The inner source of talent, skill and performance.

Most of the educational and training systems in the academic or corporate world try to develop skill or knowledge or extract performance through externalized methods of instruction or motivation of the surface being of the individual. But a more effective method would be to consciously activate and develop the corresponding inner faculties of consciousness.

Knowledge, Talent and Skill are the source of productivity and performance. But what is not fully recognized in modern management or educational thought is that behind outer forms of knowledge, talent or skill, there are corresponding inner faculties, which are their psychological source. For example behind the genius of Einstein there is a highly developed intellectual, scientific and intuitive faculties of knowledge. Similarly behind the competence, skill or achievement of a high-performing entrepreneur or manager there is a well-developed pragmatic and executive faculties of action. For maximizing the performance of individuals we have to identify these inner psychological faculties and develop all its potentialities consciously through appropriate methods. Here is a broad outline of faculties, which have to be developed for realizing the full psychological potentialities of the individual.

•  concentration, which means the ability to focus all the energies of our consciousness on a point or activity.

•  mindfulness, which means an alert, vigilant and detached awareness of our own inner being and outer life.

•  conceptual, rational and analytical intelligence which can discover or generate new ideas and concepts

•  pragmatic intelligence which can solve problems, generate practical innovation and apply ideas for the enrichment of life.

•  emotional, ethical and aesthetic intelligence with an intuitive sensitivity to higher values like truth, beauty, goodness, harmony and unity

•  faculties of will and vital-force which are essential for executing and manifesting ideas and ideals in life.

•  imagination which can make abstract ideas concrete to thought and feeling and visualize unmanifest possibilities of the future.

•  intuition which can reconcile opposites, perceive the interconnected and interdependent wholeness of life, see, feel or sense the truth of problems, situations, ideas, possibilities or people with a direct supralogical insight, and perceive the deeper truth behind the outer appearances.

Some of these faculties develop partially, unconsciously and indirectly in the course of study, work, life and action. For example, academic, scientific, philosophical, mathematical studies, research or work, develop the rational, analytical and conceptual intelligence. Similarly technological, managerial, professional and entrepreneurial work develops the pragmatic intelligence. But if we can supplement this mostly externalized process of learning and development by a more inward, direct, psychological process by which our inner faculties of knowledge, feeling and action are consciously and systematically activated enlarged and developed to their highest potential, then it may possibly lead to a fuller and more accelerated development of our productive capacities.

This brings us to the question how to do it? The development of some of these faculties like concentration, mindfulness, ethical sense, will-power are discussed in greater detail in the earlier issues of FDI. (September, October, November, 2010). The other faculties will be discussed in our subsequent issues as part of corresponding themes.

The author is a Research Associate at Sri Aurobindo Society and on the editorial board of Fourth Dimension Inc. His major areas of interest are Management and Indian Culture.

M.S. Srinivasan