What makes an organisation grow? Is it the vision of one person, the dedication of a few, or the participation of many? It is all of these, but there is something more. An organisation grows when people feel that it belongs to them.
You can have the best plans, the best infrastructure and the best people, but if there is no sense of belongingness, things will not move very far. On the other hand, when people feel connected to a purpose, they can accomplish things that may seem impossible.
The Art of Living has grown across the world through the efforts of thousands of volunteers. People from different countries, cultures, professions and backgrounds have come together, not because they were required to, but because they found something meaningful to contribute to. This is the beauty of a shared vision. I have often said that I never organised anything; I just let it grow organically. The prerequisite for organic growth is patience, perseverance and clear intention.
When you plant a seed, you do not keep digging it up every day to see whether it has grown. You water it, nourish it and allow nature to take its course. Similarly, when you have a good intention and a clear vision, you must give people the space to nurture it. Too much interference can become an obstacle to growth.
A vision should be bigger than the person
If a vision is limited to one individual, it will remain limited. But when it becomes a shared vision, it acquires a life of its own. People begin to take ownership, new ideas emerge and new leaders come up.
This is very important in institution-building. You do not create followers; you create leaders. If everyone has to come to one person for every small decision, the organisation cannot grow beyond a point. A good leader knows when to step in and when to step aside.
Sometimes, the biggest contribution a leader can make is to not become a stumbling block. There is a natural tendency to control things. We feel that unless we supervise every detail, something may go wrong. But can you control everything in your own body? Your heart beats, your breath flows, and so many processes happen without your conscious intervention. Nature has its own intelligence.
An organisation, too, needs a certain freedom to grow. Of course, there must be direction and discipline, but there must also be trust. Give people responsibility and allow them to discover their own capabilities. They may do things differently from the way you would have done them. That is not necessarily a problem. Sometimes, their way may be better!
People are more important than positions
Positions come and go. Today someone is a leader, tomorrow someone else takes over. But the goodwill and respect that a person earns through their conduct remain. In any organisation, there will be people with different abilities. Some are very efficient, some are enthusiastic, some are good at bringing people together, and some may need a little more time to find their footing. You cannot expect everyone to be the same. A leader must have the ability to recognise the good in people and bring it out. If you keep looking for what is missing in someone, you will only find more shortcomings. But if you encourage what is good, it begins to blossom.
This does not mean that you overlook mistakes. Mistakes will happen wherever there is activity. The important thing is to learn from them without getting into blame games. Blaming someone does not solve a problem. It only creates more distance. A little patience and a willingness to understand can save a lot of energy.
You must respect everyone, whether they are the highest performers or those who are still learning. Every individual has something to contribute.
Do not allow enthusiasm to turn into feverishness.
When people take up a mission, they are often full of enthusiasm in the beginning. They want everything to happen immediately. They become impatient when things do not move at the desired speed. Sometimes, in their eagerness to achieve a result, they create stress for themselves and for others.
Enthusiasm is necessary, but feverishness is not. You can be deeply committed to a goal and still remain relaxed. In fact, a relaxed mind is more effective. When you are anxious, your vision becomes narrow. You begin to react to every small difficulty. But when you are centred, you can see the larger picture and find solutions.
This is why taking care of the mind is not separate from the work we do. A person who is happy and centred brings a different quality of energy into an organisation. There is more creativity, more patience and a greater ability to work with people.
We spend so much time upgrading our skills and improving our systems. We must also learn to renew ourselves. A few minutes of silence, some breathing and meditation can make a tremendous difference to the way we respond to situations.
An organisation must have both a long-term vision and a short-term plan.
A vision gives direction, but it is the small steps taken every day that bring it to fruition. You cannot simply dream of a beautiful future and expect it to happen. You must be willing to work for it, patiently and consistently.
At the same time, you must be flexible. If something does not work, change the method, not necessarily the vision. Sometimes we become so attached to the way we imagined something should happen that we fail to recognise a better possibility. The world is changing, people’s needs are changing and new challenges are emerging. An organisation that does not evolve will become stagnant. But its core values must remain steady. Flexibility in action and firmness in values are both necessary. And what should be the larger purpose of an organisation? It cannot be merely its own expansion. Growth for the sake of growth has little meaning. An organisation must ask itself how it is making life better for people.
When the purpose is to bring more happiness, peace and well-being into society, people naturally find inspiration in it. Work becomes an opportunity to contribute.
The world today has no shortage of resources, technology or information. What it needs is a greater sense of responsibility and belongingness. We need people who are willing to look beyond their own interests and see the larger good.
This is true of a family, a business, a government and a social organisation. Wherever people come together, the same principles apply: a broad vision, a sense of belongingness, mutual respect and the willingness to take responsibility.
When you allow people to grow, when you give them responsibility and do not become a stumbling block, the organisation finds its own wings.
Once a former president of the World Bank asked me, “Gurudev, we do so many projects, but many of them do not reach the kind of success we see in your Art of Living service projects. What’s the secret?”
I said it is not money alone. Love moves the world.