The Zen Way to
Entrepreneurship
Who is an
Entrepreneur?
Entrepreneurship is about using your
life to do what you really love and
truly care about; being driven by
passion.
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Who is an entrepreneur? What is his purpose? I ask these questions all the time when
interacting with people running businesses. The answers I get range from dictionary
definitions to job descriptions – someone who runs a business, a person who takes risks!
These responses make me think of the story of the elephant being described by the six
blind men – people trying to define what they see but entirely missing the core. And
what is the core – a person who is not merely trying to make a living or profit, not merely giving employment to others, but creating value and an enterprise of significance. Entrepreneurship is about using your life to do what you really love and truly care about;
being driven by passion. I want to state upfront that this is not easy to accomplish and
no two people have the same purpose. It takes the company of the right people (both
within and outside the business), identification of the path (how you will accomplish
your life’s goals, what you will do and what you will not) and finally a resonance in
your heart and mind as to the true purpose of your life. In this section I will be talking
about these three aspects that define an entrepreneur in the true sense of the word – the
people, the path and the purpose.
People
The right set of people around us
can not only influence the decisions
we take, but also make us question
known boundaries, challenge our
belief systems and help us create new
and exciting ideas.
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A man is known by the company he keeps. Most cultures around the world stress the
importance of this truism. The right set of people around us can not only influence the
decisions we take, but also make us question known boundaries, challenge our belief
systems and help us create new and exciting ideas. These people need not only be ones
we work with, but also members of our family, friends and community.
The important thing is not who they are but that we find them and engage them in
meaningful dialogue that extends not just our thought process but also theirs. It is a
dynamic and lifelong process and this core group of people, once identified, can become
our companions. But in the process we may undergo heartache and disappointments as
we come across people who we think are like-minded only to find later that they are on
a different path. One should not be dejected by these temporary setbacks, but instead
continue the quest for our true soulmates!
Path
The path we take, i.e. our approach to life and the means we take to reach our purpose
is an important element to think about. It is not enough to know who one will walk
with, but more important to know which path one will take.
According to Indic philosophy, one
can fulfill one's purpose in three
ways - through the path of action,
through reflection and introspection,
or through the middle path balancing
action and reflection.
According to Indic philosophy, how we fulfill our life’s purpose, the path we take, can
be distilled down to one of three.
a.
One is the path of action and engagement with the outside world. This is the path
that most people in business usually take.
b.
The second is the path of reflection and introspection and is most often undertaken
by academics, scholars, writers and philosophers.
c.
To be a successful entrepreneur, however, one should take the third and middle
path, which embraces both the engagement with the outside world as well as being
able to mine one’s own conscience and consciousness.
As an entrepreneur, one should work keeping in mind the welfare of others. It is important to remember that as a leader one is setting an example to one’s team and what one
does will be emulated by others; values and ethics are therefore imperative. At some
point in our lives, as adolescents and young adults, we start to make choices which
determine ‘how’ we do things and the path we take. The path we choose to take is essentially the values we adhere to and our core beliefs. In a previous section on ‘Qualities
of an Entrepreneur’, I have talked in detail about the importance of discovering one’s
own set of values. For me the most important ones are being Truthful, Fearless, Humble,
Respectful and Ethical.
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Purpose
Purpose is not merely about reaching
a goal but encompasses all that
one does in life itself. It is both the
journey and the goals in life and
because of that is an evolving notion.
Discovering an idea for a product or a
service is not the purpose, but simply
a step towards that direction.
Abraham Harold Maslow was an American psychologist who
was best known for creating Maslow's hierarchy of needs, a
theory of self-actualization.
To learn more about Abraham Maslow and his theories, see
the links below:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Maslow
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow's_hierarchy_of_needs
http://www.maslow.com/
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Once the people and path is clear to us, working out our purpose in life should be the
next step. But what is purpose? Purpose is not merely about reaching a goal but encompasses all that one does in life itself. It is both the journey and the goals in life and
because of that is an evolving notion. Discovering an idea for a product or a service is
not the purpose, but simply a step towards that direction.
Purpose has another dimension to it. It is not merely knowing why you exist but also
working towards it with all that you have got. It has to be an almost obsessive thought.
Every day one must ask oneself how one will move in that direction and every night
evaluate how far one has got. Once you start a working on something, do not be afraid
of failure and do not abandon it halfway. Dedication and consistency towards work is a
key rule to succeed.
Purpose is not uni-dimensional and nor does it remain the same throughout life. It
changes at every stage in life until we reach a stage when we figure out our life’s purpose. Here I would like to draw parallels with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to state that
purpose depends to an extent on one’s circumstances and needs in life. Psychologist
first introduced his concept of a hierarchy of needs in 1943. This hierarchy suggests that
people are motivated to fulfill basic needs before moving on to other, more advanced
needs. Needs at the bottom of the pyramid are basic physical requirements including
the need for food, water, sleep, and warmth. Once these lower-level needs have been
met, people can move on to the next level of needs, which are for safety and security. As
people progress up the pyramid, needs become increasingly psychological and social.
