Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Lessons Entrepreneurs Can Learn From Teachings of Dalai Lama

The teachings of Dalai Lama can guide entrepreneurs in their ventures and help them draw some vital, effective, practical and profound lessons. This is an abridged list.

Responsible business aims at helping people expand their abilities. We usually live for the promise of a good future by selling history. Keeping the basic precepts listed below can aid on the path to reaching the promise of the future while dealing with the most certain uncertainties on the way.

Love what you do, and do it the whole way

This will bring out the best in a venture. To attain the best it is worth the risk to base your work on love and passion. Every venture has different things it will need at different points in its journey. Loving the crucial elements during a particular phase is most important. Even if you do not love them, pretending to love them for a bigger vision will make it easier. Passion and love have a way to get through.

Sacrifice is nobility at its best

Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get what you want. What this literally translates into is this; organic growth is better than shortcuts. Delayed gratification and sacrifice often lead to better and more meaningful results. In an entrepreneurs world, after the venture is afloat, if something is worth anything, it will be worth nothing less with time. Overtime, even the most volatile stocks and assets appreciate in value. Remember, that the best relationships are ones in which the core values behind a relationship exceeds individual needs for each other. Sacrifice is indeed nobility at its best.

When you lose, don’t lose the lesson

Adapt, evolve, pivot, scale. Learn the lessons. And don’t repeat the same mistake over and over again. One often repeats the same mistakes if ones emotional life is confined to the space between ones ears. Get over the ego trip and learn. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it. Not getting what one wants is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck. Learn the lessons, get the experience, wise-up and move on.

Learn the rules so you know how to most effectively use them

This applies to all aspects of a venture. Build your capabilities from ground up and gain a level of competence and effectiveness before moving to something new. Hire the best from among those who gel with your vision for the venture.

Don’t let a little dispute injure a great relationship

The grand illusion of one’s self and immortality often does more harm than good. Nothing is worth more than keeping good friends, team members, advisors and customers. Time changes constantly. No point in holding on to the past. Learn to see over and beyond little squabbles and benefits. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life. Love your loved ones. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past. Nurture relationships and build bridges. Become an enabler.

Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values

One way for an entrepreneur to recognize her value systems is to explore uninhibited by failure and fallouts. Read tons. Seek guidance from folks whose accomplishments and values you admire. Follow inspirational people and events. Create a theme of leadership in your head and water it constantly with reading and leadership reinforcements.  Live a good, honorable life. So that when you look back to your life from the future, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time. Build your life and venture around some core values and beliefs. Let your work and life stand for something bigger and more meaningful.

Follow the three Rs:

Respect yourself: the values and the ideals that drive you. These will reflect on the venture.

Respect others: The golden principle is “Do unto others as you would have them do to you”. Entrepreneurs need to keep this precept very close to their hearts.

Be responsible for all your actions in all aspects of your venture at all stages of the venture.

Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer

Entrepreneurship is fueled by an expression of your passion. The venture is a vehicle that helps entrepreneurs express. But expression in work and attitude is more important than expression in words. Create a small place in your life where you meet and question yourself often. Then as the next step, connect with the larger life by being silent atleast for five minutes a day. Meditate to bring down the neural activity and calm the frequency distribution of your brain. Spend some time alone every day. Silence is the most elegant form of expression. Give your nervous system, neurons and physiological system a break. As often as possible, go someplace you’ve never been before. Serendipity often comes knocking when least expected and in unfamiliar places.

Share your knowledge

Happy venturing!!

By Bhringu Pankaj Prashar
Forbes magazine, http://www.forbes.com/sites/bhrigupankajprashar/2012/07/05/lessons-entrepreneurs-can-learn-from-teachings-of-dalai-lama/