10 Traits for Manager as a Coach — Modern lessons gleaned from Krishna the Coach

Manjunath Nanjaiah
Sep 2, 2018 · 14 min read
Happy Krishna Janmastami

The idea of Krishna, the archetypal trickster(Kapata-Nataka-Sutradari), who seeps into the skin-of-any character in the Mahabharat attracted me, very early in my career. However, as I age, I have started to realize the need to understand Krishna not just as a trickster, but also as a Coach.

Krishna, from a logical-lens (head-space) can be viewed as a trickster. My experience says, only when you look from an emotional-lens (heart-space), he can be perceived as a Coach. So, the idea of Krishna-as-a-Coach, in my opinion cannot be reduced to an intellectual-gymnastic, and hence any theoretical articulation will likely be yet-another dogmatic re-interpretation.

Perennial Psychology hidden in the Bhagavad Gita

Krishna can also be understood/misunderstood by his many names like Govind, Gopal, Gopinath, Goraknath etc. A verbatim (syntactical) reinterpretation of the Sanskrit language like Go=Light/HigherSense, hence Go-pal meaning Nurturer-of-HigherSense; Go-pi as HigherSense+Evocations, or Gopi-nath meaning Lord-of-HigherEvocations, is another way to understand Krishna the coach. Instead of just verbatim reinterpretation, adding thematic (semantic) understanding enhances any study. E.g. Krishna with 16,000 gopikas (belonging-to-highersense), thematically means he can handle a reasonably-large set of evocations belonging to the higher-sense. Lastly, real magic happens, when thematic apperception and verbatim reinterpretation, meets lived experiences. My attempt here is to use all 3 methods, but my emphasis is clearly on, experiential-knowing of Krishna_the_coach.

Krishna as the First Coach, has to be experientially understood deep within myself. I am a Software-engineer and a Software-product Entrepreneur, and nature of most startup software work, also demands, a hands-on experiential-approach, which means I anyway have a bias, for-everything-experiential. In summary, my belief is, what I convey here, needs to emanate from my own experiential-understanding of Krishna_the_Coach. Below, I share some features based on my lived-experiences, which I think are essential for a Coach.

Experience #1 — Being Human

My biggest struggle, to learn-from-coaches is that, I am not a big fan of theory/concepts. In my human journey, my narayana (Nara=human, yana=journey), I learn better and durable lessons, when I learn from direct-experience. I can quote Benjamin Franklin here,

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I will learn” ~Benjamin Franklin

I am after-all a human, thus I would like my coach to journey with me. Krishna (a manifestation of Narayan-in-a-human-avatar) and Krishna-as-the coach-within, has clearly taught me that the first principle for all coaches is being-human. Secondly, my Inner-agency (Arjuna), opted for the luxury of the Narayana, and not the Narayani-sena (the army of Narayana). Narayani-sena, in my world-view, is nothing but the armory/tools/concepts built from past experiences of Narayana and not, from the direct here-and-now experience. Narayani-sena was opted for, by Duryodhana (the belligerent warrior within), Arjuna luckily chose Narayana himself, as a co-traveller to journey along in the war. Krishna hence, further teaches all coaches, to journey along with their prodigies, and to lay strong emphasis on the experiential understanding of each human-journey.

