. Similarly vision means to develop a mental image of the purpose and values of what we are aiming for, in the form of a symbol for future success as a personal logo that will become a guiding light for the future and automatically remind us of what we are aiming to achieve. We create our own script by the quality of our vision. If we dont have a strong personal vision, then the script is handed to us by other people, or prevailing situations and circumstances. A specific, powerful, personal vision generates energy, motivation and commitment. Our vision is not about having more but about being more. When purpose is the course u have set foe your journey, then vision is the destination. Vision is the secret of taking charge of change as we dont mind leaving our old house when there is a new house to go to. Purpose gives meaning to our vision and values help us to remember what is most important to us as we go about reaching our vision. It is a powerful picture of the future that we carry in our heads and in our hearts. A picture says more than a thousand words. A picture, a symbol can awaken courage, elevated feelings and reinforce the values connected with that aim. This becomes our personal guiding beacon. A common example of this is Pavlovs dog. As an experiment, every time he fed the dog, he would ring a bell. After some time, he would sound the bell and the dog would begin to salivate in anticipation of the food. There was no need to bring the food to bring about the response. The same process takes place when we develop a strong mental

reminder of our purpose and values. Every time we recall our vision and we will call forth the inner power and energy for our purposeand values. It will help to energise and give the power to make the right decisions. For example, imagine we are about to go into a meeting which we know is going to be tough. We know we are going under pressure to do something we may not like. Before going to stop for a moment and flash on the screen of the mind the image of our symbol. This will immediately make us recall what is important to us. Even though we amy be assailed with facts and logical argument, even though we may be subjected to all sorts of emotional pressures, if we are focused, we will remain stable and strong and will be able to take the right decisions at the right time. Step 6 Barriers The sixth step in this planning model for a leader is that although he keeps his vision high but does not lose his head in the clouds. He has his feet on the ground but not stuck in the mud. I cannot just fly into the sky but I have to be grounded very firmly which means I have to identify the blocks and barriers which I will have to deal with in the future while achieving the vision. Barriers help me to be on the ground as well as live practically in achieving that vision for the future so that nothing can stop me. The purpose of being aware of the barriers is that by comparing my vision with my present situation, I discover what is it that is going to come in my way. Before we embark on any adventure, it is important to anticipate what obstacles we will have to deal with on the way:- The storms, the lulls, the undercurrents. The storms are the external pressures and challenges in which we have to handle ouselves. The lulls are the times when we feel completely powerless, burnt out of energy, no motivation to move forward, and the undercurrents are the powerful streams of our own weaknesses driving us making us feel helpless and handicapped. Hence, we need to be realistic about the problems and limitations that exist in our lives in order to overcome them. We must not only be aware of the barriers presented by external circumstances or people, but we must also be aware of our own limitations. There is a beautiful Chinese phrase which says know your enemy and know thyself if you know yourself but not the enemy, for every battle u win, u will experience defeat. If u know your enemy but not yourself, again defeat awaits u. If u dont know yourself and u dont know your enemy, victory will elude u forever. Therefore, know yourself and know your enemy. To know myself means I have to understand myself. I have to be aware of my sanskars or inner programming and realise that I have to challenge assumptions about myself and the problems that exist in my life. Often the most significant barriers caome from our own limiting beliefs and perceptions. Just to recognise these barriers is an achievement in itself. By detecting my personal barriers and blocks and looking at them very closely, I find that the root causes of all my problems are stationed within me. This helps me to detect the real enemy and I

will know exactly what I have to do to fulfill my purpose and vision, it is like identifying the obstacles and road-blocks that may prevent me from fulfilling that purpose, vision and identifying the underlying negative destructive habits, attitudes and behaviour which become the root cause for my failure. Spiritual understanding helps us address these barriers and overcome them easily. In order to address these barriers, we have to change our attutide and perception towards it. Spirituality helps us to see these barriers as stepping stones to success. Instead of thinking about the problems, we start to think about the solutions. It enables us to expand our understanding that no situation last, forever. It is our own negative thinking that stretches the situation as far as we wish to. It is definite that we cannot change the adverse situation but we can definitely change our attitude towards it. Spirituality also gives a deep understanding about the eternal laws of nature thus, sometimes we have to leave it for time to heal and give full justice i.e. understanding the law of karma and developing the patience to wait and see. In the present time, we cannot depend upon others to become role-models for us and guide us but instead, let us take the leadership and become role-models ourselves for others, or ultimately, let us apply the greatest wisdom of Gita that there is benefit in everything that comes so there is no need to worry about it.

Step 7 Key Result Area Key Result area is normally something we refer to in a process of change in an organisation. It is the areas which have been identified as key areas in which a change would lead to effective overall change in the organisation. When we use this term in selfmanagement, it refers to those areas of our personal life in which our efforts need to be integrated and balanced such as inner self, family life, work life, health. The first steps employed imaginative and visionary thinking, the barriers employed analytical thinking, finding some of those deeper limiting beliefs and assumptions and the next step employs strategic thinking, that is how we can translate from the world of ideas into the world of action and address the barriers with spiritual understanding that are standing in the way. The seventh and eighth step of this planning model is to develop clear goals and strategies for overcoming the barriers which exist in each Key-Result Area of my life and give a direction for the next phase of my life. The aim of this is to develop SMART goals and strategies for the achievement of our vision in the various key-result areas of our life, as well as for our own personal development. SMART goals means that they should be Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic and Time-bound. Goals without strategies will remain dreams. Thus, strategies are initiatives or consciously thiught out choices on how to move forward, realising times demand and responding in a proactive

manner instead of just reacting. Strategies require implementation. The main aim is to break our conventional patterns and routines. A change at any one level wii bring change at all the levels. We need to focus our energy for best results because there is so much that can be done and so many places to put our energy. For each goal and accompanying strategy, we need to develop specific action steps with the time indicated when we will either commence or complete the ninth step of practical implementation.

Step 8, 9 Strategy and Action Plan The strategy has to be in alignment with my values and then take each of the strategies and identify which specific steps or tasks we need to oerform immediately in order to bring the strategies into life. Our actions dont support our purpose when they are not guided by a value or there is the incapacity to express the value correctly. Therefore, the purpose of action planning is to transform well-meaning intentions into practical specific action steps, to identify specific action steps necessary in order to bring my selfmanagement plan to life and to keep it alive. We have to be focused and concentrated. The importance doesnt lie in the size of our action but how we actually do it. This will build confidence and enthusiasm.

Step 10 Implementation Process The tenth step is then the implementation process which has four aspects monitoring, timing, response-ability and non-violent communication. The aim of monitoring is to introduce a daily self assessment syatem to keep on track with my own action plans and development programmes which show how to maintain my motivation and will-power. Timing means I should also know the right time to act and learn how to select the time to act recognising the time, I am at the peak and when I am most vulnerable to defeat. Response-ability provides me with the skills in teamwork and empowerment on the basis of understanding the subtle laws of cause and effect as I apply to my response-ability and practically apply the lessons; I have learnt regarding value based action. Non violent communication means recognising the power available to tap the hidden inner powers and training in the master art of nonviolent communication and the keys to effective listening.

So that, in short the technology through which we develop advanced relationship management skills in regard to team-work, giving and receiving corrective feed-back and deal with every conflict situation.