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Two Birds in a Tree

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Two Birds in a Tree

Timeless Indian Wisdom for Business Leaders

Berrett-Koehler,

15 min read
10 take-aways
Audio & text

What's inside?

Transform your management style by drawing on ancient Indian wisdom.

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Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Innovative

Recommendation

Business and industry have brought prosperity to the planet. Yet the language of business is so focused on profit that it ignores the larger context of human life and systems. Author Ram Nidumolu draws upon Indian spiritual wisdom to illustrate the challenges facing business people. By learning to understand “Being” and reaching for a higher consciousness, business leaders can develop new insights to help them solve problems based on their role within and their connection to a larger context.

Summary

“Being: The Mother of All Concepts”

Humanity faces many challenges including global warming, damage to the ecosystem and extinction of species. In the past, industry fomented dramatic improvement in living standards, but today, industry often threatens humanity. Businesses now partially acknowledge this problem by starting corporate social initiatives, but, unfortunately, meeting next quarter’s profit targets still remains their prime imperative. If businesses seek true transformation, they have to change their orientation.

Real change occurs when you manage your emotional self and your rational mind. Business people can challenge and change their deep-seated beliefs by exploring the core of their inner being – as thinkers have done for thousands of years. Begin by asking, “What is the essence of a human being?” This question, which “is at least 3,000 years old...gave rise to the world’s first philosophical idea:...a fundamental reality called ‘Being’ that is beyond and prior to all attributes and limiting definitions.”

Different cultures, including those rooted in India, call Being by various names. The Upanishads, ancient philosophical texts created between...

About the Author

Consultant Ram Nidumolu founded and formerly led InnovaStrat, which helps Fortune 500 managers find sustainable business strategies.

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