Being Human — 1st lesson from Krishna

Experience #2 — Being Experimental

During the 1st half of my life, perhaps like most others, I was in the pursuit of prowess (competencies and skills), largely by using my primacy-for-action (Bhima-within). In the materialistic world, this has helped, but in my existential-world of social relationships, I always struggled, as I was perceived as an arrogant ambitious engineer. When I map this phase, to Balaram_as_the_Coach (also another avatar of Narayan), who trained the Bhima/Duryodhana within-me, I realize that, learning was largely about excellence-in-skills. However, nature of learning needs the primacy-of-experiments too. Krishna_the_coach, also later, taught Bhima, a very important experimental-lesson, with the killing of Jhara-Sandh. Jhara-sandh (Jhara/Jhada = Inert; Sandh=Meeting/Understanding), was born life-less and disjointed, and symbolizes Inert-Understanding, which will lead to bookish-knowledge; hence such understandings need to be killed by experiments. Killing of Jhara-sandh was accomplished by splitting his legs, and tossing-it-over in different directions, clearly symbolizing crossover experiment. Learning coding-skills not just as an engineer, but by crossover/cross-pollinating my inert-understanding of building software, to market needs, helped me experiment, and over-come the limitations of just being an engineer, and in-return my experiential-understanding of relating to people in software-marketing and software-sales gave me the confidence to be multi-skilled and socially-adept. Experimental-learning, combined with experiential-understanding via cross-pollination is another necessary trait for any coach, is what I learnt from Krishna-the-coach within.

Being Experimental — 2nd lesson from Krishna

Experience #3 — Being Non-Iatrogenic

Startup Entrepreneurs get disrobed like Draupadi in startup tear-down sessions, VC-rejections, and customer churns. All our accompanying faculties, the primacy-of-reason (Yudistira), the primacy-of-action (Bhima), the primacy-of-emotion (Nakula), the primacy-of-intention (Sahadeva), including the primacy-of-position/situation (Sthita-prajna Arjuna) are rendered captive to the intensity of the tear-down-onslaught. In times of such distress, most founders and entrepreneurs, find themselves depressed, fighting the societal stigmas of failure, tolerating the pangs of rejection, worst-of-all, they find themselves isolated. In such harsh-times, I wonder why Krishna_the_coach does not suo-motto show up and help? Draupadi (Dravya=Fluid+padi=Legs; i.e, psychological fluidity) the currency between our primacies, our psychological fluidity is the one under-assault. Yet, it is Draupadi, who cries-for-help, and Krishna-the-coach only shows up, after he has been called-for. Clearly, this episode tells us that Coaches who are aware of Iatrogenics (Savior-induced-Complications), don’t impose their-will, no matter how critical-the-situation is. They wait; they wait to be called-into-service. Krishna the coach clearly teaches us, that genuine and confident coaches, don’t put their extraordinary authority or command-of-subject, recklessly. Non-iatrogenic coaches wait to be invited, and then, once their presence is solicited, they gracefully handle even the most shameful of situations for their clients.

Being Non-iatrogenic — 3rd lesson from Krishna

Experience #4 — Being Self-Assured

Entrepreneurs and founders usually are resolute. Resolve is an ability that helps them persevere against many-a-storm. Yet, I have learnt that resolve-and-perseverance is a double-edged-sword, you sometimes don’t know to quit. Especially in early entrepreneurial life, I battled through stress, burnout and abused my body, mind and energy. Life is a great teacher, Krishna a prudent coach. Krishna has been called Ran-Chod (a weakling abandoning the battle-field) or Rana-Hedi (a coward), but he has shown that discretion is the better part of Valor. I learnt that it is always better to pick-my-battles on my own terms. Krishna-the-coach has certainly taught me, to be self-assured, to adjourn a journey and continue at my own pace, realizing that not every journey is a Hero’s journey. Picking battles of my choice, adjourning rather than abandoning it, and being discreet about what I do makes me human. To any human, receiving this gift-of-fortitude and trying to practice it along with Krishna_the_coach_within, is nothing short of an experience of divinity-in-humanity.

