Success Needs Soul to Survive

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I received a longish query about my LinkedIn Profile Headline  Spiritualising Work and Humanising Workplace. Reproducing it verbatim below:

Mr. Suresh, your striking headline resonates deeply with me, though I’ve faced challenges applying these principles in a competitive corporate environment, specifically when met with pushback for suggesting that traditional practices like meditation can enhance individual contribution. I would appreciate your perspective on whether spiritualising work is primarily an individual journey or a systemic corporate responsibility, and how one can demonstrate that a humanised workplace fosters sustainable high performance rather than trading off efficiency for metrics. Given our current cold, data-driven landscape and the rise of automation, what practical first step do you recommend for a leader to begin spiritualising their team’s view of labor, and how can we effectively keep the human element at the center of corporate strategy?

Though I am no expert to prescribe, I can only write about my experience on this and what worked for me. Everyone’s journey is unique and we need to find our paths. I have only tried to practicethis aspect as a Mission and can discuss what it really means to me. BTW! this has been my Linked In headline for nearly 10+ years. Here we go….

For many of us, life is split into two boxes. One box is for office, bills, and worldly objectives (ambitions, growth, money etc). The other box is for temple, meditation, or prayer. We often think that being spiritual requires sitting in silence on a mountain, far away from the noise of a busy market or a demanding boss.

But this division is unnecessary. Spirituality is not an escape from life, it is a way of living life more deeply. In fact, our entire professional mission can be summed up in one powerful shift which is my Headline on Linked In: Spiritualising Work and Humanising Workplace.

Working Happily instead of Working for Happiness

Bringing Soul to the Workspace

Work is where we spend most of our waking hours. If we keep spirituality separate, we are essentially living biggest part our lives in a soulless vacuum. In Indian tradition, concept of Karma Yoga teaches us that work itself can be a form of worship.

When we focus on Spiritualising Work, we perform task with full focus, honesty, and without being obsessed only with result. Software engineer fixing bug with total integrity or teacher helping student with genuine care is doing something deeply spiritual. We don’t need to quit job to find peace, we need to bring peace into job. Instead of working for Happiness, work Happily

Power of Human Connection

Often, corporate world feels like machine where people are just numbers. This is where second half of the journey comes in, Humanising Workplace. Spirituality in office is not about chanting, it is about empathy. It is about seeing colleague as human being with fears, dreams, and family, rather than just resource or rival or just as a pair of Hands.

By treating people with dignity and kindness, we turn cold office environment into space of growth. This is not just soft skill as many want to describe, it is Hardest and much needed Skill , it is highest form of spiritual practice in modern world. No, it is not a theoretical or Ashram stuff. It is easy to practice and I see it done in many successful enterprises

Worldly Challenges as a Mirror

Our professional journey provides the best lab for spiritual growth. It is easy to feel peaceful when sitting alone in a quiet room. Real test of our character happens when:

  • A project fails at the last minute.
  • A colleague takes credit for our work.
  • The market goes down and stress levels rise.

These worldly moments are mirrors. They show us where we are impatient, where our ego is too big, and where we lack balance. Instead of seeing office politics or financial stress as distractions from our spiritual path, see them as the very tools that help we grow. An umbrella can protect you from sun and rain, but if you develop the ability to withstand the heat and cold, whether an umbrella or other protections doesn’t matter.

Balance of Dharma and Artha

Many Jigyasus (seekers) think that chasing wealth or making money (unless it is printing your own currency) is vulgar. In Indian Philosophy Purushartha (Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha)  talks about four fundamental goals or purpose of human life. It suggests that a balanced and fulfilling existence requires pursuing these four pillars in harmony, rather than focusing on just one. Spirituality is not to advise one to ignore wealth or success. Concepts of Dharma (duty/righteousness) and Artha (prosperity) go hand in hand. We can strive for a promotion, buy a house, and provide for our family while staying grounded.

The secret is detachment, which doesn’t mean we stop caring. It simply means our internal happiness is not a slave to our bank balance or our job title. We should drive the car, the car should not drive us.

Integration is the Goal

Spirituality is simply the quality of our consciousness. If we are kind, mindful, and ethical while navigating the real world, our worldly journey becomes our spiritual journey. There is no need to wait for retirement or a pilgrimage to start.

Integration of work and individual

Every email we write, every meeting we attend, and every challenge we face is an opportunity to practice being a better version of ourself. When we commit to Spiritualising Work and Humanising Workplace, life stops being struggle between work and soul and becomes one beautiful, continuous flow. It is about wearing a formal 3 piece black suit as comfortably as wearing a white Kurta and Pyjama.

I would prayerfully like to acknowledge the source of this power I developed over a period of 25+ years – Pujya Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Founder of The Art of Living

What I have practiced with great success in major part of my 38 year old career so far, is to mirror what I learnt from observing what Pujya Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji of Art of Living has been saying and doing. Though these may not be the exact words, I have reproduced from the notes I have been keeping since 1998 (and in far greater depth and details from 2000) in my own words. If there is something awfully distant or erroneous (literally or philosophically) fault is mine.

