The ninth edition of Isha Insight, a three-day virtual business leadership event, organised by Isha Foundation, commenced on November 27, with a talk by Sadhguru who spoke from the Isha Institute of Inner Sciences in Tennessee, US.
Since 2011, Isha Insight has been conducting leadership seminars for CEOs/CXOs, to explore the science of ramping up one’s business and also improving one’s efficiency as a business leader.
This year, Sadhguru asked participants to rise above the difficulties during the pandemic and the economic fallout. “There are no problems as such. There are only situations. You are labelling a situation as either a blessing or a problem…. What is happening now in the world is a minor revolution. When a revolution happens, there are some heads that go. But the majority transform,” said Sadhguru. The most vital part of success, he said, is to stay alive.
When a panellist asked him how he handles negativity, Sadhguru said that many who were criticising him have now started following him. “Some are still criticising me. But, one day, even they will be transformed,” he said.
“None of the things that I do matters to me,” said Sadhguru. “Who I am is not determined by all the nice things that I do, or the bad things that people have to tell about me. I am not a collage of others’ opinions. My actions are according to the situation that I exist in. If I close my eyes, the world will disappear,” he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for ‘One Nation, One Election’ resonated with Sadhguru, who said there is no room for administration when elections happen frequently in the country. Said Sadhguru, “Politicians and people are always in an election mode. It is a waste of time and, also, people in India vote emotionally. Campaigning should happen only, say 90 days in advance. It is not right to ask for votes throughout the year.”
Some of the prominent business leaders who attended the event included Hari Menon, CEO, Bigbasket.com, Arvind Singhal, founder, Technopak Advisors, Girish Rao, former CEO, Essar Steel, Nanda Kumar, founder, SunTech Business Solutions, Rakesh Malhotra, founder, SAR Group, Luminous and Varun Berry, managing director, Britannia Industries.
Menon of Bigbasket.com, an online grocery platform, said his company lost around 80 per cent of its workforce when the national lockdown was announced. “We were dumbstruck as orders poured in. Then, we hired 12,300 people in 16 days. Through this we demonstrated the power of resilience,” Menon said.
Berry of the Britannia said his first challenge [during the lockdown] was to get everyone to think in one direction about the organisation. “When the going gets tough, the leader must get tougher. Consumer is the king and this should be always kept in mind,” Berry said.
All sessions were moderated by B.S. Nagesh, non-executive chairman of Shoppers Stop.
