Planets in Corporate Role

In the world of Vedic Astrology, each planet is a God (Devata) for us that has certain properties and governs an important aspect of life. For more information on how planets behave and what their influence is in the horoscope and hence in our life, please visit this page – Properties and Qualities of Planets in Astrology. There is a table on the front page where you can get the basic type, nature, primary planetary significations, etc. These qualities and the impact of these planets in the horoscope due to their lordships of houses in horoscope is what Astrology is all about.

The planets may govern various houses in the horoscope, but they have a profound impact on us and on the environment around us due to their inherent qualities. For example, whichever house Sun may rule in the horoscope or wherever Sun is placed, Sun will always be indicative of ego, self-esteem, father, etc. in the horoscope. Jupiter will always be indicative of dharma and wisdom. The overall strength of these planets indicates whether we will have less or more of any of these qualities. A weak Sun will indicate a lack of self-esteem or loss of ego. 

These planets do not affect just human beings. The impact on a group of persons, organizations, states, and countries is also profound. The planets have their role in the “royal kingdom” with the Sun as the king. Here are my thoughts on the impact of these planets in a corporate environment, derived mainly from this royal kingdom. In an organization, the right people sitting in the right roles will allow the organization to prosper. A wrong person in a given role will create imbalances and the organization will eventually suffer. 

Sun: Sun is the leader of the organization. Sun’s job is to ensure that He shines bright such that the organization grows under his light. The job of the Sun is to provide leadership and to show what can all be achieved. In the darkness, the right-hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing. The Sun enlightens the path on which the organization has to walk, thus providing direction. The CEO of the company needs to have such quality. The CEO needs to be an administrator, but still away from daily work routines so that he/she can always have an overall visibility of the workings of the organization. If the CEO were to spend inordinately more time in the core technology area or in sales or in HR functions, other areas will be negatively impacted.

Moon: Moon’s job is to provide nurture and to take care of the organization. This is the HR organization or the 2nd rung of leadership. The Sun is too bright or hot for lower levels of employees to approach. Sun doesn’t understand the day-to-day work done by the lower rung of the organization. We need someone to translate the leadership message of the Sun into a good message for the rest of the organization. We cannot look at Sun due to its brightness, but we can keep looking at the Moon and the reflected light of the Sun. Moon’s role is to make the radiance and power of the Sun manageable. Please refer to this link to understand how this knowledge was present in the Vedas that Moon’s light is the reflected light of the Sun. In one of the organizations that I worked for, the India head compared himself to Mother, unbeknownst that Mother is like Moon. He wore a pearl as well on his little finger. He was more of a caretaker of the India office. He was not a leader. For direction, the India team still looked towards the US leadership. The local leader’s job was not to guide the team on day-to-day activities. His job was to ensure that the India team was taken care of well so that they could succeed in their job.

Mars: Mars’ job is to manage execution when given a clear and precise direction. The COO, execution-oriented managers, and directors are governed by Mars. Mars is the soldier. Once given the right direction, Mars’ job is not to question the command but to execute it. There is very little room for negotiations and even straying from the path. For this, Mars would break down the eventual goal into small steps and then achieve these small targets one by one. I was once interviewing with a large software multinational for a senior position where an execution was the key. I, obviously being cerebral, talked about how I am a fast learner and have the propensity to be innovative. I also mentioned that I can continuously look for new opportunities, and create room for improvement and in general I am an expert at making the team more efficient. I was curtly told that the requirement is for someone who can keep his head down and execute on the given timelines and features for the next 2-3 years. I hope you can appreciate that I was trying to be Jupiter whereas the requirement was for Mars. Needless to say, it did not work out for both of us.

Mercury: Mercury indicates quick thinking. The IT team and the team of accountants are governed by Mercury. Communication is completely the forte of Mercury. This includes marketing and to some extent HR too. Quick thinking, great communication skills, and knowledge of mathematics is required here. These people need to be well-read. Their communication on all matters should also be precise. While the Mercury-ruled persons are quick thinkers and innovators, they lack discipline. They are also easily bored and can jump from one project/department to another. A lot of tasks can be left unfinished because such people get bored of the minutiae. Hence, while the efforts could be large, accomplishments could be less. Afflicted Mercury persons can also be crybabies and attention grabbers. It is important for such folks to be given the right mentorship (partner with strong Jupiter) or taught discipline (partnership with a strong Saturn). 

Jupiter: Jupiter governs advisors, the board of directors, and overall governance in a company. Jupiter is about providing direction and pointing out of the direction is correct or not. Jupiter is about upholding the overall kartavya and dharma of the company. Jupiter governs the ethics and the legal department also. The rules and regulations are set by the people who are governed by Jupiter. Jupiter also governs investment, innovation, and new opportunities. The growth of any company in new areas, and adjacent areas is governed by Jupiter. If there is an innovation fund in the company and new startups are being mentored, persons whose Jupiter is strong would be the best persons to head this innovation group or fund. These people would be the best judge for future investment areas for the company. Jupiter also governs sales. A strong sales team should be led by a strong Jupiter type. 

Venus: Venus is also the great advisor along with Jupiter. Venus also governs advisors, the board of directors, etc. Additionally, since coaching is extremely important for the executive body, Venus also governs high-profile coaches. Venus is less dogmatic than Jupiter. Venus is more about freedom given to executives to do their work, rather than setting complex and rigid rules. In a given board of directors, the directors governed by Venus will be more amenable toward the CEO/Chairman of the board, etc. Venus is about razzmatazz. High-profile corporate campaigns and marketing campaigns are governed by Venus. The HR and Admin departments that make the workplace comfortable for the workers are governed by Venus.

Saturn: Saturn is the core engine that keeps the corporate moving. People working in assembly lines in a manufacturing unit, cleaning staff that set up the right working environment, and wage earners are all represented by Saturn. These workers take up their tasks on day to day basis, but cannot do the planning. These workers also do not understand the bigger picture. They needed to be guided to finish their tasks. A powerful and happy Saturn ensures that the work output is of high quality. Unhappy and afflicted Saturn indicates that workers are not focussed on their job and are unhappy. Such Saturn also indicates frequent disruptions.