Pujya Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Time is not linear. It is circular. What goes around, comes around. Do good to the world and good comes around many folds, it is just a matter of time. World is unthinkably infinitely good to us than we are to the world.

He has often spoken about how the banana of spirituality is hidden inside the peel of religion, it is the core essence that makes life work. In worst of situations (there is never dearth of it that is thrown at Gurudev on every second basis, He has shown us ways to do it, by being an example Himself. He says, Worrying doesn’t make any difference, but working does, spirituality gives one the strength to work. Spirituality is not a retreat into laziness or escaping responsibilities. Instead, it is the energy source that allows you to work harder and more effectively without getting burnt out. In one of His talks on business ethics in a WFEB conference, Gurudev highlights that intuition, getting the right thought at the right time, is the secret to success. He explains that spirituality clears the mental cobwebs, allowing a professional to access their intuitive faculty. When you Spiritualise Work, you aren’t just being good; you are becoming sharper and more creative because your mind is calm.

What I loved the most in this context and has worked for me very well is what he has said on the Human aspect of work life. In every meeting or talks, Gurudev emphasizes that the spiritual bond we share as a human family is more important than our professional identities.  He says, True leadership stems from recognizing the human element behind every workplace label, moving past titles like difficult boss or lazy subordinate to acknowledge individual stresses. By replacing rigid hierarchy with a friendly, empathetic approach, leaders can effectively humanize the environment and build genuine rapport. Ultimately, while rules may curb negative behaviour, it is a broader spiritual outlook that cultivates the inherent goodness required for a truly harmonious office culture. That in real is Humanising Workplace for me

He compares the modern workplace to a pressure cooker. Meditation and breath (Sudarshan Kriya) act as the safety valve. By keeping your inner space clean, you ensure that you don’t bring the stress of the office home, and you don’t bring the ego of your position into your human relationships.

Finally, Gurudev describes spirituality in the workplace as Equanimity. He says that Success is a smile that no one can snatch away. Whether you win a contract or lose one, staying centred is the highest spiritual practice. Spirituality brings a sense of commitment and a work culture. Taking responsibility is a vital component for any company’s progress.

Beyond Damage Control: Why Language & Timing Matter

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When an organization hits PR disaster, such as recent TCS Nashik controversy or Lenskart grooming guideline issue, success depends entirely on language and timing. In Indian context, brand is not just business but part of social fabric, meaning any lapse in communication is felt as personal affront to consumer identity. To strengthen response, one must look deeper into psychological and legal layers of communication where language acts as brand’s character and timing serves as its pulse.

Precise language acts as primary shield during crisis. When TCS faced allegations of harassment, public demanded specific truth rather than vague corporate jargon. Using phrases like zero tolerance, internal procedural gaps fails, because it ignores human element of victim’s experience and feels like hollow corporate talk. Language must be culturally fluent and respectful. Labeling religious symbols like Tilak or Bindi as grooming violations is linguistic disaster that ignores deep-rooted sanctity of Indian traditions. Response should move away from Western neutral templates which feel cold and disconnected, instead using words that show genuine respect for local values. Direct ownership is always better than passive voice. While Lenskart’s leadership apology aimed to humanize brand, calling document outdated can seem like convenient excuse if public feels it is merely damage control.

Timing is brand’s pulse, and in digital age, Golden Hour has shrunk to Golden Minutes. If organization remains silent, public fills information vacuum with anger and local activists define narrative. Once labels like Anti-Hindu or Discriminatory stick, even factual corrections later feel like lies. While Lenskart responded within twenty-four hours to prevent long-term boycott, true mastery lies in acknowledging issue while it is still trending. Early response signals company is not hiding. In TCS case, delay between reported events and public acknowledgment created narrative of negligence that is hard to erase. When criminal investigations are involved, corporate PR often slows down, but this silence allows hostility to grow unchecked.

Effective clarification follows simple structure of acknowledging pain before jumping to facts. Company must explain how lapse happened—perhaps training manual error—without using it as shield to deflect blame. Beyond initial statement, organizations must leverage social proof and third-party validation to rebuild trust. Mentioning independent probes, SIT investigations, or external audits adds significant weight. When company says we are investigating, it sounds like self-protection, but stating that external agency is auditing manuals signals true accountability. Internal alignment is equally vital because employees are biggest brand ambassadors. If internal culture contradicts public apology, leaks will occur and further damage credibility. PR must always align with actual HR policy changes to maintain integrity.

