1. UNPREDICTABLE IMPACTS OF REMOTE GLOBAL INCIDENTS: Suddenly we all became very familiar with The Strait of Hormuz which connects the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean through the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, much familiar like Trishuli River. The political showdown and subsequent tornado are so far away. Still, it is striking how the compression of our world into a global village directly affects even the most remote organisations. Global events now trigger immediate, severe local ripples. Small, import-dependent nations are instantly challenged by escalating dollar conversion costs, creating a financial tornado across both CAPEX and OPEX. Steering through this storm to financial safety demands not just economic theories, but deep practical wisdom that turns mere cost-cutting into constructive, long-term strategy. Whether rising remittance flows will be enough to restore equilibrium remains to be seen. It’s clearly time for DMWL (Do More with less).
2. GLADIATOR CEOS, IN THE AGE OF SEAMLESS INFORMATION SOCIALISM. The latest challenge of managing a workforce stems from the radical
Information Socialism, on anything from Nanotechnology to life on Mars. When reportees possess sharper, younger minds and instant access to knowledge, managing mid-sized organisations becomes exponentially complex. Managers are still expected to stay one step ahead to justify their positions professionally as well, yet in modern conversations, ignorance cannot be hidden for more than a few minutes.
Being the head of an institute, regardless of the domain, has silently become far more demanding. The role is no longer confined to a single niche discipline; it requires a vast, multi- disciplinary horizon. Every day you take your seat, you never know who will confront you or on what specific topic you will be challenged, often with no time to consult tools like ChatGPT.
Point is you don’t need to know the in-depth domain; you must know what’s the domain and its pros and cons, without underestimating the prominence of an expert, but focusing on how to leverage their precious presence.
The moment you enter a high- stakes discussion with a well-prepared committee of subordinates; your wisdom is tested every second. Across every industry, CEOs have quietly been
transformed into decorated gladiators in an arena of intellect. Serving as the bridge between the board and the employees, expectations mount from both sides, while complexity multiplies: technology evolves at breakneck speed, emotional intelligence is eroded by small screens, and human attention span shrink to 15 second slots. Meanwhile, every individual deals with hidden personal anxieties about addressing their personal financial, professional, and societal uncertainties.
3. KRISHNA IN BHAGAVAT: THE BEST CEO EVER… A silent, invisible turbulence exists, one that can only be felt, not seen. CEOs stand answerable and responsible to tame both board and employees; many times, with potential contradictory expectations from both sides. To steer an organisation through these complexities, a CEO has to maintain an eerie, calm mind, an Arjuna-like focus, and the strategic mastery of Sri Krishna. As depicted in the Bhagavatam, Lord Krishna stands as the ultimate model of leadership, the best ever CEO, demonstrating how “detached attachment” enables truly just and effective decisions. He operates in a high-stakes, chaotic environment, yet
excels precisely because he masters the strategy we discussed: knowing the domain, mapping the pros and cons, and perfectly leveraging the unique strengths of his experts.
Krishna is not a micro-manager; he is a visionary strategist, an empathetic culture-builder, and a master of resource allocation. He has a sophisticated detachment with people, incidents or emotions, while being superglued to real-time ground realities. Just two lines from Bhagavat states all kind of human sorrows: Sachidananda rupaya vishvotpatyadi hetve, Tapatraya vinashaya shri krishnaya vayam namah. • Sachidananda rupaya: To the one who is the embodiment of truth, consciousness, and bliss (Sat-Chit- Ananda). • Vishvotpatyadi hetve: To the cause of the creation, sustenance, and dissolution of the universe. • Tapatraya vinashaya: To the one who destroys the three types of sorrows • Shri krishnaya vayam namah: We offer our prostrations/salutations to Lord Krishna. Understanding “Tapatraya” (The Three
Sorrows)
As discussed in Bhagavata, tapatraya refers to three distinct forms of human suffering/sorrows or heat: • Adhyatmika (Spiritual/Bodily): Sorrows related to physical body and mind (such as disease, mental stress, or grief). • Adhibhautika (Material/ Environmental): Suffering inflicted by other living creatures or external elements (such as enemies, animals, or insects). • Adhidaivika (Divine/Natural): Suffering caused by natural or celestial forces beyond human control (such as earthquakes, floods or extreme weather).
Extrapolating this to corporate corridors, • Adhyatmika (Internal / Operational Sorrows): Managing internal organisational strain, executive burnout, and team alignment.
• Adhibhautika (External / Competitive Sorrows): Navigating market competition, evolving regulatory mandates, and stakeholder expectations. • Adhidaivika (Systemic / Macroeconomic Sorrows): Responding to uncontrollable external events, such as global supply disruptions, currency shocks, or natural disasters.
Practicing detached attachment allows executives to evaluate high- stakes scenarios with clarity. By remaining committed to institutional outcomes while staying unattached to personal ego or transient anxieties, leaders can make objective, principled decisions during periods of turbulence.
4. ELEVATING THE INDUSTRIES THAT SHIELD SOCIETY, HEALTHCARE & EDUCATION.
Healthcare and education – true sunrise industries – cannot be overlooked by any nation. The principles of HEALTH ECONOMICS demand a healthy crop of citizens for a country to prosper, while HEALTH SOCIOLOGY underlines the absolute necessity of these disciplines in weaving our fundamental social fabric. Nationally, this demands stable, unyielding planning and execution at the most granular, rural levels. Both industries deserve to stand at the absolute forefront of national priority, commanding equal weight with our law-and-order and military budgets.
Indeed, it is a positive gesture that Nepal accords such priority to these sectors consistently, though current contribution is lower than the WHO recommended 10% for health. Our medical colleges and training temples deserve to be treated with crystal-like care and shielded with a velvet glove, for they protect the ultimate interests of the nation itself. Let us collectively pursue this vision, offering our tireless efforts to elevate these industries to their deserving trajectory.
The TOP 4 industries of Nepal, with a CAGR of 20% to 30% + growth fuelling the national growth are: (1) IT & Digital Services (Fastest Growing), (2) Hydropower & Clean Energy, (3) Construction & Real Estate, (4) Tourism & Hospitality.
Health and education will appear only below these industries, but reality check is that the central pillar that generates and grooms the vital human resources for every other domain is health and education, which renders them VITAL foundational industries rather than merely ESSENTIAL or DESIRED ones.
5. TAIL-END: The global macro-economy is experiencing unprecedented volatility. For mid-sized, import-dependent institutions operating in developing markets, managing foreign exchange exposure, hyper-informed talent, and shrinking human attention spans requires more than conventional administrative frameworks; it calls for deployment of these aspects combined with sharp and deep wisdom.
Every stakeholder needs to explore how executive leaders can transform macro financial shocks into operational resilience by drawing upon structural health economics, modern organisational agility, and timeless principles of philosophical leadership.
“Help is only from WITHIN, no back up to wait for”: is writing on the wall. Right from cavemen era, every turbulence has created opportunity and challenged horizon with unprecedented growth.
SUNRISE is ours… So be it…
(Oduvil is CEO at Manipal Hospital.)
