UdyamGita

Now Duryodhana wants Drona to become familiar with his own team as well. This is a major red flag, as it clearly shows that Drona was never involved in the initial phase of team formation. He was neither consulted nor briefed about the team’s strengths and weaknesses before arriving on the battlefield. Instead, this critical information is shared just moments before the war is about to begin.

There is hardly any team building or alignment done for this war. Everyone is merely standing there with their individual strengths, yet to function as a cohesive unit. The foundation of teamwork is missing, and coordination is expected to happen under pressure, at the last moment.

The leadership lesson here is very clear. When you want someone to play a leadership role:

1. Involve them from the very beginning.
2. Break the ice and build alignment before project execution.
3. Enable people to work as a team, not as isolated individuals.

Strong leadership and strong teams are built early, not assembled at the last minute.

Having detailed the strength and structure of the Pandava forces, Duryodhana now turns the focus inward. He addresses Dronacharya and announces that he will now describe the principal generals on their own side—those qualified to lead the Kaurava army.

This timing is revealing. The war is moments away from beginning, yet Duryodhana is only now briefing his most senior military leader about the internal leadership structure. What should have been foundational knowledge sounds like a last-minute announcement.

Business Insight

This verse exposes a serious organizational flaw: Drona was never truly involved in the team formation phase.

Key leaders are not looped in early. Strengths and weaknesses are not discussed upfront. Alignment is assumed, not built. As a result, the army stands ready—but only as a collection of individuals, not as a cohesive unit.

In business, this is a major red flag. When leaders are informed at the execution stage rather than involved at the strategy stage, ownership remains shallow. Teams may look strong on paper, but without early alignment, coordination suffers exactly when pressure peaks.

Leadership Lesson

Leadership is not a role assigned at the last minute—it is a process cultivated over time.

If someone is expected to lead:

1. Involve them from the beginning, when strategy is being shaped.
2. 
   
3. Break the ice early, before deadlines and pressure take over.
4. 
   
5. Enable team formation, not just individual contribution.
6. 
   

Skipping these steps creates friction, confusion, and fragile execution. When leaders are forced to synchronize people who have never truly aligned, momentum is lost at the most critical moment.

Strong leaders don’t just command teams—they build them before the battle begins.

Key Takeaways

• Late briefing is a leadership failure: Alignment cannot be rushed at execution time.
• Involve leaders early: Ownership grows when leaders shape the journey, not just the outcome.
• Teams need time to gel: Individual strength without cohesion is unreliable under pressure.
• Preparation precedes performance: The real work happens long before the battlefield.
• Leadership is a process, not a title: It must be earned through early engagement and trust.