Being Self-Assured — 4th lesson from Krishna

Experience #5 — Being Cathartic

Speaking of Fortitude, reminds me, that one of the other sisters of Resolve is the ability to be tenacious. Tenacity is that quality, that allows us to remain focused and avoid distraction, in order to get the job done. Like most Entrepreneurs to get things done, I have been tenacious, when I have encountered the HOLD/FOLD decisions of fortitude. In my experience tenacity is born out of deep-intensity/passion towards a particular course-of-action. Tenacity is best symbolized both by our Ego, as well as by Ganga-putra-Bheeshma in the Mahabharata. Bheeshma, within me, in-the-early years as Deva-vrata (Adherence-to-goals), definitely was extremely resourceful, but when his passion, started to become duty, devoid of any human-empathy, I could sense the bully-within me rear-its-ugly head often, and more than necessary. Krishna_the_coach teaches us that when Tenacity(Deva-vrata) becomes Ego-Centricity-and-Rigidity (Bheeshma-Pratigya), it has outlived its service, positivity has turned toxic, and must be gracefully terminated. Krishna with his grace (atma-kripa) helps Bheeshma, release his toxicity, by being extremely empathetic, providing the psychological relief of a cathartic experience. Coaches of today, who sing the laurels of positivity/passion, are well advised by Krishna_the_First Coach, to have a heightened awareness of the dark sides of Positivity, and hence must resort to being cathartic in nature.

Being Cathartic — 5th lesson from Krishna

Experience #6 — Being Heretic

One of the toughest dilemma’s founders and entrepreneur’s face is the Innovator’s dilemma, which is about making-a-choice to focus investments, either on the existing-profit-streams or on new-streams-for-revenue. Clinging to existing-streams, or comfortable-habits, is due to psycho-behavioral-tendencies. Go-Vasana (Go=Psyche+Vasana=Behavioral_tendencies), is the other wife of Yudistira (Stability and Rationality within). I have usually found my self in the firm grasp of Go-vasana, and my rationality cannot seem to resolve the dilemma. Dilemma’s as always, are knotted and multiple archetypes are usually working in-tandem. Achara (Habits) and Acharya (Habitual mentors), add further misery and are also colluding with psycho-behavioral-tendencies. DronaAcharya has a weakness for Ashwa+ttama (ashwa=narrow_focus+ttama=grip). Krishna helps kill Dronacharya, by partnering with Yudistira, but also by tricking him. Releasing the narrow-grip-of-focus, even if it means by contrasting and opposing our rationality, tricking it while being a heretic, has helped me many times to see-the-larger-picture. Krishna_the_Coach teachs us that, to overcome habitual-comfort-zone decisions, and narrow-minded-focus, we have to trick or suspend our own rationality, contrast it, and be a heretic.

Being Cathartic — 6th lesson from Krishna

Experience #7 — Being Cohortic.

Milestones are important for each of us. I have crossed many symbolic personal/professional milestones too. But for a major part of my career, my pursuit for excellence meant that I switched startups at a break-neck speed. Disruption became the norm, while I suffered not just financially, but emotionally and socially too. In the process, relationships diluted, my career has been fragmented. Only recently did I realize that instead of reaching subjective mile-stones, objective-consolidation is crucial. We find that Krishna_the_coach, helped Yudistira in the Rajasuya-yagya (Raja=Object; Praja=Subject; Rajasuya=Raja(Objective)+suya(Endearment) (suya a.k.a opposite of asuya=jealousy); Yagya=exchange). In short Raja-suya is the psychological-process of defragmentation/integration and consolidation of the various small objectives into one-large objective within. This is achieved by Saha+yog (Co-synthesis). The social mirroring of Co-Synthesis is Co-creation, clearly helping the Self-System-Collective Simultaneity. Co-creation is a vital lesson, I have learnt in building cohorts or communities, whether it is app-developer-communities or user-communities for software adoption. In the process of Consolidation, Krishna the coach does not exhort Yudistira, he cohorts him, a very important lesson that coaches can learn today. Exhortation is not the ideal means, cohorting is the mantra for integration and retinue. (cohort etymology is retinue). From a purely psychological point of view, Rajasuya is also a process-of-individuation. Carl Jung popularized individuation, however Yoga has for several thousands of years now, encouraged consolidation and coherence of multiple fragmented selves. My experiential understanding of oneness is clearly that of Psychological Individuation of integrating the multiple-selves of coder, manager, salesman, husband, founder, etc., within me. Krishna_the_coach can be understood as the pioneer of psychological-individuation, not limited to integration of the Pandava-archetypes, but all smaller fragmented psyches too, in-turn encouraging me, to be the best, I can be.

