Humanity in All Human Activity: Sadhguru’s Message to Participants at 'Human Is Not A Resource' Program

Bringing humanity back to the workplace can be the foundation for great workplace culture, Sadhguru said on Friday at Isha Leadership Academy's (ILA) annual "Human Is NOT A Resource" program. He was addressing over 100 participants in a live interactive session where he spoke about the current challenges for businesses, the importance of agility and innovation and why businesses need to look beyond Valuation to add Value. Sadhguru told listeners that the greatest challenge of our generation – the pandemic – can become one of the biggest opportunities to overhaul several outdated systems and ideas and accelerate innovation. 

Asserting that the youth can use this time as an opportunity to shape the future, Sadhguru said: “We have a choice: harness the potential of our youth or let it squander. In these uncertain times, if our youth, who make up 65 percent of the population, are skilled, focused, stable, and inspired, we can create a miracle of a Nation in 10-15 years.” 

Sadhguru also urged businesses in the country to capitalize on rural India's potential. “It is critical that businesses spread in rural India. Your company will have a lot of room for innovation. Wherever the people are, that’s where businesses should go,” he said adding that organizations should invest at least 10% to 15% of their operations in rural areas. 

Urging industries to establish skill development centres to skill the youth according to industry needs, Sadhguru said that this is a chance for industries to nurture the seed of human potential. He said it was important to “attach humanity to all human activity,” in order to bring out the best in people. 

In his session titled ‘HR-Rethinking the Mandate’, Rajeev Dubey, Former Group President (HR and Corporate Services) and CEO (After Market Sector), said that the Human Resource function is not only relevant but more critical than ever before in the current time.“What I discovered early on in my HR career is that humans are the source of transformation in any organization. For me, the role of human resources is to take a person and unleash their potential toward the achievement of a goal.” 

Aditi Walunj, Co-Founder of Repos Energy, spoke on ‘Purpose – GPS for Building Successful Businesses’. “We had a strong sense that we could transform the world before we started Repos Energy. The motivation must come from within. We discovered our mission first, and then created our organization around it,” Walunj said. 

In the post-lunch session on ‘Passion- The Fuel for Purpose’, Lt. Gen. Alok Kler, PVSM, VSM, and former General Officer Commanding In Chief, South Western Command, spoke about how the Indian Army instils passion in cadets and what businesses can learn from it. Over the next two days, participants will hear from and interact with industry experts including Raj Raghavan, Senior Vice President, HR, IndiGo (InterGlobe Aviation Limited) and Saugata Gupta, Managing Director and CEO, Marico. 

Human is NOT a Resource (HINAR) is an annual leadership program organized by Isha Leadership Academy. The proceeds from this program will go to Isha COVID Action, an initiative to provide critical assistance to vulnerable groups affected by COVID-19. Isha Leadership Academy was founded with the goal of developing leadership as an innate and intuitive process. ILA's programs are intended to provide insights and unique perspectives on developing the best in human potential. For C-suite attendees, the Academy has held several leadership forums focused on scaling up, leadership, talent management, and innovation.