October 9, 2021

Navratri Day 3: Goddess Chandraghanta – Third form of Durga

Embodies Knowledge, Internal Power, Grace, and Vigilance

The Goddess Chandraghanta (Chandra - moon, Ghanta – bell) ornamented a crescent-shaped bell on her forehead once she married Lord Shiva. She is also known as Ranachandi, Chandrakhanda, and Chandika and is adored and worshipped on the third day of Navratri.

Chandraghanta’s ten hands hold the Trishula, bow-arrow, Gada (mace), Kamala (lotus flower), Sword, Ghanta (bell), kamandal (waterpot), one is set in the blessing posture, and the remaining two hands are gracefully still. Tiger/Lion is symbolized as Chandraghanta’s vehicle and aide - a manifestation of the Goddess’ bravery, internal power, and grace her soft side where she inspires and blesses her devotees with success.

When evil provokes, she is said to be a vanquisher - a form in which she is feared and known as Chamunda Devi or Chandi.

A leader or businessperson should possess qualities like Chandraghanta. First, develop the knowledge of being a good judge of people beyond skill and talent and strive to have the best team possible around them. Remember, a leader is as good as the weakest member of the team.

Just like an iceberg – with a tip visible but a large part unseen and below the surface, a candidate’s resume or a short interview will only reveal educational accomplishments just like the tip of the iceberg.

Great leaders identify prospective team members beyond just their resumes or interview. They develop the knack of looking below the surface- predominantly a candidate’s thinking styles, attitude, character, values, motivation, traits, and resilience from failure. This is not easy in hiring but sets apart the hiring.

Hiring a bad employee sets the organization back by several months. With enterprises running at full-throttle, leaders should know whom they can lean on for high-quality execution and results.

One may now ask- I have a team already and what do I do with them?

Business leaders sometimes tend to look down at long tenure employees as they tend to be disengaged. Long tenure employees should be leveraged for their knowledge and experience, given ample chances, and re-trained. The key is investing in their development and a nurturing mindset that shows faith in them. This will be more grateful to the leader.

Like Goddess Chandraghanta, a leader should have the courage to take decisive calls on employees who are not contributing to the objectives and don’t fit into the overall culture despite ample chances. Leaders should set high standards of Collaboration and performance, be decisive about non-performers and yet be graceful in those decisions by protecting the dignity of the employee. Such leaders win hearts and minds.

Oṃ Devī Chandraghantaye Namaḥ

Shubh Navratri!

Srikanth Ram, a life and business coach, is also the author of the No 1 Bestseller “Leadership lessons from 22 Yards”- An interesting comparison of cricket and corporate stories for entrepreneurs and leaders to create high-performance teams and a winning culture.