Organizations must move from damage control to cultural audit by involving diverse committees during policy drafting to prevent controversial labels from ever being triggered. High-empathy, low-ego communication ensures that when mistake happens, public sees it as human error rather than institutional bias. Clarification must never turn into justification. Saying we did this because of global standards only increases anger, while admitting we made error in adopting global template without local context creates path to forgiveness. In Lenskart case, citing outdated documents is risky if document was live on server; better approach is acknowledging oversight in review process to maintain sincerity and rebuild broken bond with Indian consumer.

Ghosting: Vibrant Threads to Silent Dreads

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Amit Ranade was grandson of the legendary Girdharilal Ranade, a man whose word was considered more valuable than gold in busy markets of Ahmedabad. When Amit took over Vibrant Threads, he did not just inherit a massive factory and rows of high-speed looms, he inherited a name that stood for reliability. Amit sat in his office overlooking dusty roads of Ahmedabad.

Burden of Avoidance: Loss of Trust

He was now boss of Vibrant Threads, a company known for quality cloth. Amit was a clever man, but he suffered from a peculiar weakness. He found it very difficult to give people bad news. He thought staying silent was better than causing disappointment. This habit of Ghosting was about to cost him dearly.

It was a hot Monday morning when Jiya, his best designer, sent a crucial email. She had developed a new type of moisture-wicking fabric for a massive international sports brand. This contract was biggest opportunity in the history of the firm. Amit opened the file and felt a knot in his stomach. The design was perfect, but cost of new looms needed to weave it was way over budget. Amit did not want to say no to Jiya, but he also did not want to admit that company was tight on cash. Instead of calling a meeting to discuss a phased rollout or a budget adjustment, Amit did what he always did when faced with pressure. He simply stopped responding. He closed the laptop and decided he would deal with it later.

Tuesday came and went. Jiya called him three times, but Amit watched his phone vibrate and did not pick up. He figured that if he did not answer, Jiya would simply wait. He did not realize that silence is never just silence, it is a message of its own.

He ignored the emails. He ignored the WhatsApp messages. When Jiya knocked on his door, he told his secretary to say he was in a deep meeting with the bank. Amit thought he was being clever by staying silent, but in leadership, silence is a deafening noise. By ghosting his team, he was effectively telling them that their time, effort, and talent did not matter. He was trading hard-earned trust of his grandfather’s era for a few days of temporary peace. In a leadership role, clarity is the only currency that matters. By choosing to ghost his lead designer, Amit was defaulting on his primary debt as a boss.

By Wednesday afternoon, atmosphere in Ahmedabad office had turned sour. Jiya was sitting at her desk, staring at a blank screen. She could not move forward with the yarn orders or dyeing process without Amit giving her the green light. Since her leader was invisible, her work became stagnant. Downstairs in canteen, workers gathered over plates of khaman and hot tea or thepla and chutney, the whispers started growing loud. People noticed that Amit was avoiding design floor. Absence of a leader creates a vacuum, and in Ahmedabad, people fill a vacuum with gossip. Rumours spread that Amit had gambled away company funds or that global deal was a scam. They began to wonder if factory was planning layoffs. Ghosting had created a vacuum, and anxiety was filling it up.

Fabric Mill to Rumour Mill

Thursday brought a final chance for Amit to fix things, but his fear won again. Jiya sent one last message asking for a decision. Amit read it, felt the familiar sting of anxiety, and put his phone face down on the desk. That night, Jiya, feeling insulted and undervalued, accepted a position at a competing firm in Surat. She felt no loyalty to a man who treated her like an unread notification. Jiya was now updating her resume. She took a call from a rival textile mill in Surat and booked a bus ticket for next morning.

The end arrived on Friday afternoon. International clients flew into Ahmedabad for an unannounced factory tour. They wanted to see the fabric that was supposed to change the market. Amit, sweating under his linen shirt, led them to production area. He expected his staff to have something ready out of habit, but he found looms silent and tables bare. There was no prototype because leader had provided no direction.

No Leadership, No prototype, No Clients

The clients did not even wait for a cup of tea. They walked out, and word of disaster spread through local industry by sunset. Amit sat in his grandfather’s old teak chair, realizing he had committed ultimate sin of leadership. He had inherited a legacy built on strong handshakes and clear words, but he had lost it all because he was too afraid to speak. Ghosting had not saved him from a difficult conversation,  it had ensured he would never have a seat at the table again.

Amit realized too late that his silence had not just avoided conflict, it had guaranteed a catastrophe. Reliability is foundation of authority, and he had cracked that foundation by being unreachable. His reputation in Ahmedabad market took a massive hit that day. Employees learned that their leader would disappear when things got tough, and global brand took their business elsewhere. Amit learned a hard lesson that a simple no or a request for more time would have saved his business. Ghosting is never a strategy; it is just a slow way to lose everything that has been built. Ghosting in the fond hope that problems will get fixed or with an attitude of “they can go to hell” will take you exaxctly there – to Hell.

Sometimes, Bad communication is better than No Communication