The Price of Learning too well!
Eklavya cuts off his thumb!
Is there a price one has to pay for learning too well? Let us see…..
In the earlier blog we learnt how Eklaviya learnt Archery by practicing daily for hours in front of the statue of the Master- Dronacharya. Dronacharya, could not or would not accept Eklaviya as his pupil due to his lowly social status, an issues prevalent in those days. Dronacharya was after all the teacher to the Prince. He had promised to train the Prince into the Best Archer.
One day, it got revealed that Eklaviya has indeed achieved mastery. Dronacharya visited the area of the forest where Eklaviya practiced and saw the statue that had been built in his honour. He learnt how the tenacious Eklaviya prayed to his statue everyday before practice. Eklaviya placed the entire success of his learnings on the Master.
Dronacharya was in a quandary. Eklaviya was indeed good, but if he was better than the Prince (which was true) then he had failed in keeping his promise of making the Prince into the best Archer. Also his reputation as a teacher would be in tatters.
Quick as a trice has asked for his ‘Guru Dakshina’. ‘Guru Dakshina’ is a practice in ancient India where the pupil gifts the teacher something at the end of the training period. Typically, the pupils stayed in the same abode as the teacher, learning first hand from him, round the clock. The teacher looked after their every need without any fees. At the end of the stay, the pupil would give the teacher a gift in acknowledgement of the dedication he received. So here we have Dronacharya asking for his Gift- the Guru Dakshina for having ‘taught’ Eklaviya. Eklaviya in all humility asks Dronacharya to name what he would like as his ‘Guru Dakshina.’
What Dronacharya asked for is startling to say the least. He asked Eklaviya for the Thumb of his Right Hand. In other words, Eklaviya would no longer be able to be the master archer that he was without the use of his right thumb. The story goes on to say that Eklaviya unhesitatingly cuts off his thumb and presents it to the Master.
In Organizations too one does come across examples like this- not cutting off the thumb, but something as drastic. When it does not suit the equations, an employee is abruptly transferred to another department where they cannot practice what they have mastered. Or they are sidelined to an insignificant role with a fancy title. Sometimes employees are promoted to higher responsibilities without a successor in place.
What happens to the knowledge that they have acquired? How can their expertise be tapped and leveraged for use by others?
Today good IT infrastructure and collaborative platforms make it easier for knowledge sharing. You could be anywhere, but you have access to the Knowledge Management Portal and can answer questions posed from anywhere. It is the job of the Knowledge Management team to map the deep expertise each individual has and provide opportunities for connecting them to others who could do with their help.
In this way, organization can overcome the price of learning too well!
