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The word “lama” is Tibetan for “guru”, which in Sanskrit refers to someone with unusual wisdom and knowledge who’s dedicated to guiding others, to helping others leave the darkness of ignorance. The Dalai Lama may not be the first name to come to mind as a management guru, yet his teachings could not be more meaningful in trying to understand the responsibilities of business leaders in the global economy.
The Financial Times publishes today (FT.com / Business education / Masters in Management – Economic truths) a piece I wrote about a lecture by the Dalai Lama at Thunderbird a few years ago.
Inspiration comes from the most unexpected places. Mine came from a monk who said he knew nothing about business, a true guru who likes to share his favorite prayer with anyone who cares to listen: “So long as space endures, so long as the suffering of sentient beings remains, then I too will remain in order to serve.”
The Dalai Lama described Buddhism around two basic ideas: a philosophical outlook that recognizes the interdependence of all things, and a value system around the notion of compassion, the requirement to cause no harm to others. These two ideas are interconnected. If I believe my well-being depends on yours, then your pain becomes mine, it becomes my self-interest to care about yours.
These two ideas can be used to define global citizenship in a business context: a philosophical outlook that recognizes that the prosperity of one individual, one firm or one nation depends on the prosperity of other individuals, firms and nations, and a commitment to doing no harm onto others as a consequence of one’s business.
Last week, Business Week wrote about the efforts at Thunderbird to measure an individual’s global IQ, which we call a Global Mindset. The idea is that being a good business leaders is not sufficient to succeed in the global economy, as the Dalai Lama so eloquently explained.
October 5th, 2009 at 2:59 pm
Rafah Mango made a comment about your note “Global citizenship explained by the Dalai Lama”:
This post could not have come at a better time. We are now discussing Leading change in our Competing Through People class with Prof. Bowen.
I also would like to add that I think Queen Rania of Jordan is also an adequate example of a true leader. They might not be involved in the daily business happenings but they are certainly setting examples for the business world to follow and learn from.
October 5th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
Matthew Romero has sent you a message.
Date: 10/05/2009
Subject: FT Article – Thank You
Dr. Cabrera,
Matt Romero from Houston here. Great article. It was easy for me to forward that on to a few friends and colelagues and tell them why I am proud the be a citizen of the world!
Matt Romero ‘99
October 5th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
Javier made a comment about your link:
“great article Angel! indeed very inspiring”
October 5th, 2009 at 3:02 pm
Ken Lambert commented on your status:
“We should have the Dali Lama visit the school again. In fact, he should live there. Oh, he does?! Oue bueno!”
November 8th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
Hi Dr. Cabrera,
Thank you for posting this wealth of knowledge. It reminds me of the principles found in the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. We are conditioned from a young age to believe that we need to be independent. As we grow, however, we start to realize that in order to succeed in our passions and live a fulfilling life, we must shift our mindset from independence to interdependence. We are experiencing a paradigm shift of this interdependence perspective in our global economy. Industries are being greatly impacted by the ideas of collaboration and social responsibility for their actions and the ripple effects that they may have. It is an exciting time to watch this evolution.
Thank you for sharing and looking forward to more!
Cheers!
Olga