Avadhoot Dandekar

Vishnu at the top of the Pyramid: 

In Hindu Mythology, Vishnu is depicted sitting on Garuda and flying in the sky. The Garuda is holding a snake in her legs. Snake is a metaphor for short vision, Sarpa Drishti. Garuda is a metaphor for long vision, Garuda Drishti, Door Drishti. Garuda eats the snake. Short vision (short goals) is a sub-set of long vision (long goals). Vishnu is a metaphor for Blissful Life. He is sitting on Garuda. He is above the Snake and Garuda. Vishnu is a metaphor for Divine Vision. He sees the invisible and invincible. To me, VC means Vision Capital or Vishnu Capital. 

Vishnu as the CEO of the Organization: 

To me, the CEO is someone whose presence makes things happen. In whose presence people feel they have achieved. He is a catalyst and change agent, and his presence makes 2+2=5. His presence creates the highest synergy in the workplace. The workplace becomes a worship place. Work becomes worship. The doing becomes divine. You become capable of doing more with less. Happy people give more productivity and high performance. He is there like a Coach. He is always there to help. He says, what can I do for you? The CEO is like Vishnu. He has a short vision and short goals. He has a long vision and long goals. He also has a divine vision to see the invisible and invincible. The short vision and short goals, long vision and long goals are subsets of his divine vision. He is not the Chief Executive Officer. This is too cheap. He is at the top of the pyramid. If he is also executing then what the people below the pyramid are doing? To me, he is a Chief Enlighening Officer. In the present times, things have become too complicated. The CEO is just a scapegoat. He is being hired for crucifixion without a good Friday. The transformation from an Executive at the bottom of the Pyramid to a Chief Executive at the top is challenging. The Bhakta (Devotee) has to be the Bhagawan. The Executive has to become the Chief Executive. This is a journey. This is a transformation. This is a growth. 

What is Business, and Why Business?: 

Business is an art of entrepreneurship. Peter McArther says, “Every successful enterprise requires three men: a dreamer, a businessman, and a son-of-a-bitch.” The spirit of entrepreneurship is a way of life. This is version one (V.1) of the Business. 

Richard Branson says, “I wanted to be an editor or a journalist, I wasn’t really interested in being an entrepreneur, but I soon found I had to become an entrepreneur to keep my magazine going.” Business is an idea. That idea can be put into action as a start-up. The biggest challenge is the scalability and sustainability of that business. The business has to be profitable to sustain. This is version two (V.2) of the Business. 

Henry Ford said, “A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business.” This is version three (V.3) of the Business. 

To me, there is no contradiction or conflict between Dhamma and Dollars. There is no conflict between Entrepreneurship and Enlightenment. These two values are not contradictory. They can be integrated. They are complimentary. The monk who sold his Ferrari and went to the Himalayas is a holy shit. Why has he gone to the Himalayas? For masturbation? Why hasn't the monk bought a few more Ferraries? Monk is only a metaphor for stillness and stability. Do not visualize a person in the robes of a monk. Monkhood is not a personality. It is an individuality. It is a metaphor for your oneness with the divine or the whole. It is a process of churning your mind. It is churning your monkey mind into a monk's mind. Monkeyhood to Monkhood is an inner transformation. What is it that you have that you can renounce? To renounce life, family, friends, and wealth is a poor thing. That is not renunciation. You have to give up prejudices, prior ideas, wrong notions, and ignorance in all its aspects. The whole is divine. The whole is non-dual. What the hell will you give up? Don't be stupid. Business to Buddhahood is a new transition. Dollars to Dhamma is a new transition. The four (4) Purusharthas in the ancient Vedic philosophy are Dharma, Artha, Kama, and Moksha. And all these four values are part of an integrated framework of life. Business is a lower value and Buddhahood is the highest value. Dollars is a lower value and Dhamma is the highest value. Entrepreneurship is a lower value and Enlightenment is the highest value. This is version infinity (V.∞) of the Business. 

The Ancient Story: 

Brahma created a Cosmic Organization and handed it over to Vishnu for Sustenance, and Shiva, for Transformation. While embedding the two values in the cosmic organization, the two values, Lakshmi (Goddess of Wealth) and Saraswati (Goddess of Knowledge) started fighting each other. Lakshmi says that she is greater than Saraswati. And Saraswati says that she is greater than Lakshmi. Lakshmi was needed for growth and prosperity. Saraswati was needed for knowledge and harmony. Vishnu could retain both of them saying that, with knowledge, one can read and write. And without money, one can not buy the tools of knowledge like books and pens required to gain that knowledge. All knowledge is for the money, and all money is for more knowledge. 

There are two key people in any organization, the CEO and the CFO. The job of the CEO is to create more money and the job of the CFO is to retain and invest that money. And both require knowledge of their respective functions. Brahma is the God of creation. Vishnu is the God of Sustenance. Shiva is the God of Transformation. Lakshmi is the Goddess of Wealth, and Saraswati is the Goddess of Knowledge. And Durga is the Goddess of Protection. You need all these values in your organization.

You create an idea. That is a beginning. That comes from Brahma. The idea has to grow, scale, and sustain. You need Vishu for that. The idea needs money. This comes from Lakshmi. The idea needs to grow and become big. You need brainstorming, collaboration, and more knowledge pool. This comes from Saraswati. The idea needs to be protected in all aspects. You need Durga for this. Every beginning comes to an end. Every idea is killed. There is decay and disruption. You have to transform to stay longer. Shiva is a God of Death or Transformation. If you can't transform yourself, then you will have to die. You have to transform continuously your idea into a better idea to stay ahead of the competition. You need Shiva for this. Shiva is not Shava. Shava is a dead body, and Shiva is a blissful body. Competing in a Red Ocean is only a survival strategy. One has to create Blue Oceans to stay ahead of the competition. What is the competition? Only wrong values fight the right values. Only old values fight the new values. Dollar ($) is only an exchange for sharing values. Creating Blue Oceans is an eternal Leadership Strategy! The goal of Vishnu is to have an accelerated rate of returns. 

Profits at the heart of the Pyramid: 

Earlier they talked about profits at the top of the Pyramid. Later they talked about profits at the bottom of the Pyramid. Archaeologists and Scientists have always tried to study the mystery of the Pyramids. At one place in the Pyramid, there is a mysterious energy. The heart of the Pyramid is a mysterious place. The real profits lie at the heart of the Pyramid. The heart of the Pyramid is a “Profit Center”. The key components of profit are People, Products, Processes, Promotions, Productivity, and Performance. All these factors contribute towards the Profit. And Profit is the soul of any organization. 

Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, and Spiritual are not four different compartments. The body is Physical. Mind is Intellectual. Heart is Emotional. The mind should speak what the heart feels. And the body should do what the mind and heart say. Spirituality simply means that the three, the body, mind, and heart are in sync with each other. This oneness is our true being. This being is individual and indivisible. This is a spiritual being. Spiritual Quotient (SQ) is a sum of Intellectual Quotient (IQ) and Emotional Quotient (EQ). IQ means a mind without negative thoughts. EQ means a heart without negative emotions. SQ is nothing but our Happiness Quotient and Blissful Quotient. Happy people give more productivity and better performance. Mathematically, SQ=IQ+EQ. Only the people with high SQ aim for Dhamma and Dollars. They create value in everything.