Manager's Mental Health

Sound mental health is the very goal of any human activity ‐ more so management. Sound mental
health is that state of mind which can maintain a calm, positive poise, or regain it when unsettled, in
the midst of all the external vagaries of work life and social existence. Internal constancy and peace
are the pre‐requisites for a healthy stress‐free mind.
Some of the impediments to sound mental health are:
• Greed ‐ for power, position, prestige and money.
• Envy ‐ regarding others' achievements, success, rewards.
• Egotism ‐ about one's own accomplishments.
• Suspicion, anger and frustration.
• Anguish through comparisons.
The driving forces in today's businesses are speed and competition. There is a distinct danger that
these forces cause erosion of the moral fiber, that in seeking the end, one permits oneself immoral
means ‐ tax evasion, illegitimate financial holdings, being "economical with the truth", deliberate
oversight in the audit, too‐clever financial reporting and so on. This phenomenon may be called as
"yayati syndrome".
In the book, the Mahabharata, we come across a king by the name of Yayati who, in order to revel in
the endless enjoyment of flesh exchanged his old age with the youth of his obliging youngest son for
a thousand years. However, he found the pursuit of sensual enjoyments ultimately unsatisfying and
came back to his son pleading him to take back his youth. This "yayati syndrome" shows the conflict
between externally directed acquisitions (extrinsic motivation) and inner value and conscience
(intrinsic motivation.)

Posted in: Life,Management