In all endeavours success depends totally on Team Work. The very acronym of the word ‘Team Work’ explains what it is:

T – Togetherness                                                        W – Willingness
E – Empathy                                                                   O – Objective
A – Alertness                                                                 R – Respect
M – Motivation                                                            K – Karma-yoga

The above factors are given as principles of management. These are seen in the Chinmaya Mission pledge written by Swami Chinmayananda.

Chinmaya Mission Pledge

We stand as one family
Bound to each other with love and respect.

We serve as an army
Courageous and disciplined

Ever ready to fight against
All low tendencies and false values
Within and without us.

We live honestly
The noble life of sacrifice and service
Producing more than what we consume
And giving more than what we take.

We seek the Lord’s grace to keep us
On the path of virtue, courage and wisdom.

May Thy grace and blessings flow through us to
The world around us.

We believe that the service of our country is the
Service of the Lord of Lords and devotion to the
People is the devotion to the Supreme Self.

We know our responsibilities, give us the ability
And courage to fulfill them.

Togetherness

We stand as one family …

• Coming together is the beginning, staying together is the progress, working together is the success.
• The team should always learn to speak in one voice.
• The spirit of togetherness is invoked in the Indian culture through ‘Yajna’. Yajna is the ritual which brings different people together for one cause. The result of a Yajna is shared equally with every participant. This method keeps the community together.
• Togetherness is the strength of the team.

There were four bulls living together. The lion could not attack them. The cunning fox who was the minister for the lion managed to separate the bulls, the lion has its way.

Members of the team should be cautious of such foxes.

Some act till they meet obstacles, others act in spite of obstacles and conquer them, but some act not fearing the possibility of some obstacles that might arise enroute.
Disappointment can come only to those who make appointment with the future. – Swami Chinmayananda

Empathy

… bound to each other with love and respect…

• Empathy – It is an ability of a person to see from the other person’s viewpoint.
• If there are differences of opinion it should be only issue based and never person based. The team should be built with love, respect and friendliness.  

In life, to judge others use your heart and to judge yourself use your head.
When love becomes thin, faults appear thicker. – Swami Chinmayananda

There was a young executive in the prayer hall. Beside him there were two kids of the age twelve and eight, who were talkative and restless. This behaviour of the kids disturbed the executive in his prayer. At the end the executive enquired about the children’s’ parents. The elder one replied that their father passed away three days ago.

On hearing it the executive’s anger turned into compassion and he realised it was not sheer prattle during the prayer, but consolation for one another.

Has it ever occured to you – The other person would have his own reasons.

Alertness

…We serve as an army,
Courageous and disciplined.
Ever ready to fight against
All low tendencies and false values
Within or without us…

• Alertness is cultivated by keeping the body and mind together.
• An alert mind recognises the problem in the beginning or even before it occurs. But a dull mind recognises it only when it is in crisis.
• Great people do not have great problems; they handle it when it is small. (Read our blog: many problems one solution.)
• Alertness is a must for perfect living.

There was a loyal and sincere gardener. In a distant village he saw a beautiful plant which he picked up for his master. On his way back he met his old friend – the shepherd, who was carrying a goat on his shoulders. Both stopped under a tree, had a long chat and parted. When he reached the garden he was shocked to see an empty pot, the goat ate the plant.

Mind it! Just being loyal and sincere is not enough – one has to be alert.

Efficiency is the capacity to bring proficiency into expression. – Swami Chinmayananda

Motivation

…We live honestly the noble life
Of sacrifice and service…

• Once the group is motivated they should be educated to motivate others.
• The team comes first and the individual comes next.
• Though sometimes a great work is achieved by a few individuals, the credit should be given to the entire team.
• The motivated group gets others motivated.

A young monk was meditating and the Lord appeared before him and offered him a boon. Contented as he was, he asked for none. The Lord insisted on showering a boon upon him. The monk asked, ‘Let good happen through me and let me not be aware of it.’

• Let the team attain wonderful achievements and let not the individual be prominent.

