Once Krishna and Balram were crossing a jungle. Tired, they decided to take turns sleeping. Balram volunteered to keep the watch first. A demon appeared and roared, “Go away.” Even with all his strength, Balram felt a bit unsettled. The demon sensed his restlessness and grew larger, roaring again, “Leave now.” As Balram lost his calm and felt fear, the demon grew even louder, until it roared like a million lions. Overwhelmed, Balram called out to Krishna and fainted.

Krishna awoke and saw the enormous demon still thundering. He asked calmly, “Who are you?” The demon reduced in size. It roared again, “I will kill you.” Unfazed, Krishna replied, “No, you cannot,” and it shrank further. When the demon invited him to fight, Krishna said, “I will not waste my time.” With every calm response, the demon grew smaller until it became a tiny doll resting in Krishna’s palm. When Balram awoke and asked where the terrifying demon had gone, Krishna pointed to the doll with a playful smile and said, “This one? Brother, please don’t turn this into a big demon again.”

Problems in organizations are not very different from that demon. When fear and restlessness take over, the problem appears larger than it is, draining energy and clouding perspective. When leaders respond with calmness, clarity and presence, the problem loses its false power and shows its true size.

I invite leaders to reflect upon:

  • What does your presence do to the demon of problems?
  • How do you instil confidence in your team to see the true size of the challenge?