Attributes of Democratic and Resilient Leadership Style as Reflected in Bhagavad Gita

Abstract

The present paper focuses to identify the salient characteristics of the democratic and resilient leadership styles reflect in Bhagavad Gita. Bhagavad Gita is one of the worldrenowned Holy Scriptures which potentially deals with the qualities of leadership because it has been developed in the form of conversation between the leader and the follower. Further, to some scholarly interpretations, criticizing the norms of Bhagavad Gita as those of autocratic and other leadership styles, contemporary leadership approaches also pay less attention and highlights its importance demanding its holistic view of leadership as reflected in Bhagavad Gita. Contrary, the scriptures profoundly advocate the leadership skills in a holistic manner as the democratic and resilient leadership are very much related to the personality of a person in terms of physical, mental and spiritual development of a person. So that, it can be suggestive that Bhagavad Gita practically revolves around a Democratic leader who develops leadership qualities and behaves and guides his followers in the extremely curial situations, even in the battle-front towards success. Through the analysis to textual and scriptural sequences, the present study enabled identifying the role of a leader as a Negotiator, Coach and Motivator, Team Builder, Friend, Advisor, Guide and a spiritual Mentor, This is particularly reflected in the conversation between the lord Krishna and Arjuna. Thus, it can be concluded that Bhagavad Gita brings the characteristics of leadership through ‘’ the leader attempts to influence his or her followers to establish and accomplish a goal or goals’’. To accomplish the goal, the leader exercises his or her power to influence people. That power is exercised for motivating followers to get the task achieved and this is reflected in the Gita. Personal traits of leader such as assertiveness, high tolerance in frustration, charisma, inspirational, role model behaviour, responsibility, performance orientation, risk taking, flexibility is also reflected in the Gita. Ultimate outcome of the study brings back the interconnectedness of the personality traits and the characteristics of a democratic and resilient leadership styles that are reflected through Bhagavad Gita.