The Delhi NCR chapter of the National Institute of Personnel Management (NIPM) organised a webinar on “Management Lessons from Mahabharat,” which drew participation from senior leaders, entrepreneurs, HR professionals, management thinkers and NIPM members. The online session aimed to reinterpret one of India’s greatest epics through the prism of contemporary leadership and organisational practices, making ancient wisdom relevant to today’s corporate and institutional environments.
The session was addressed by Mr. Debasis Satapathy, who took participants beyond mythology to explore practical leadership and management insights drawn from the battlefield of Kurukshetra. He highlighted key management concepts such as the Johari Window, Bell Curve, stress management, five employee types commonly found in organisations, and the balance between micro-management and delegation. Through these frameworks, he demonstrated how age-old narratives continue to offer valuable lessons for managing people, performance and pressure in modern workplaces.
Deeper reflections during the webinar focused on the importance of mindset, ethical decision-making and leadership under uncertainty. Mr. Satapathy emphasised that while situations may often be beyond control, leaders can always choose their mental response, a shift that can define effective leadership. He noted that the Mahabharat represents a complex human operating system, where ethics, power, desire and purpose constantly intersect, reminding participants that leadership is about navigating grey areas, conflicting values and human imperfections—realities that remain as relevant in boardrooms today as they were in ancient times.