Soon, the need for love, friendship, and intimacy become important. Further up the
Purpose is not uni-dimensional
and nor does it remain the same
throughout life. It changes at every
stage in life until we reach a stage
when we figure out our life’s purpose.
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pyramid, the need for personal esteem and feelings of accomplishment take priority.
Maslow emphasized the importance of self-actualization, which is a process of growing and developing as a person in order to achieve individual potential. In addition,
through the various stages of life certain existential questions plague us consciously or
unconsciously. From questions such as ‘Can I trust the world?’ to ‘Who am I and what
can I be?’ and ‘Can I make my life count?’ and ‘Is it ok to have been me?’ These questions determine what we seek in life and define our life’s purpose.
A Change of Purpose
The most interesting stories are those of people who have radically changed their purpose mid-way and thus their way of life. One such example is Emperor Ashoka, one of
the most famous Indian emperors belonging to the Maurya Dynasty, who ruled over
almost the entire Indian subcontinent in (304–232 BC). Ashoka the Great, as he is still remembered, embraced Buddhism after the conquest of Kalinga. He became dedicated to
the propagation of Buddhism and established monuments marking several significant
sites in the life of Gautama Buddha. He played a critical role in helping make Buddhism
a world religion. As the peace-loving ruler of one of the world’s largest, richest and most
powerful multi-ethnic states, he is considered an exemplary ruler, who tried to put into
practice a secular state ethic of non-violence.
In more recent times, I can cite the example of Microsoft’s founder Bill Gates. For almost
three decades, he focussed on growing his company to a world leader in software and
on creating wealth. In the last decade or so, he and his wife have worked to set up the
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the largest transparently operated charitable foundation in the world. The Foundation believes “every person deserves the chance to live
a healthy and productive life” and with this in mind, Bill and Melinda Gates plan to
donate 95% of their wealth to charity during their lifetime.
He was able to subjugate most of what we know as India today
through his many military campaigns and conquests. After one
such war where he captured Kalinga, he was walking through
the grounds of rejoicing in his victory, when he realised the
consequences of battle. The deaths, mutilation and sorrow of
affected families moved him in a manner which changed not just
his life, but that of his kingdom and lead to the spread of Buddhism
across the world. His path changed from that of a soldier to one
of a statesman and world leader. He became a proponent of nonviolence, peace and harmony.
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Where people, path
and purpose meet
It is difficult to say whether the path we choose to take determine the people we choose
to be with or the other way around. It is probably a simultaneous process and a process
of discovering both. But these two together help a person discover their life’s purpose.
Chandragupta Maurya and Chanakya’s life epitomises a perfect blend of these three aspects. In fact, Chanakya said in Nitishastra, “He who befriends a man whose conduct is
vicious, whose vision impure, and who is notoriously crooked, is rapidly ruined.1” Just
as Chanakya’s life’s purpose could not be fulfilled without Chandragupta, the converse
is also true. Chanakya believed that big goals can become reality if we intelligently work
towards achieving them in a determined and practical manner and his life proves this.
They helped each other realise their goals and this may not have been possible if they
had not been able to recognise the other early on. Achieving these goals was not easy
and they faced many hardships and setbacks before they tasted success. It was their
indomitable spirit which allowed these two create one of the greatest empires in the history of India and is known to this day as the Golden Age of Indian history.
Chandragupta Maurya was the founder of the Maurya Empire
in India in the 3rd century BC and succeeded in conquering
almost all of the Indian subcontinent becoming India's first
genuine emperor.
Chanakya was an Indian teacher, philosopher and royal
advisor. He was one of the closest advisers of Chandragupta
Maurya and is widely credited for having played an important role
in the establishment of the Maurya Empire
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chanakya
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandragupta_Maurya
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The process of defining these aspects of one’s life is not easy. Just as we seem to find
direction and focus, the universe throws us a googly with new people and situations. It
is one’s ability to stay the course despite everything, one’s determination in this journey,
that helps decide the final course.
Sri Chanakya Niti-Shastra translated by Miles Davis (Patita Pavana dasa), 1981.
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Takeaway
The true entrepreneur has only one fuel – passion!
And in the quest to become an entrepreneur par
excellence, one has to repeatedly revisit the question
about people, path and purpose. Every day one must
ask oneself how one will move in that direction and
every night evaluate how far one has got.
Once you start a working on something, do not be
afraid of failure and do not abandon it halfway. Dedication and consistency towards work is a key rule to
succeed.
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