By Ramkumar Seshu, Author of Born to Win – Leadership Lessons from the Bhagavad Gita
𝗔 𝗕𝗼𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗪𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗮𝗵𝘆𝗼𝗴𝗶’𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝘁 𝗔𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗸𝘁𝗶 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝘀
Subbu our Sahyogi at Born to Win carried with him the same hope: that the people he meets will remember what it feels like to truly enjoy their work.
At Adishakti Cars, that hope became a reality.
Over six deeply transformative sessions, he witnessed a group of managers rediscover what it means to lead with empathy, purpose, and joy. This is the story of that journey, and what every leader can learn from it.
When leaders reconnect with joy, their teams don’t just perform—they thrive.
𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗜𝘁 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗕𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗻: 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁𝘀
Our program wasn’t a one-day workshop—it was a six-week, real-world transformation process. We didn’t preach from slides. We created safe spaces for reflection, real conversations, and experiential learning.
Each session blended games, roleplays, and discussion with deep personal reflection. But most importantly, we began each week by reviewing: “How did you apply what you learned?”
That’s where the magic happened.
Venkatesh Tatuskar shared,
“𝘛𝘩𝘦 168-𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦. 𝘐 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺—𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺. 𝘐’𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦. 𝘐’𝘮 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.”
Kiran Kumar reflected,
“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘪𝘵𝘦-𝘚𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘊𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘬 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨-𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘛𝘢𝘵𝘢 𝘔𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯—𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮.”
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗝𝗼𝘆𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀 (𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸)
At Born to Win, we believe leadership transformation must result in practical, measurable outcomes. But equally, it must deliver something more subtle yet powerful: joy.
Here’s what transformed at Adishakti Cars:
𝗮) 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵
One participant described it best:
“Earlier, I was reactive. Now, I pause, plan, and speak with empathy. My wife and children noticed the difference before my team did.”
This isn’t just emotional intelligence—it’s emotional alignment. And when leaders align, their entire team breathes easier.
𝗯) 𝗣𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲-𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆
Using our SMART Goals framework, leaders shifted from busyness to focused action.
“Earlier, I was doing unproductive work due to vague goals. Now, everything I do connects to a larger plan. I’m not just working—I’m building something.”
𝗰) 𝗔 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
Most powerful of all, team members began volunteering for new projects. They didn’t just meet expectations—they exceeded them.
As one leader summed up:
“We’ve embedded the wisdom tools into our policy now. It’s not just my growth—it’s how we do things together.”
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝗵𝘆𝗼𝗴𝗶 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗪𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸
What makes this work different is not just the content—it’s the process. As Sahyogis, we don’t “deliver programs.” We walk with people as they discover who they can become.
We use a three-part transformation philosophy:
• 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹-𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲: Each concept ties directly to the participant’s day-to-day challenges—be it customer issues, time management, or team engagement.
• 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝘀𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀: Participants leave with frameworks they can use forever, like 168-Hour Scheduling, SMART Goal Mapping, and the Activity Grid.
• 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁: We create a safe, judgment-free space where people feel seen—not evaluated.
That’s why the change lasts.
𝗔 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗕𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴: 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗲
Here’s what the team said as the program concluded:
• “𝘐 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵.”
• “𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴.”
• “𝘔𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 100%. 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥—𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘵.”
This is leadership reborn—not through theory, but through lived experience.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗬𝗼𝘂
If you’re reading this as a leader, let me ask:
• Do your team members feel safe bringing bold ideas?
• Are your managers building capacity—or just chasing deadlines?
• Is your culture moving from pressure to possibility?
If the answer is unclear, it’s time to pause—not to retreat, but to reflect. Because the biggest cost in business today isn’t turnover or inefficiency—it’s disengagement. And the greatest ROI doesn’t come from technology or strategy. It comes from people who want to show up every day.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗪𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗮𝗵𝘆𝗼𝗴𝗶 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 “𝗜 𝗖𝗮𝗻, 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗖𝗮𝗻, 𝗪𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗻”
This transformation was possible because Subbu helped the team choose happiness and got them to embrace:
• 𝗜 𝗖𝗮𝗻: Personal accountability and optimism
• 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗖𝗮𝗻: Trust in each other’s growth
• 𝗪𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗻: A culture of shared success
This isn’t a one-time shift. It’s a lifelong framework. And it’s what every Sahyogi of Born to Win is happy to do.
𝗔𝘁 𝗕𝗼𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗪𝗶𝗻, 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 — 𝘄𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗴𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱.
𝗕𝗼𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗪𝗶𝗻 – 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆, 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵-𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗔𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮.
