Business Strategies – The Maratha Way

 

 "Remember that night has nothing to do with sleep. It was created by God to raid territory held by your enemy. The night is your shield , your screen against the cannons and swords of vastly superior enemy forces" – Shrimant Bajirao Ballal Peshwa

What an interesting quote by one of the greatest cavalry generals the world has seen, this is supposed to be what he had told Shrimant Chimaji Ballal Peshwa as part of his lessons on military and warfare strategy. Being an ardent fan of history, majorly Maratha History, these strategies and tactics have always intrigued me. From the time of Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of Maratha Empire, to Peshwa Bajirao Saheb, under whom the Marathas started their expansion, it has always been a David vs Goliath kind of situation. But the Marathas managed to emerge victorious even in these situations with sound strategies and techniques which can prove as excellent pointers for business leaders today.

One of my favourite historians late Mr. Ninad Bedekar in one of his speeches had said that Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj definitely followed an analysis technique which is taught as a base to every management student today – SWOT Analysis. Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats; if we see the actions taken by Chattrapati Shivaji to Peshwa Bajirao Saheb and even further ahead we see the use of these tools effectively to analyze situations and take actions.

In this article I wish to list some of the pointers used by these great leaders and try to corelate them in today’s business terms.

Be Aware of your Environment

-       One of the greatest reasons of Maratha dominance during Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was effective use of Sahyadris, the treacherous mountain ranges surrounded by dense jungles. The Mughals who were used to open land / plains warfare could not understand or adjust to this environment and lost. But in the times of Peshwa Bajirao, he took the battles to plains of the North, so he had to unlearn to some extent the strategies which were earlier used and get acclimatized to the new battle fields.

-       Similarly in today’s business scenarios, leaders need to be aware of the different markets they are entering, the pros and cons of the market, the work culture in the market, key players in the market (competitors & prospective customers).

-       It is important to know your competitors, their strengths and weaknesses.

-       It is important to acclimatize to different markets for developing winning strategies; one needs to realize that no two markets or regions can be treated in the same way.

A winning strategy in market A need not necessarily be a winner in market B.

-       So the important thing is learn and improvise, that will be a winning mantra.

Tactical Retreats

-       In battles tactical retreats can sometimes be wise decision and a good strategy. A good example in Maratha history is the “Treaty of Purandar” where Shivaji Maharaj decided that it was wiser to negotiate a deal with the Mughals and live to fight another day.

-       Similarly in business it is key for all leaders to analyze and understand when it is time to step back or let go. You win some, you loose some it is part of the game.

-       There might be some contracts or region however seemingly profitable, but in the larger picture might have impact on service delivery or company morale or organizational reputation, then it should be prudent to take that step back and live to fight another day.

Know your enemies

-       Keep your friends close but enemies closer.

-       Bahirji Naik, the head of spies for Shivaji Maharaj made sure that the king was always updated about the enemy – like its strategies, resources, strengths, weaknesses, probable actions etc. This would help the Marathas plan their strategies which countered that of their enemies.

-       Now, in the business world I don’t mean to imply that we should have spies and indulge in corporate espionage. However, it is always prudent to know the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors, it could be a learning experience.

Speed & Agility

-       Bajirao Peshwa is supposed to have travelled 1.8 million kms. in the 20 years he ruled. He could do this because led a cavalry charge, no cannons, no elephants, no infantry, this gave him speed and agility. The iconic “Battle of Palkhed” was won just on these elements of agility and swift mobility, it was a bloodless victory.

-       Similarly in the world of business, speed is the key, being a first mover and a fast mover gives a certain advantage over competitors. But the key with this speed is to get the right balance, being too early in the market can equally hurt as being too late in the market.

-       Agility is another key attribute, any business must have the flexibility to be agile enough to adjust according to market requirements. In business world we might term it as customization, of course it should never be done in a manner to completely modify the business objectives, but an acceptable level of customizations should be a part of standard considerations for any business.

Make Effective Allies

-       One of the biggest factor for the loss of Third Battle of Panipat was the inability of stitching together effective alliances. Without getting into to the political debates about these failed alliances then, the lesson to be learnt is that effective partners or support is a very necessary weapon in one’s arsenal.

-       In business terms it means that we need to be on the lookout for effective partners or consultants depending on the regions being handled. Presence of a local partner or local reference in new territories is a very effective tool for increasing visibility of a business.

-       It is however very important to conduct efficient due diligence to ensure that the partners taken on board are good for our organization, its reputation and will be long-term partners.

Lead from Front

-       Killing of Afzal Khan, Attack on Lal Mahal, 40 battles fought by Bajirao Peshwa, Third Battle of Panipat all had one most important thing in commo,n the leaders led from front. Shivaji Maharaj, Bajirao Peshwa, Sadashivrao Bhau Peshwa all ensured that all these critical battles and attacks had them leading the charge fighting alongside their comrades.

-       This is the most important virtue every leader should have, sitting in offices and just pushing work onto others does not make one a “Leader”, it just makes one a “Boss”. A Leader is the one who works with his resources, ensuring that issues if any are directly taken on by the leader, clear direction and path forward is demonstrated.

-       Do not misunderstand this to not delegating work, it just means that work should be delegated and not pushed onto juniors. But even after delegating the work the responsibility of the outcome should still be with the leader, this is what will instill confidence and trust in the team.

Having mentioned the above, I would like to submit that these similar techniques might have been used by other martial races across India or World, however my keen interest in Maratha history is reason the above examples use the “Maratha Way”

P.S. – This is my small and silent tribute to late Mr. Ninad Bedekar, his speeches on Maratha History inspired me to look at this subject in a deeper sense than what I earlier did. Thank you Sir.