Self development is a big challenge for managers. This presentation takes help from management science as well as from religious studies.

2. Life is hard. It has always been & it always will be
Every thing you are or ever will be is up to you
You are where you are today because that is
where you have chosen to be there
You can learn any thing that you need to learn
to achieve anything you want to achieve
Your main task is taking control of your life
& future to be master of your own destiny

3. There is a direct
relationship between
how well you do
anything and your
self-concept.
You perform as well
as you believe yourself
capable of performing
You are as effective
as you believe
yourself to be in
whatever you do
You can never be
better or different on
the outside than you
believe yourself to
be on the inside.
1 3
2 4

4. Man is born with six unique properties:
Physical Intellectual Emotional
Social DreamsSpiritual
These properties form his potential

5. Self development is a comprehensive process.
It addresses & relates to
Setting vision
Improving self concept
Sharpening potential
Self development means that a person sees an
opportunity to grow & choose to develop.
At what pace, left to himself !!
Socrates says, “Let him who would move
the world first move himself.”

6. Professional career need broadly two types of skills:
Technical skills Supporting skills
Both types of skills are required for a successful career.
In many cases supporting skills play a catalyst role

8. Gita is an outcome of lessons offered to Arjun by his
friend & mentor Lord Krishna
Arjun got psychologically confused & depresses just
before the war was to begin
He declared not to fight the war
Task before his mentor was to heal Arjun’s conflicts &
create a new comprehensive personality that
motivate him to fight the war & win
In present era many persons face uncertainty, fear &
diminishing confidence similar to Arjun

9. Lord Krishna did not reply to Arjun’s questions directly.
Instead he took holistic view of the situation .
He talks about three approaches:
Path of Action Path of Knowledge Path of Devotion
He explained all the three approaches in detail.
At the end he left it to Arjun to opt which path would be
suitable to him

10. Journey to Self-development begins with SWOT analysis
Strength
Opportunities
Weaknesses
Threats
SWOT Matrix
SWOT analysis is a structured method of
Understanding self-evaluation
Do SWOT Analysis now & repeat every six-month. This helps
to plan & determine actions needed in self development.

11. Faith plays a significant role in human life.
A man is what his faith is.
First step in self-development process is to build up
inspiring faith to acquire sagely attributes.
Does it mean you have to renounce the world?
Let us see for our purpose who is sage?

12. It is not necessary to renounce the
world to be a sage
Sage is one who has study wisdom
He casts off all selfish desires of mind
His mind is not shaken by adversity
He is free from attachment, fear & anger
He neither rejoices nor hates
He is satisfied in his own self

13. Let Nobel soul be your role model
Avoid bodily torture
Food that promote life, vitality, health, joy, cheerfulness
Sacrifice without expectations
Speak that cause no offence, which is truthful, pleasant
Exercise serenity of mind, gentleness, self control
Offer gifts to worthy persons without any expectations
Adhere to duty without bothering about discomforts
Freedom from lust, anger, malice, pride
Build up vigor, forgiveness, purity

14. Benign Malignant
Purity of mind Violence
Fearlessness Anger
Concentration Arrogance
Kindness Feeble mind
Self content Pretension
Compassion Lust
Uprightness Selfishness
Patience Greed
Tolerance Uncontrolled desires
Sense of service Hatred
Love Rivalry

15.  People believe in ownership of actions & results
 This perception needs to be changed
 Commit actions with divine inspirations & purposes
 Let actions be free from selfish desire
 Distinguish between right action, wrong actions &
inactions
 Actions to be governed by sense of duty & sacrifice
 Do not perform actions with evil interest, jealousy
 Work is worship.

