Smile as an expression in Buddhism and business

Vipula WANIGASEKERA

A telephone operator in an organization is advised to smile before answering a call, because the operator cannot see the caller and the smile is said to be influencing the manner in which the call is answered as desired by the company.

How many of us follow this. Smile is just a word probably not taken so seriously in day to day affairs in religious or general terms as a crucial feature without the apprehension of the power it has to turn individuals and, organizations around, provided of course the Smile comes from the heart.

In Buddhism, smile represents the Brahma Viharas, again, if it originates from the heart. It is great Buddhist practice to maintain regular smile in all what one does. With a half smile when you get up, when you walk, when you encounter a new situation and the time when you get frustrated, the outcome would be something to experience.

A smile when you start the day will make one feel energetic. A smile at strangers may earn a return smile.

There is no need to refer modern psychology that in any event confirms the positive effects of smiling because smile draws reciprocal positive emotions and interestingly even the forced smile induces helpful attitudes.

Buddhism takes smile beyond this. It carries Loving kindness, Compassion, Altruistic joy and Equanimity. These are qualities of a mother towards her own child that are expected to be extended to all beings. Rejoicing over the joy of another, as you feel with your own family, though easier said than done, is what the genuine smile depicts.

What is the role of Smile in business?. Smile is a vital element in every aspect of Business. This may be argued when it comes to task oriented leaders where the smile can be interpreted to be negatively correlated to a success of a particular assignment or a business.

Then comes the sincerity. Eliminating competitors, unethical practices to sell more goods and services to reach monthly targets, undercutting, cannot originate from the marketeers who conduct their operations with a smile. A salesman who cannot smile gets disqualified immediately. There is a marked difference in the smile one experiences in the business and economy classes of airlines.

Some leaders do not smile with the perception that a boss needs to look tough. Others follow suit. A smile then emerges only for a business purpose and can even lead to misleading a customer who loses faith in a product or an organization. That is the smile that comes only from the face.

A smile at someone, even when they don't know each other, can make the other person think positively of you.

The smile induces positive emotions and one can imagine how much it can do in a team work that has to accomplish a task.

They say smile is infectious. It makes everyone smile too. Smile that represents equanimity enables to weather any storm in life and business.

Ups and downs are vicissitudes that are inevitable and cannot be avoided.

Smile that represents compassion enables understanding of human and day to day issues, again that affects everyone.

One human resource experts said, if one is unhappy at home, he or she cannot be productive in office. Another said, if the boss does not know the first name of every worker under his command, he cannot be a good leader.

All these means a leader who has the ability to smile, can be an effective achiever too.

Concerning sincerity in business, it is needless to elaborate that no business can be sustained if the credibility of the organization cannot be maintained.

A credible organization may have managers and subordinators who work under constant pressure. But if they don't have a smile, it is an indication of something drastic that may happen in the future.

There is a practical illustration with "Sri Lanka's strength as a hospitable and smiling nation. Those who travel elsewhere have also experienced smiling people all over. But the people have the ability to differentiate the natural smile and the artificial smile. A natural smile does not arise when the eye catches money. It will always be there and the resulting credibility and sincerity helps the individual and organization the long run.

And vice versa for the smile that represents hospitality only when there is possible business and money. That is quite short-term when the product or service does not meet the customer requirement.

Smiling is therefore important in our everyday life, both in our personal lives as well as within the workplace. As Dale Carnegie notes "the expression one wears on one's face is far more important than the clothes one wears."

'A smile is one of the most obvious and effective methods of non-verbal communication and it is the first thing that one notices on the other'.

The implication of a smile reflects in both personal and business relationships. Smiling overcomes barriers and open doors for people.

Just as much as it represents the four brahma viharas in Buddhism, it is also a message of goodwill and a sign of hospitality and confidence which is essential in business.