This beast called management, and all its associated importance, may well have been defined as such, segregated as a separate field of study and taught in the recent past but the dratted thing has probably been around since the time primitive man hunted mammoths. I mean, like, it is unlikely that a group of men just went about doing their own thing and just happened to kill a mammoth. There must have been some element of coordination of efforts to get it done without the lot of them getting stomped into mush.
What was that? That, post-facto, the distribution of the meat also needed management? Ha, yes, that's the pith of the matter, isn't it? And, no doubt, those who arrogated to themselves the right to distribute the meat ended up with most of it as payment for their valuable services, naturally. Which is why most of management education is geared to get people into that end of the job. Almost all management is about getting other people to do the job while you 'coordinate', no?
Where was I? Ah, yeah, I was talking about how, possibly, management always existed. It is the codification of its principles that can be considered 'modern'. Though Tiru would have something to say about it, unless you count him as modern in comparison with the Cro-Magnon man.
Therindha Inatthodu therndenni cheyvaarkku arumporul yaathondrum il - Thirukkural
There is nothing impossible to he who discusses the project with chosen cognoscenti, then thinks for himself and thereafter acts - Loose Translation
At one level, this Kural may read as though Tiru is talking of discussing only with trusted friends. considering that he is talking of how kings should operate (because in his times CEOs were not yet invented), that is as good as saying talk to you sycophants and you will succeed at everything! Which, to be sure, can well be true since you will only HEAR that you have succeeded from your sycophants, no matter what was happening in reality. But Tiru is not given to idiocy like that.
So, when he talks of 'therindha inatthodu' it can mean both 'those YOU know' AND 'those who KNOW'. Pithy man that he is, he probably means both - that they should be both those who are knowledgeable AND those whom you know and trust.
AND, despite all those discussions, he expects you, end of the day, to think about it yourself and take your own call. Unless YOU take ownership of the decision, you will not proceed with confidence AND persistence. The moment you have others to blame for failure, your push to succeed is that much weaker.
In modern terms, Tiru is asking you to brainstorm with knowledgeable and trusted friends; THEN think, decide and take ownership of your decision. IF you do that, there is nothing impossible for you to achieve.
Now THAT does not mean you cannot ever fail. Only that failure is NOT inevitable no matter what you set as your goals.
