Exploring Leadership and Responsibility: Who Should Have Acted in the Ramayan's HR Dilemma?

Dear Seniors,

Here is an interesting doubt of mine. Kindly clarify.

As per Ramayan, Hanumanji was the Head HR and Senapathy to Shri Ram. We all know that Hanumanji has enormous power and is unbeatable. If he had decided, he could have destroyed whole Lanka singlehandedly and brought Sita back. He need not even touch her while bringing her back to Shri Ram. He could have lifted the whole Ashok Van where she was imprisoned with a single finger. However, he did not do so.

When he was asked why he did not do it, his reply was, "I was not told to do so." Being a Head HR, is it not his duty without being told to do something? Even otherwise, Shriram should have asked him to do so, which he also did not.

Then who is to be blamed?

Please reply from an HR point of view and not like an atheist who does not believe in God and other things. Let's not deviate from the issue.

Thanks and regards,
S. Kumar

Hi,

Really interesting issue!

HR is not supposed to do everything. They should help others gain confidence, motivate them, and create ways and situations for others to feel motivated. Hanumanji could have easily won the battle alone, but if he had done so, he would have wasted the life goals of many.

HR should utilize each ideal situation to build confidence in others and help them reach their full potential. HR is a managerial role, and they should not act like an ordinary worker who does everything that comes their way.

This is my perception on this issue, and I look forward to seeing some interesting posts.

Regards, Bilahari A

Dear Kumarasubramanian,

Let me ask you to view the situation putting yourself in both Shri Ram's and Hanumanji's position.

If you enact the role of Shriram:

As Shriram is the CEO of this operation, he devised roles for each and every individual under him. Now the onus was on each individual to pave the way and support their team to find Sitaji.

1) As a CEO, you could just instruct; you can't really meddle in each and every issue, which is out of scope.
2) If you start meddling in every single thing, you are demoralizing your team.
3) If you can do everything, surely you don't need a team.

Now in the perception of Hanumanji:

Hanumanji was instructed by Shriram to search for Sita and gave his ring (like a visiting card of today) for identification and clearing the confusion.

Now Hanumanji as Head HR could have made any decisions, but if he had donned the role of thousands of his employees, he's not only demoralizing the team but making them jobless and hence penniless.

The thousands of employees working together can bring success to the operation, and that's one of the reasons why Hanumanji, even being the strongest and unbeatable, did something wherein each team member gets their due recognition.

The example is similar to the debate I had with my friends regarding Sachin Tendulkar and other players in the Indian team. Although Sachin can win single-handedly with his bat, surely not with the ball.

I hope I have made sense.

Regards,
Jay

Shree RAM was an avatar of Vishnu. If he wanted, he could have destroyed the whole Lanka and Ravan without even the support of anyone. Now the question is: why did a god need help in searching for his wife? Well, it was all planned by god himself. To act like a good leader, he gave a chance to everyone to do his work. Hanumanji could have solved the problem in a single trip to Lanka, but as he was also a good leader, and a good leader's work is to motivate and take care of his team so that each person's potential should be fully utilized.

JAI SHREE RAM JAI HANUMAN (MANOJAVAM MAARUTATULYAVEGAM JITENDRIYAM BUDHIMATAMVARISHTHAM VATATMAJAM VANARAYUDHMUKHYAM SHREE RAM DOOTAM CHARANAM PRAPADYE).

Hi,

The HR role varies depending on the situation. In stories like Ramayana, HR in a family, HR in politics, etc., are different, although some aspects may be related. When we consider the role of HR Hanuman, it is entirely different from that in an organization. In Ramayana, as Rama is in vanavasam (forest), there is no formal organization, and Hanuman acts more like a vendor to Rama rather than the head HR. Rama's organization is Ayodhya, so Hanuman's duty is primarily to assist Rama, akin to seeking help from recruitment agencies for manpower. Their role is to provide candidates, but they do not have the authority to take further actions.

Dear Seniors,

Here is an interesting doubt of mine. Kindly clarify.

As per Ramayan, Hanumanji was the Head HR and Senapathy to Shri Ram. We all know that Hanumanji possesses enormous power and is unbeatable. He could have single-handedly destroyed the entire Lanka and brought Sitaji back without even touching her or could have lifted the whole Ashok Van where she was imprisoned with just a finger. However, he did not do so.

When asked why he didn't take such actions, his reply was, "I was not told to do so."

As the Head HR, isn't it his duty to act without explicit instructions? Even if not, shouldn't Shri Ram have asked him to do so? But he also refrained from doing it.

In this scenario, who is to be blamed?

Kindly respond from an HR perspective, avoiding views of atheists who may not believe in God or other aspects. Let's stay focused on the issue at hand.

Thanks and regards,
S. Kumar

I think Hanumanji was intelligent at this point. He knew that Ramji had decided to conquer back Sita by fighting Ravan. In this, Ramji would have dignity and victory both. So Hanumanji decided to do only what was told to him because he knew that the MD (Ramji) had bigger plans than just stealing our own thing back.

Regards,
Shivani

The Role of Human Resources in an Organization

An organization is built by its human resources. The organization needs a Head (that's Rama) who makes orders and guides the other departments, and a person who manages the employees (that's Hanuman) who ensures work gets done and shows the path. Hanuman can't make decisions without considering his Head, and he alone can't perform tasks because others will sit idle without any work. If Rama alone is destroyed, then there is no need for the Ramayana (organization) at all. If Hanuman is destroyed, then there is no work for others. The entire process of HR will not come into the picture at all—like hiring, motivation, appraising, courage to face new challenges, etc.

Regards,
Sheela

Understanding Hanumanji's Actions from an HR Perspective

The objective was not the destruction of an empire but to demonstrate a lesson with every action in the sequence. As Hanumanji followed the instructions given by his CEO religiously, he was aware of the bigger picture. The mere intention to deliver the ring (visiting card) to Sitaji was coupled with leaving a feeling in Lanka about the 'might,' the power, and the 'dare' of an individual who can light the city into ashes. So, a brief meeting to test the ground and return with all details.