I have not been a great fan of picking on the Bhagavad Gita, say, and drawing management lessons from it. I mean, really, there are some texts that are meant to teach you to transcend your daily life. If you do not want to transcend it, if you'd rather enjoy your Netflix and your Glenfiddich (as I do? Quite!), why then you just duck into the nearest alley when you see Gita heading your way. But to use the Gita as a sort of manual to help you get more Glenfiddich...now that never did appeal to me.
I cannot say the same about the Thirukkural, though. Tiru was an eminently practical chappie and there is this entire 'Porutpaal' (which is one of the three divisions of the Thirukkural. The other two, even if you did not ask, being "Arathhuppal" and "Kaamatthuppaal". The former is related to dharma/morality/ethics and the latter to love life) which is entirely related to earning wealth and management. So, Tiru actually was the Drucker of his times (Alas! It should be Drucker is the Tiru of our times but such is the value of branding that...).
Azhivadhoom Avadhoom aagi vazhi payakkum oodhiyamum soozhndhu seyal - Thirukkural
Analyse what will be expended, what received and what gained before you act - Loose Translation
Now that is Tiru just telling you 'Look before you leap'? Not really. As in, yes he is telling you to look before you leap alright but he is not JUST telling you to do that. The whole point about the generic advice you get at your local tea-shop and from the expert is that the former can give you only platitudes. Any idiot can tell you 'Be careful'; it takes the expert to tell you what to be careful about. Likewise, it is the expert who can tell you what to look for.
And Tiru does that. He asks you to look for what you will lose, what you will receive and whether you will gain from the process or lose. And THEN decide based on whether there is a gain in acting or not.
Yup! Exactly! Cost-Benefit Analysis told pithily way back in History! THAT is Tiru for you, which is why he is still remembered and respected to this day!
