UdyamGita

Each individual, including the entrepreneur, has all the three behaviors. Using one of these three gunas as the prime guna, people interact with each other and manage expectations at different occasions. Each occasion provides equal opportunity for all the gunas to take a prominent position. It is an individual choice to decide which one to use at that moment. It also depends on the situation, the person in front, and the expected outcome.

Sattva Guna is the noble guna. It gives happiness to the person when used, and the most knowledgeable individuals tend to operate from this guna. This guna does not show even a grain of negative traits. It creates respect between people, and interactions become graceful, frictionless, respectful, crisp, precise, and within boundaries. This is possible when intentions are good on all sides. People are driven by selflessness and containment. They find joy in serving others and achieving selfless goals.

Rajas is driven by passion, and mostly selfish desires motivate it. With rajas driven people, the question “what is in it for me” needs to be addressed every time they interact with the entrepreneur. They need to be motivated by showcasing the benefits they will receive by achieving the goals. Communication is usually flashy and dreamy, addressing materialistic needs. They do respect others, but they give the highest importance to their own needs. They remain motivated only as long as their wishes are being fulfilled.

Tamas guna is used to remove negativity from the system. When negative people are dealt with using sattva or rajas gunas, they often do not align and instead perceive these gunas as weakness. They tend to spread negativity in the organization without any basis and are usually lazy and negligent in their work. An entrepreneur should first try using sattva and rajas gunas to align such individuals, as negativity may arise from ignorance or lack of respect. Only when sattva and rajas gunas do not work, tamas becomes the appropriate way to deal with them. Since this guna drains both the entrepreneur and the system, it is better to have clear punishment guidelines published for all misbehavior and missed goals. Well defined processes and systems should deal with tamas tendencies so that the sanity of the workplace is retained.

Krishna now introduces a powerful framework to understand human behavior: the three guṇas—Sattva (goodness), Rajas (passion), and Tamas (ignorance). These forces arise from prakṛiti and bind the eternal self to action, emotion, and consequence.

No one is exempt. Every human being, regardless of wisdom or experience, operates under the influence of these three modes. What differs is which guṇa dominates at a given moment.

This is not moral labeling—it is behavioral reality.

Business Insight

In an organization, every interaction is a play of the guṇas.

Each individual—including the entrepreneur—carries all three. At every meeting, negotiation, conflict, or decision point, any one of the guṇas can take center stage. The choice of which guṇa to lead with depends on:

• the situation,
• the person in front,
• and the outcome the entrepreneur seeks.

Leadership is not about being permanently sattvic.

Leadership is about consciously choosing the right guṇa for the moment.

Unconscious leaders react. Conscious founders respond.

Leadership Lesson

1. Sattva Guna – Leadership through Clarity and Grace

Sattva is the noblest mode. It is pure, luminous, and frictionless.

When a leader operates from sattva:

• Communication is crisp and respectful.
• Decisions are principled, not emotional.
• Relationships are built on trust and mutual respect.

This mode works best when intentions on both sides are clean. People driven by selflessness, learning, and collective good resonate deeply with sattva. Joy here comes not from winning, but from serving and building something meaningful.

However, sattva should not be mistaken for softness. It is strength without noise.

2. Rajas Guna – Leadership through Drive and Desire

Rajas is fuel. It is ambition, hunger, motion.

People dominated by rajas are motivated by a clear question:

“What’s in it for me?”

An entrepreneur must speak the language of outcomes here:

• growth,
• rewards,
• recognition,
• material success.

Communication becomes aspirational and vivid. Rajas-driven people respect leadership, but their loyalty lasts only as long as their desires are being fulfilled. They move fast, deliver results, and create momentum—but require constant recalibration.

Used wisely, rajas builds scale. Used blindly, it breeds burnout.

3. Tamas Guna – Leadership through Firm Boundaries

Tamas arises from ignorance. It manifests as laziness, negligence, negativity, and resistance without reason.

Such individuals often misinterpret sattva as weakness and rajas as manipulation. Left unchecked, they spread pessimism and erode culture silently.

The first response should always be sattva or rajas—education, clarity, incentives. Sometimes negativity is born from ignorance or lack of respect.

But when both fail, tamas must be handled with tamas—through firm rules, consequences, and non-negotiable systems.

This is not cruelty.

This is organizational hygiene.

Clear punishment guidelines, transparent processes, and system-driven accountability ensure that the entrepreneur’s energy—and the organization’s sanity—are protected.

Key Takeaways

• Every leader and employee carries all three guṇas—awareness determines mastery.
• Sattva builds trust and culture; rajas builds speed and results.
• Rajas-driven people need incentives, not sermons.
• Unchecked tamas destroys morale—systems, not emotions, must handle it.
• Great leadership is the art of choosing the right guṇa at the right moment.