“Walk the talk”, it is said, is one of the key attributes of Leadership, a phrase that many of us have either been prescribing or consuming in the town hall meetings, official discussions or in social contexts. A plethora of articles, bulk of management literature enunciates on why it is crucial for leaders to walk the talk, how can you tell whether a leader truly walks the talk & so on.

The concept of “Walk the Talk” as a Leadership attribute although coined by the modern-day Management literature has its deep-rooted origins in ancient scriptures. Flip open any ancient scripture and you will end up finding abundant stories of eminent personalities who have walked the talk. One such ancient scripture is the Bhagavad Gita. The Bhagavad Gita is a dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna, right before the start of the Kurukshetra war in the Mahabharata, when Arjuna is filled with moral dilemma and despair about the violence and death the war will cause.

When I first read the Bhagavad Gita, little did I realize that it contained so many lessons for Leaders / Practicing Managers complementing their great erudition. The Bhagavad Gita is a repository of learnings that have that have stood the test of time and are de rigueur in the societies that we live in.

The third chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, often called by translators as Karma Yoga or Yoga in action, talks about “Niskama Karma” – which is essentially acting dutifully without attachment and setting the correct example for others.

The relevant Bhagavad Gita verse (3.21) that touches the concept of “Walk the talk” is

“Yad Yad acharati sresthas tad tad evetaro janah,
Sa yat pramanan kurute lokas tad anuvartate”

The English translation of this Sanskrit verse is whatever action a great man performs, common men follow. Whatever standards he sets by his exemplary acts, all the world pursues.

“Sresthah” in Sanskrit means great men / leaders. In the ancient times, Kings, Executive heads of the state, Father & the School Teacher were termed as great men / Leaders worthy of following. All such Leaders had a great responsibility to their dependents. When we apply this in the context of Corporate setting, the Owner or the Leader of a Business is the “Sresthah” who is accountable to the employees and society in general.

“Acharati” means “what he does”. Acharati in connection with Corporate leaders can be said to mean the various actions or behaviors that the leaders demonstrate ranging from personal conduct, people connect, decision making right up to their commitment to Integrity.
By their actions & behaviors, Leaders set an example in establishing a standard which is nothing but the

“pramanam” part of the verse. Pramanan in Sanskrit stands for “example”. These exemplary actions then become a norm or standard at the workplace, which is followed by employees or teams in general.

“Anuvartate” is the relevant Sanskrit word in the above verse which literally means “follow in the footsteps”.

Needless to say, when it comes to leadership, you’ve got no choice but to back up your words with actions & behaviors. Leaders / Practicing Managers need to possess the moral fiber to set exemplary standards through their actions especially in these times where employee reverence is most difficult to earn.