Being Cohortic — 7th lesson from Krishna

Experience #8 — Being Agentic

Founders of small businesses like me are usually grumpy. As an Entrepreneur, I complain a lot. I am unhappy with many things, like poor adoption of software in Indian-markets, policies of the Government, apathy of industry-leaders, and overall-ills in the whole software-product Ecosystem. Like most others, I also feel that our Education-system disowned us, when my peers lament about the poor support and infrastructure, I resonate strongly and feel like a victim of the System, and think, that the Collective has disowned me. Actually, this Sense of victim-hood (Karna) within me, has been highly significant in most of my journey, and my automatic-response is belligerence. An urge to take-what I am duly entitled to. When does my victim-hood (Karna) flip to Belligerent aggression (Duryodhana=Dur(belligerence) +Yodhana(Aggressive warrior)), is something I have not been able to parse. However, Krishna_the_Coach has taught me to first reflect within-myself, to overcome my own personal biases around victim-hood (Karna) and not disrupt-systems to facilitate my own-indulgences (Duryodhana). Most coaches, resort to sympathy towards victim-hood experiences, and sometimes are even complicit with their client’s victim-hood. Clients need empathy, but not sympathy. Coach_Krishna_within does not agree and does not collude with my victim-hood. He in fact, admonishes and berates my lack-of-owning-up of my own agency, he re-enforces the Agentic-self within me. He does it with utmost care and rational-compassion. Ask not what the System does for you, ask what you can do for the system, is something Krishna_the_coach has taught me in my own life-journey, while in the process nourishing and replenishing the Self-System Simultaneity.

Being Agentic — 8th lesson from Krishna

Experience #9 — Being Non-patronizing

Any experiential-understanding of Krishna, will be incomplete without touching the Bhagavad-Gita. I have tried to understand Gita the treatise on nudging-human-agency, for several years now, both in Solitary contemplation and in Social Contemplation within groups. Time-and-time again, my experiential learning from the Gita is about bridging the gap from Patronizing(Acharya) to Co-traveling(Sancharya). Krishna is the ultimate comrade (Sakha, Oda-nadi, Fellow). All human-relationships are ultimately about the human-bonding, which is best serviced when it is peer-to-peer. While having the ability to show Arjuna, the Vishwa-roopa-darshana, yet give Arjuna a helping-hand, with a Non-patronizing attitude, and to allow the Stitha-prajna to make his own choice, and hence take his own-stand, while steadfastly being on his side, is the ultimate lesson from the Bhagavad-Gita. Krishna_the_Coach screams home the ultimate joy of true kinship.

Being Non-patronizing — 9th lesson from Krishna

Experience #10 — Being Transcendental

I did not realize the importance of aligning my mind, body and energy till very recently. After 40, you start to realize the limitations of your being. My body demands more rest, my energy has dropped, and I feel my mind ticks at the speed of a vintage 8086 processor. At this juncture, I have been looking to transcend my human limitations, while I am journeying along on multiple paths at the same time. To journey as an Entrepreneur, as a husband in family, as an eco-system builder, I need all my faculties to fire simultaneously. However, each journey (chara) is unique and distinct in its own ways. Chara means journey (charan means leg). It is then, I realized the need for the “Chara-Chara” in me. Chara-Chara is the meta-journey that combines all other journeys. I realized that Krishna and Vishnu are called Chara-Chara, for more than one reason. To realize (go-chara) the depth-of-character (charachara) within ourselves, to tread the paths of enabling the right thoughts (vi-chara), the right company (san-chara), the right followers (anu-chara) even as a coach for myself, my-family and my-community, I have to understand the meta-journey that binds all journey. And that journey is about knowing that divinity is within me, but humanity is the path to reach it. Krishna_the_coach, hence has given me access to the character-and-strength of my-inner-resources to facilitate all journeys from within, in the process helping me realize that to be transcendental, I need to access and be in touch with the humanity-and-divinity simultaneity within.

