As Maha Shivratri is approaching, I was thinking of Lord Shiva, who is a maverick, industrious, enterprising and unique in his approach that we can learn a lot from him. Entrepreneurs can, in fact, adopt some qualities or traits that he possesses.
Okay, here’s why Lord Shiva makes an excellent example of an entrepreneur:
- He is unpredictable
Lord Shiva is unpredictable. He is so hard to please and yet so easy too. He is called Bhairav and Bholanath at the same time. He is beyond any attachment and is hailed as Yogiraj, but he revels in music and dance. He can play all three types of instruments: taal vadya, swar vadya, and vayu vadya (Damru, Rudra Veena and the horn). He is called Natraj–the king of dancers. This is one thing that entrepreneurship lives on: unpredictability. From this unpredictability comes out new ideas and solutions.
- He is perfection
Lord Shiva is perfection personified. Whatever he does, he brings in quality. He is not a believer in patchwork. When he is dancing, he is Natraj. When he is engaged in Yoga, he is Yogiraj. When he is bent upon sacrificing, he is Tyagaraj. When it comes to power, he is Mahadev. Entrepreneurs can always take this lesson home that whatever they do, they do it with quality and full concentration and never as a pastime.
- He is unorthodox
Unlike others, Lord Shiva is unorthodox. He is a renunciant but has a family. He drinks poison to save others. He holds the Ganges in his locks to save others. He has the moon on his forehead and lives in Kailash but holds the fire that can burn anything and everything in his third eye. He wears ornaments of serpents. He is the overlord of all the wealth of the universe, yet he is unattached beyond measure. He does not follow a dress code of gods. Entrepreneurship is everything that has to do with an unorthodox nature. Following the rule book does not go well with entrepreneurship.
- He is a fantastic team player
He is a fantastic team player and is always willing to do more than his lot. He never say ‘I can’t do it’ when others approach him for help. He does not throw preferences on others and is satisfied even if devotees offers him water. He never thinks of personal gains when it comes to running the world smoothly. This is one quality that almost every entrepreneur must have, for, entrepreneurship is one art that involves team work to its maximum capacity.
- He is a considerate boss
He is a considerate boss by all means. He does not reject the wishes and ideas of his devotees outright. He allows them to exploit their ingenuity. This sometimes lands even himself in trouble but he is not panicked. Like a good boss, he is a risk taker and always willing to let his devotees try and learn from their experiences. This is what entrepreneurs should also learn because experimentation is the very breath of entrepreneurship.
