Leadership skills and Jambavan : King of Bears

Leadership skills and Jambavan : King of Bears

Few weeks before my brother-in-law , Sri.M.Chandrarasekharan , asked me for more information on Jambavan , King of Bears , an important  character in the great epic Ramayana. He said that Jambavan is not talked much anywhere  .  So my inquisitiveness to know about Jambavan , as I also know very little about him , made me to look for Jambavan  in the web search engines.  I got many but struck with one article by Mr.Emmanuel  Torres.  In that  article he linked Jambavan with great leadership skills , which  inspired me  much.

In management classes we too would have read much about Leadership skills ,qualities and traits. I wish to share 10 characteristics of Leadership Skills  here and after that the reproduction of the article of Mr.Emmanauel Torres  . If you read this blog you will agree with  my claim as well as Mr.Torres’s that Jambavan had the superior leadership skills , and how he made Hanuman aware of his abilities and gathered the confidence to jump toward Lanka and back with the good news.

There were many thousand articles and books have been published describing what it takes to be a superior organizational leader. Some claim a superior leader possesses certain traits or abilities , others say it’s all personality. Successful  leaders share the following characteristics:

1.Mission : Leaders know what their mission is.

2.Vision : Where do you want your organization to go ?

3.Goal : How is the organization is going to achieve its mission and vision and how will you measure your progress?

4. Competency : You must be seen by people around you as being an expert in your field or an expert in leadership.

5. A strong Team : A wise leader assembles effective teams of capable individuals.

6. Communication skills : The best way to ensure other people receive and understand the message is with face-to-face interactions.

7. Interpersonal skills : Successful entrepreneurs are comfortable to other people.

8. A “ Can do , get it done “ attitude : A leader must demonstrate  his skills and show that he has a clear view and attainable goals.

9.Inspiration : A leader need to be a person looked upon for direction , guidance and motivation.

10. Ambition : When the boss  is seen as someone who works to attain increasingly higher goals , employee will be impressed more willing to mirror that behavior. 

The Story  goes like this …..Jambavan : King of Bears  ( Courtesy : Mr.Emmanuael Torres )

Sugriva, when he looked at the upcoming events in helping Rama find Sita, knew

that he would need all the help he could get…….

Sugriva sent a messenger to request Jambavan’s aid.  Jambavan was known for his

excellent leadership skills. 

Once the word was out, Jambavan quickly responded as he was always willing to

help someone in need.  He gathered his troops of bears and addressed them about

the  conflict….

 “I call upon all the bears under my rule to lend a helping hand.  Rama needs

our help to find his wife Sita.  She was abducted by Ravana the king of the

rakshasas.  Who will come and help me?” Jambavan questioned.

The bears were very loyal to Jambavan and not even one refused the challenge. 

  “I do have to warn you that this journey could lead to a bloody battle and I

do not guarantee that your life will not be in danger…..”

So they made their way to Sugriva’s kingdom to meet the monkeys.  There, they

assembled their armies and were twice as strong.

As they made their way, Hanuman gave Jambavan further details about Sita’s

abduction.  They were overheard by Sampati who is Jatayu’s brother.  Sampati

told the monkeys and the bears that he saw Ravana fly with Sita to Lanka.  They,

then took him aside and respectfully told Sampati about Jatayu's great bravery

against Ravana.  Simpati was very sad to hear about his brother’s death, but

also very proud at the same time.

So they continued their journey toward Lanka.  They then approached the ocean

and everyone lost hope.  It would be a 100 league jump to Lanka.  Then Jambavan

stepped up and looked toward Hanuman.

“You’re a strong young monkey and you have many abilities that have not even

been tapped.  I have faith that you can make the jump to Lanka and bring news

about Sita,” explained Jambavan.

It was Jambavan who made Hanuman aware of his abilities.  Thanks to Jambavan,

Hanuman gathered the confidence to jump toward Lanka and bring the news back.

Hanuman successfully retured with good news and they then traveled toward

Kishkindha to tell Rama.

Rama was glad to know Sita was alive and Rama, the monkeys, and the bears headed

for battle against Ravana, where Jambavan showed how aggressive he was.  He

showed his leadership with his immense strength.  He was ruthless against the

demons.  He showed no mercy when he tore the demons to pieces. 

After a successful battle, it was Jambavan and Hanuman who remained on earth to

tell Rama’s story…..

After a reading  about  Jambavan’s   skills and action now we shall compare again his leadership skills with the modern management thoughts briefed above . Yes, Jambavan , the King of Bears had the greatest leadership skills and  become an example for management gurus who teaches

‘ Leadership skills ‘.