Kautilya as a Strategic Advisor
Kautilya operated as a key advisor to the Indian King Chandragupta and sought to encapsulate his interpretation of the science of politics in a work that would instruct kings on how to properly govern their states. Whether in the ancient or modern world the counsel provided by a strategic advisor must adhere to some basic principles to ensure the advice is received, respected and ultimately acted upon by a senior leader. James E. Lukaszewski categorizes such principles in his book Why should the boss Listen to You? by identifying seven disciplines required of effective strategic advisors. Applying Lukaszewski’s disciplines of being trustworthy, becoming a verbal visionary, developing a leadership perspective, …show more content…
In order to influence the senior leader, a strategic advisor must understand the beliefs and perspectives that influence how the leader will perceive both actions and words as they offer advice that seeks to alter perceptions and outlooks. Developing a leadership perspective requires a commitment to the leader for offering unbiased opinions that are not unduly influenced by personal agendas. In a section addressing the roles of a minister Kautilya specifically highlights the need for a minister to constantly think about everything that concerns the king in addition to those concerns of an adversary. This is a critical point. Kautilya saw the necessity for an advisor to not only look internally at the organization, but also externally to determine what threats exist and why they are present in order to construct the best possible advice for a …show more content…
At the higher echelons of management individuals are far removed from the mechanics of accomplishing specific tasks and instead focus on building a strategy that serves to orient and lead an organization toward an envisioned goal or objective. People have a tendency to compartmentalize their thinking as it applies to the position they currently hold. Every staff function is critical to developing a comprehensive understanding of an issue as they evaluate and offer insight into the situation using their specific lens. Leaders and strategic advisors must be able to aggregate these perspectives to develop a holistic view of the issues, cut across the functional areas and see how the efforts of the whole can be integrated to achieve a desired effect. As one of history’s most astute strategic theorists, Kautilya offers numerous examples of thinking strategically. One of the best examples of this is articulated in the methods applied to the stronger, equally strong or weak kings where Kautilya says that a king must make peace with an equally strong king, wage war against a weaker king, and not wage war against a stronger king. By always keeping the ultimate objective of eventually attaining absolute rule, Kautilya demands that a leader and their advisors evaluate
Kautilya operated as a key advisor to the Indian King Chandragupta and sought to encapsulate his interpretation of the science of politics in a work that would instruct kings on how to properly govern their states. Whether in the ancient or modern world the counsel provided by a strategic advisor must adhere to some basic principles to ensure the advice is received, respected and ultimately acted upon by a senior leader. James E. Lukaszewski categorizes such principles in his book Why should the boss Listen to You? by identifying seven disciplines required of effective strategic advisors. Applying Lukaszewski’s disciplines of being trustworthy, becoming a verbal visionary, developing a leadership perspective, …show more content…
In order to influence the senior leader, a strategic advisor must understand the beliefs and perspectives that influence how the leader will perceive both actions and words as they offer advice that seeks to alter perceptions and outlooks. Developing a leadership perspective requires a commitment to the leader for offering unbiased opinions that are not unduly influenced by personal agendas. In a section addressing the roles of a minister Kautilya specifically highlights the need for a minister to constantly think about everything that concerns the king in addition to those concerns of an adversary. This is a critical point. Kautilya saw the necessity for an advisor to not only look internally at the organization, but also externally to determine what threats exist and why they are present in order to construct the best possible advice for a …show more content…
At the higher echelons of management individuals are far removed from the mechanics of accomplishing specific tasks and instead focus on building a strategy that serves to orient and lead an organization toward an envisioned goal or objective. People have a tendency to compartmentalize their thinking as it applies to the position they currently hold. Every staff function is critical to developing a comprehensive understanding of an issue as they evaluate and offer insight into the situation using their specific lens. Leaders and strategic advisors must be able to aggregate these perspectives to develop a holistic view of the issues, cut across the functional areas and see how the efforts of the whole can be integrated to achieve a desired effect. As one of history’s most astute strategic theorists, Kautilya offers numerous examples of thinking strategically. One of the best examples of this is articulated in the methods applied to the stronger, equally strong or weak kings where Kautilya says that a king must make peace with an equally strong king, wage war against a weaker king, and not wage war against a stronger king. By always keeping the ultimate objective of eventually attaining absolute rule, Kautilya demands that a leader and their advisors evaluate