16. Perform actions as demanded by position
Do not opt for inaction for fear of failure or
discomfort
Discriminate between good & bad actions
Be free from illogical assumption
Let wisdom control body, senses, intellect & mind
Do regular introspection

17. Avoid self criticism & condemnation
Perform work without attachment or aversion
Learn to endure gain & loss, victory & defeat,
pain & pleasure, hot & cold
Sense of righteousness will save from fear of
failure & uncertainty
Conquer anger, sensitiveness & pride
Accept challenges.
Be an example

18.  There is no purifier in the world like knowledge
 Person who is devoted to wisdom obtain knowledge
 True learner commits to be free from self desires
 Knowledge liberates from emotional bonds
 Basic constituent of mind is acquired knowledge
 Mind’s activities are influenced by knowledge
 Source of knowledge are observing, listening,
studying, experiencing, coping, discoveries, invention
 Potential of knowledge knows no limits
 Knowledge is double edge sword
 Knowledge distinguishes human beings from others

19. Acquire knowledge for purpose of:
Know thyself
Destroy clouds born out of ignorance
Recognize & understand own limitations
To be free from I-ness & My-ness
Restrain mind to be wavering & unsteady
Efficiency
Utility to others
Understanding
Joy to self
Inner Peace
Concentration

20. Equal mindedness to desirable & undesirable happenings
Compassion to all beings
Be submissive in acquiring knowledge
Raise doubts before knowledgeable persons
Let knowledge burn negative traits of personality
Be free from pride & delusion
Review own potential & develop competency

21.  Devotion is dedication for defined purpose.
 Devotee maintains constant focus on the purpose.
 He is endowed with supreme faith.
 He is determined, single-minded, unflinching,
unfaltering, unwavering, enduring & preserving.
 He restrains all the senses, being even-minded in all
conditions, rejoice in the welfare of all creatures.
 He nurtures no ill will against anyone, shows friendly
gestures to all, maintains compassionate posture,
and sets himself free from egoism

22. Be alike to friends & foes
Rejoice in welfare of all creatures
No ill will to any being
Compassionate, Endurance
Free from egoism
Unshakable in determination
No source of grief to others

23. Free from anger & agitation
Rejoice in welfare of all creatures
Practice concentration
Devotion help in developing competencies such as:
Adaptability
Result Orientation
Teamwork
Concentration
Building Relationship
Developing Others

24. Purification of mind, body & life
Intelligence firmly sets in wisdom
Clarity of thoughts
Stress relaxation
Clear up confusion
Disciplined mind
Awake sub-conscious & supper
conscious, intuitive flashes

25. Freedom from selfish desires
Free from fear
Positive attitude
Self confidence
Mediation Help in developing
competencies:
Analytical Analysis Problem solving
Creativity / Innovation Decision making

26. Management Guru Peter F Drucker emphasizes:
More & more people in the workplace will have to
Manage Themselves.
They will have to place themselves where they can
make the greatest contribution.
They will have to learn to develop themselves.
They will have to learn to stay young & mentally active.
They will have to learn to change what they do, how
they do it & when they do it
They have to ask:
Who am I? What are my strength? How do I work?
They have to ask what is my contribution?

27. Swami Vivekananda

28. Speed & agility are outstanding features of present
world order
Consequences to ignore them are well explained in an
African proverb
 Every morning in Africa a gazelle wakes up knowing
it must run faster than the fastest lion or be killed
 Every morning a lion awakens knowing it must
outrun the slowest gazelle or strive to death

29. Combination of all
the three approaches:
Path of Action
Path of Knowledge
Path of Devotion
may pave way to
self-development
Let knowledge, action,
intellect, emotions,
motives, wisdom, & mind
be harmonized
with divine purpose &
outlook
Link management
practices with spirituality.
Guidelines discussed are mostly from
Bhagavad-Gita

30. Journey to self development is not an easy task.
Choice is limited:
Leave it to destiny or design own destiny.
In ancient Greece, a traveler met an old man on the
road & asked him how to get Olympus.
The old man happened to be Socrates, replied by
saying, “If you really want to go to Mount Olympus, just
make sure that every step you take is in that direction .”

31. References
1. SHREEMADBHAGVADGITA
GITA PRESS, GORAKHPUR
2. THE HOLY GEETA
COMMENTARY BY SWAMI CHINMAYANANDA
3. THE BHAGAVADGITA
Dr. S RADHAKRISHNAN
4. ANCIENT INDIAN WISDOM FOR SELF
DEVELOPMENT
AHMEDABAD MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION &
SANKARA VIDYA KENDRA
5. THE BHAGAVAD GITA
PENGUIN CLASSICS,
ADVISORY EDITOR: BETTY RADICE