Being Transcendental — 10th lesson from Krishna

Before I conclude, I don’t want to be prescriptive. Hence, I would like to leverage Shankhya-yoga (Shankhya=suspect; don’t affirm anything, be circumspect), with its Anumana (Doubt) and Pramana (Testimony) constructs. Its only apt, that Krishna in his earlier avatar of Sage Kapila, actually created the philosophy of Shankhya Yoga (hahaha, theory before practice, did someone say?). Shankara (Shankha=Suspicion+Hara=Killer) is also known as Adi-Yogi (The First Practitioner). Vishnu/Krishna are the medium to reach the Adi-yogi. Krishna_as_the_First_Coach enabling humans to reach Adi-yogi is a very exciting idea, but like I said I don’t want to be prescriptive. So, I want to reiterate that I started with a set of hypothesis (anumanas) around coaching, which in the process of this essay I have tried to examine (pramana). Was I able to validate them in my own life-experiences of realizing Krishna_the_Coach within me? Let us see.

The set of Hypothesis pertaining to coaching as we saw in this essay of Krishna_the_First_Coach, can be crystallized as follows:

1. Be Human: But watch out for human complacency & inertness. Isn’t that true?

2. Be Experimental: But watch out for over-experimentation and iatrogenics. Do you feel the same?

3. Be Non-iatrogenic: But watch out for loss of self-assurance. What does your experience say?

4. Be Self-Assured: But don’t be a reckless-hero. Isn’t it?

5. Be Cathartic: But don’t be swayed and over-indulge in emotions. In your world-view is it easy to be Cathartic, yet firm?

6. Be Heretic: But don’t silence them, nudge them to acceptance. What do you think?

7. Be Cohortic: But watch for Collusion and Complicit nature. What do you feel?

8. Be Agentic: But watch out for over-use of your own Agency. What is your experience?

9. Be Non-Patronizing: But don’t become Ordinary and non-nurturing. Do you agree?

10. Be Transcendental: But don’t lose Humanity. Am I correct?

10 Traits in a Coach — Lessons for Managers

Conclusion

The metaphorical idea of Krishna in my experience is to discover that comrade, sakha or friend who can stand with us, when we need most. The purpose of the myth of Krishna clearly, is to stir humanity and the human journey in us, in order to deepen, expand and grow empathy until one’s love reaches the outermost bounds or edges of Creation. Krishna is the epitome of the human-edge. Where-ever the thrill of such edge is evident, there one can find humans cohere and commune and take that vital step to dive into the unknown and yet in that leap-of-faith, overcome the frontiers of individuality and realize the Universal Eternal in each one of us.

Are you a Manager teetering around the edges of your Safe-space, to find that Coach within you? Google has clearly highlighted that the 1st most important trait in a Manager is to be the Coach. Are you looking to further explore and expand this space? Are you looking to own up the Krishna within you? Then you must explore our next program called Urja. A sacred space to explore and discover-your-edge. It is our intent to establish a community who come together through an experiential program like Urja to move beyond the solitary experience of reflecting upon their own safe-spaces, and instead engage with the community through sharing their experiences collectively.

Urja — Rekindle the Flame Within

So, what are you waiting for? Visit the website, apply to participate and spread the words to your friends and fellows. Look forward in anticipation to work with each and everyone of you. Good luck and all the very best!

Manjunath Nanjaiah

Written by

Live joyously, Evolve consciously is my motto. I am a Technology Entrepreneur by work and head, a community builder by heart and a facilitator by gut.

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