Gandhi s Guiding Principles for Life & Business: Deep Silence and Research

As I continue through this blog series of Gandhi’s Guiding Principles, I’d like to use today’s blog to focus on two principles that may seem unrelated, but really are not.

So far, we’ve delved into Gandhi’s first guiding principle of Non-violence.  The next two principles on Gandhi’s list are Deep Silence and Extensive Research.

You may be wondering, how can these two be related and what can they possibly have to do with business?  Well, let’s dive in!

First, what did Gandhi really mean by “deep silence?” As I was contemplating this question I came across an article that briefly explained each of Gandhi’s guiding principles.  You can check out that article here. Basically, deep silence refers to taking the time to reflect and meditate. This process may look different for many, whether it be prayer or reading or just sitting and being very quiet. Gandhi believed it was essential for individuals to take time to nurture their spiritual lives. Regardless of what religion we may practice, we are all spiritual beings who have an innate need to nurture the deep places of our souls.  Gandhi believed it was very important to take time each day for this very important task.  We all take time each day to nurture and sustain our physical bodies but can often neglect our spiritual side, yet this is just as important. As Gandhi believed, “these personal, intrinsic moments are usually taken for granted, but are invaluable to us, as they offer a method to bring rationality to our actions as well as the added benefit of inner peace.”  Inner peace can be very helpful in a busy office environment…….. think about it:  we have deadlines to meet, unexpected meetings or problems arise and we also have to deal with a variety of different personalities during the course of our day.  Being grounded in a deep spiritual belief system and taking the time to nurture that can make a huge difference in the work place.

What about the concept of Extensive Research?  When you think of “Extensive Research”, what comes to mind?   I tend to think of it as being all about numbers, recent data that helps us determine strategy etc.  Gandhi, however, had a different take on the meaning of research. “He would make sure that he understood well the needs of his followers, so that he could effectively represent them through his work” WOW!!  To Gandhi, extensive research had nothing to do with numbers or market trends but with understanding those he was leading.  As someone who works with and leads people every day, this gave me reason to take some “deep silence” and do some soul-searching about whether or not I’m taking the time to truly understand, research and know the people I lead each day.

For me, these two principles fit together perfectly.  As I take the time for “deep silence,” reflection and mediation daily, it has a way of causing me to slow down and take the time to do a little research into the more important things in my business dealings as well as my personal life.

Dilip Barot is the Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Etech Global Services, and founder of Creative Choice Group, headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.  Etech employs 2,500 team members across the US, India and Jamaica.  If you would like to learn more about Etech, contact info@etechgs.com for more information.