The groups motivation should be to live honestly the noble life of sacrifice and service.

You must be ready to accept all things as natural with quite cheer. – Swami Chinmayananda

Willingness

…Producing more that what we
Consume and giving more than
What we take…

• One should be willing to contribute to the team instead of waiting for the team to contribute.
• In teamwork ‘Willingness’ is to contribute the best and accept whatever one gets.
• As the sun shines the flower blooms, si is the willingness when there is love for the cause or the work undertaken.

A king aspired for enlightenment and approached a Master for guidance. The Master noticed the king was attached more to luxury than enlightenment, so the king was advised to go and live in a pigsty. The king refused and went back to the palace. After a few months the urge in the king became more and he was ready to stay with the pigs. The Master said “Go back to the palace. I’ll be there tomorrow to guide you.” The king asked “What about the pigsty?” The Master replied, “It’s not about the pigsty but your willingness is what I was looking forward to.”

The most important aspect of team work is willingness – its a must.

Objective

…We seek the Lord’s grace to keep us on the
Path of virtue, courage and wisdom…

• The objective of the team should be to achieve the team’s vision through short term goals.
• We cannot begin a journey without knowing our destination. Similarly, the team cannot function without knowing its objective.
• At the rise of a conflict among the team, every member must be reminded about the team’s objective.
• The ultimate objective of the individual and the team should culminate in the welfare of humanity at large.
• The team must be inspired to have a noble value system.

Just before a flight could take off an announcement was made that there is a delay for the next 3 hours due to damage in the runway. Some of the passengers went to the damaged spot on the runway and saw three men working on it. All three men were asked what were they doing? The first man replied “I am cutting the rocks.” The second said, “I am earning my livelihood.” The third person was very happy and whistling as he was cutting the rocks. When asked what he was doing, he said that he was ‘creating a base for the passengers to fly high.’

Work remains the same but the attitude behind the work changes, when one realises the overall objective.

Silently hear everyone. Accept what is good, reject and forget to remember what is bad. This is the way to live intelligently in life.  – Swami Chinmayananda

Respect

…May Thy grace and blessings flow
Through us to the world around us…

• No matter whatever the contribution done by the teammates, they must be respected.
• Everyone must have respect and reverence to the Supreme for bestowing certain achievements through them.
• It is not the pompous who is respected in the long run, it is the humble one.
• Respect cannot be demanded, it is commanded.

The great king Rajaraja Cholan was building a beautiful temple for Lord Siva. The chief sculptor who was totally absorbed in his work wanted to spit the betel nuts which he was chewing. The boy who used to hold the spitoon was absent. The king who was passing by the side took the spitoon and extended his hand for the sculptor to spit. The sculptor was shocked to see the king hold the spitoon. The king smiled and said, “We are working for him who is dear to all of us.” The king knew to respect every member of his team.

Humility is the virtue of the great ones.

Karma-yoga (Dexterity in Action)

…We believe that the service of our
Country is the service of the Lord of
Lords and devoted to the people is the
Devotion to the supreme self…

• Dedicated action would always have a touch of excellence.
• Dedication is a must for propriety.
• A true worker always shares. Selflessness is the antidote for selfishness.
• We get back what we do to others.

Swami Rama Tirtha was travelling in a Japanese ship with a second class ticket. Fruits were supplied only to first class passengers. Since the food in the ship did not suit Swami Rama Tirtha, he requested the caterers to give him fruits to eat, to which they replied that their stocks were very less, that they cannot spare for first class passengers. An eight year old child who was watching the scenario offered his fruits to Swami Rama Tirtha and told him, “Sir, please accept these fruits and never tell anybody that the Japanese ship cannot offer any fruits.”

Such an action is a silent prayer and dedicated service to the Lord.

(To know about Prayer – Read our blog: Prayer: An Invocation.)

This pledge is a perfect manual for an individual’s growth as well as for progressive Team-Work.

From the book: ‘Team Work’ by Swami Mitrananda