At a time when businesses are faced with hostile market conditions and zillions of dollars have been invested in the economy, the risks and pitfalls are evidently quite high for a business owner. Be it a start- up or a mature, well-established business empire, appointment of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – the single most important person who takes all big decisions in a company – is one of the most crucial decisions to be taken by a business owner. One wrong decision can run havoc in a company and can mar its fortunes, more so if it is listed on the exchanges. At the same time, good investment decisions and ideas can propel a firm to dizzy heights in a short span of time. Barring the technical and soft skills required to be a CEO, one important factor to be considered while hiring a top executive is his/her ‘X factor’, which effectively means the ‘luck quotient’.

If technical skills were that important, how does one explain the stellar success of political and business leaders across the world such as Narendra Modi, Dhirubhai Ambani, Abraham Lincoln, Mark Zuckerberg (and many more). Clearly, they did not possess the much-vaunted ‘techno-educational’ skills that are normally acquired from ‘premier’ institutions. How, then, were they able to manage such large political and business empires without the technical know-how and requisite ‘managerial skills’ and were able to take astute decisions that transformed the political and business landscape of the country? One important factor is their unique planetary configuration, which made them ‘lucky’ while taking crucial decisions.

Napoleon Bonaparte once famously remarked, “I would rather have a general who was lucky than one who was good”. Surely, luck has a role to play when it comes to decisive victories over competitors, be it in the battlefield, or in a market setup braced with cut-throat competition. While both skills and luck are important when it comes to climbing the corporate ladder and becoming the highest executive, once on the hot seat, the stars of the CEO have the most important bearing on the fortunes of the company and its employees. This is not to disregard or demean other factors such as hard work, but at this stage, when every single decision can affect a company’s market prospects, the CEO’s role (and luck quotient) can be the key differentiator between organisations when it comes to being a market leader.

Surprisingly, this aspect has not yet got its due attention among the hiring fraternity and any mention of using astrology for hiring is either mocked or viewed with skepticism. This is despite the fact that the “Corporate Astrology” branch of the Indian Vedic Astrology system has evolved by leaps and bounds over the years and one is now able to predict the future roadmap of an organisation with a high amount of accuracy by casting and analysing the horoscope of its CEO.

Gone are the days when only generic explanations used to be provided by astrologers while predicting ‘good’ or bad’ periods of life. Now, within the ambit of Nadi Astrology (an offshoot of Indian Vedic Astrology), it is possible to predict when a person may become bankrupt, and when he/she may strike a windfall. Backed by momentous research, very clear combinations and rules have been evolved and mastered with an impressive success rate to predict the highs and lows in the life of a person or a corporate. These can be successfully employed to strategise company investments in line with the favourable financial periods depicted in a CEO’s birth chart.

Interestingly, the number of CEOs fired by conglomerates has shot up in recent years. According to an analysis of annual reports of 30 companies listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange in the health & pharma, consumer durables, IT, banking, power and auto sector, as many as 53 CEOs joined these companies between 2010-11 and 2016-17; of which 24 CEOs quit or were asked to go during this period. Notably, the median tenure for exiting promoters in these companies was found to be 21 years, compared to just four years for their professional counterparts. This clearly demonstrates that CEOs that were hired failed to discharge their primary role, that of improving their company’s stock.

In the face of market volatility and trend towards market consolidation, CEOs are now expected to be vested with additional skills that aid this transition smoothly, for thousands of lives are dependent on them. As a result, the average CEO’s tenure over the last few years has shrunk further. Corporates are now desperately seeking CEOs with a ‘midas touch’ to stem the rot and revive its fortunes. Clearly, there are no magic wands available, but Corporate Astrology can surely help fill the void and help businesses grow. 

Neeraj Dhankher is a ‘Corporate Astrologer’ offering consultancy to various clients across the globe. With more than 20 years of experience, Neeraj is helping corporates plan their financial roadmap and is also working with the HR community to streamline hiring for senior leadership. He can be contacted at 9818342319.