Management Gita: Wrestling with Distress

अर्जुन उवाच । दृष्ट्वेमं स्वजनं कृष्ण युयुत्सुं समुपस्थितम् ॥ १-२८॥
arjuna uvāca
dṛṣṭvemaṃ svajanaṃ kṛṣṇa yuyutsuṃ samupasthitam 1-28

Spiritual Context

Arjuna tells Krishna that seeing his kinsmen eager to fight fills him with distress, marking the onset of his emotional turmoil.

Management Context

This reflects emotional response, stakeholder impact, and leadership vulnerability. Arjuna’s reaction shows how personal stakes can affect professional resolve.

Insights

Emotional awareness is critical for leaders (Goleman, 1995). This mirrors managing stress in high-stakes roles (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984).

Applications

Managers can implement stress management programs or peer support systems to cope with emotional challenges (Quick et al., 1997).

References

Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence. Bantam Books.
Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. Springer.
Quick, J. C., Quick, J. D., Nelson, D. L., & Hurrell, J. J. (1997). Preventive stress management in organizations. APA.

This excerpt is taken from Management Gita, authored by Sunil Khandbahale