Management Lessons from Golu

I am just reeling from the Navarathiri Golu season and the learnings from the same are immense. According to Wikipedia, Golu is the festive display of dolls and figurines in South India during the autumn festive season, particularly around the multiday Navaratri (Dussehra, Dasara) festival of Hinduism.This year I just took a step back and looked at Golu from a management lens.

Team Management       

At any level you hire, you need people who are strong team players. Golu is a classic example of that. Apart from planning the 9 days, you need to work with a whole bunch of family, friends and relatives schedule to accommodate everyone. Setting up the Golu also involves a small army of people you trust and who can help you with the same. It can be your spouse/kids/daughter/brother/son but almost always it’s never a one wo(man) show. It’s a team effort and in some cases you will have a community like an apartment complex join hands to put up a common Golu. That brings with it its own set of complexities and nuances that needs to be managed in a diplomatic way. It can never be, my way or highway

Time Management

This is the most obvious and critical aspect of the 9 days. Whether you host a Golu or visit one, wo(men) plan their calendars well. Right from mapping their calendar to invites across locations and clubbing ones based on proximity all the possible caveats are already factored in. Dropouts and no show are almost never on the cards and the evening slots of 5-8 PM is utilized in the most optimum manner possible. It is remarkable how this is managed effectively year on year with a smile on the face.

Cost Management

Any event requires a budget and keeping a “tab” on the expenses. Golu is no different with a pre-decided budget in mind based on the scale of the golu. Gifts/décor are all planned keeping the headcount and budget in mind. The scale of the event is totally determined by this aspect and usually the budgets are managed within the agreed limits

Stakeholder Management

Now this is the tricky part. Stakeholder based on the situation can be anyone from your relatives to friends to in laws to parents. It can even be the whole guest list who you need to manage.  At a very high level, I think you need to manage your own expectations of how the golu should be and that’s a big ask.

Innovation

Why is this even important? Because Golu these days are also an expression of creativity. Right from thematic golu(s) to gifts that create a difference this trait is surely caught up over the last years to showcase Innovation at its best. This is probably an underlying reason why every year its being re-visited with new vigour. You need that innovation quotient to keep at it.

Change Management

This is purely what’s thrown at you year on year while you plan the Golu. It can be the rains that ruin your visits or electricity that suddenly went off into hibernation, you have a laundry list of things that will change year on year. Right from the start where you bring the dolls down to realizing what’s broken and tweaking your display based on that, change management is required at every step of the way.

Knowledge Transfer (KT)

Like age old traditions, this is also passed on across generations. You will notice that each house hold has a unique style and way of doing this and across the years that DNA hasn’t changed. It may have evolved but at a macro level the almost perfect KT between wo(men) of the generations have made it happen

Extra-curricular Activities

With the singing,dancing,cooking,art display there is a whole lot of creativity on display at the Golu. All emerge winners at the end of the 9 day festival.

Leadership Skills

If you did read through my blog, this is a no brainer. All of the above have enough and more opportunities to display leadership acumen. The styles can be supporting,coaching,delegating or directive and all seems to find a magical way to work.

Golu in fact  brings out a lot of interesting facets that most organizations look for when they recruit talent. Wo(men) typically are at the helm of organizing this and ties back to the focus on hiring diverse talent in your organization. Curious to know if you feel the same?