Newsletter for the constant personal and team improvement in spiritual life No.1 - August 99

INSIDE 
Letter from the editor Leadership Training News Interview with Kalakantha das, congregational development consultant in ISKCON Excellence in Action Inspirational Quotes

Dear Devotees,

This Newsletter is designed to inspire us to develop a Culture of Constant Improvement within our individual lives, families and communities. Through this we may strive for excellence in our duties in devotional service and thus please Krsna, Supreme Lord and all living entities.

In different articles, interviews, life stories, examples, quotes and news, we would like to give you ideas and tools how to constantly improve whatever you do in your service or institution, your family and your personal quest for perfection in devotional service.

Holy men, scriptures and spiritual teachers give us wonderful personal and historical examples of excellence for the human being, who has such a wonderful opportunity to attain perfection in this valuable human form of life. These timeless principles may be applied today for the good of all. That’s why we want to focus on them in this Newsletter.

We wish you all success in your sublime endeavor to achieve excellence in all your thoughts, words and deeds.

Your servant, Akrura das

LEADERSHIP TRAINING NEWS 
Hungary Summer 99 This summer on Hungarian Farm New Vraja Dhama 3 day leadership seminara was held by His Holiness Sivarama Swami. About 30 devotees attended, most of them ISKCON leaders in Hungary like temple presidents, Nama hatta leaders and department heads. First day was spent in studing and discussing sastra. Second in discussing the stages of devotional service from sraddha to prema and 3 reasons for appearance of Lord Caitanya. And third in studying, analyzing and discussing 3 role models of leadership: Yudhisthira Maharaja, Prthu Maharaja and Srila Prabhupadas’ instructions from Siksamrta - selected instructions from his letters.

Also one congregational devotee who is an expert held a professional session.

Sivarama Swami maintains that for successful leadership training leaders must get regular training and association. That’s why Srila Prabhupada wanted that leaders meet at least once a year and associate in Mayapur and hear and chant together.

This is not the first time that Maharaja holds such seminars. It is going on for the last three years. It was held once a year, but now Maharaja will have it 3 times a year (in winter, summer and fall).

INTERVIEW (taken from Internet Website Newsletter ‘Leader of the 21. Century’) http://lead-high.freeservers.com An interview with Mr.Carl Woodham(Kalakantha das) Chairman of Board of Directors, ISKCON of Alachua County. President, Mayapur Foundation, a non-profit organization promoting the Mayapur project in the US. Self-employed independent non-profit consultant for the past seven years.

Q: You are a Congregational Development Consultant in a non-profit organization (ISKCON). What are the main points that you teach your clients?

A: Donors drive the non-profit world. In some cases the donors may be large governmental agencies, and that is another subject. Most non-profits depend upon the goodwill of their individual supporters. In the US, gifts from the private sector account for the vast majority of non-profit support.

To retain support, non-profits must treat their donors with a high degree of personalism and transparency. By transparency I mean that the donor must be able to see clearly how his or her support is fulfilling the mission of the organization. Non-profit leaders must conduct their business with a high degree of professionalism and accountability. Too often, non-profit leaders consider businesslike practices a distraction and burden to their sincerely motivated non-profit purposes. Their mission suffers as a result.

Donors must be recognized and sincerely appreciated with letters, kind words, personal gifts and special events.

Q: What is, in your view, the most important principle for a successful leadership in a 21.Century?

A: The realization that leadership is a burdensome labor of love that contains more pain than perks.

Q: Would you mind if we would interview your family and ask them if they are satisfied with your contribution as a father and a husband?

A: Not at all, but I doubt that my wife would be willing to say much. She’s very shy.

EXCELLENCE IN ACTION

Motivating on a deeper level

In the scriptures it is stated that we living entities have a free will. We can chose to be in maya or Krsna conscious. That much independence we have. Thus people are coming to Krsna consciousness out of their own free will. It is a very delicate job to fan the spark of enthusiasm for devotional service and to motivate them on the level of the soul, not mind or body. After so many lifetimes of illusion and suffering in material energy, the person has come to try to approach Krsna. So the preacher and a leader has a great responsibility to facilitate and not hinder the spiritual development of the candidate.

Candidates are actually so rare and therefore so precious. There are 2 things we may do to properly begin to facilitate their progress: 1.Be patient Give them a lot of time. Give them space. Although it is urgent to go full-speed forward, one needs time to come to that mature level of understanding. Help them build gradually and then they will be able to give full energy, intelligence and heart to the process of devotional service. 2.Trust them Although we know from Bhagavad-gita that 4 kinds of people approach God and they have different motives, we may show to people that we appreciate their attempt to approach God. We may understand they have a potential for pure devotional service and if we are good example and teach them they will eventually develop a desire for purest service. Trust motivates people very deeply. ‘I see you have a not-the-highest motive but I know you have a potential for a highest thing. And I am trying to connect with that.’ I trust you may become a pure devotee of Krsna. akd

INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES

The art of management-by Srila Prabhupada

Our leaders should be careful not to kill the spirit of enthusiastic service, which is individual and spontaneous and voluntary. They should try to always generate some atmosphere of fresh challenge to the devotees, so that they will agree enthusiastically to rise and meet it. That is the art of management: to draw out spontaneous loving spirit of sacrificing some energy for Krsna. All of us should become expert managers and preachers. Srila Prabhupada, Lett 72

Dear readers, we are eager to hear from you. Please contact us on: email: akrura@bbt.se or ISKCON ‘Vaisnava Excellence’ akrura das Inis Rath / Lisnaskea County Fermanagh Northern Ireland BT92 9GN Tel. ++44 (013657) 21512

© CHAKRA 13-Sep-1999

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