a fit leader matters

22 the guidetuesday, march 17, 2015, mumbai, web www.mid-day.com, twitter @mid_day

dhoni innumbers

176: number of ODI matches that Dhonihas played as a captain between thespan of 2007-2015. 99: ODI matchesthat Dhoni has won as a captain

Be a team player

Whether it was backing newcomers likeShikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma

early on in their careers or letting team-mates bask in the glory of the 2011 WorldCup victory, MS Dhoni believes in givingimportance to the team’s priorities andspace to his players, in turn, empoweringthem. “This is an important skill to learn— to be open with the team and to allowothers to think through, feel the right andwrong in every situation and then takesolution-based decisions, which enablesbest results in every task at hand,” saysVandana Shah, executive and leadershipcoach at The Chrysallis.

“The difference between a boss and aleader is that a boss dictates terms, and aleader develops the team members, suchthat there is no more a need for a system tofollow but where members work in sync ontheir own. Being flexible to the develop-ment of team members also helps themevolve and build their emotional stability,”adds Khyati Birla, executive coach.

LESSON #1

Boost team morale

According to the cricket commentator,Charu Sharma, Dhoni’s undisputable

positive personality results in boosting themorale of the team, an important skill forleaders to learn from. “His personality rubsoff on the team and it is easier for them to bearound him, if not follow him. You find cap-tains who berate their team members inpublic or give them an angry glare if they losea catch, but Dhoni never does that. Hesmiles, jokes and has the least possible bag-gage on his shoulders, which is refreshing,”observes Sharma. Birla explains, “When in ateam, not every member is evolved at thesame level. For example, one person mighthave difficulty facing a fast delivery while theother might find it hard to face a spin ball.Reassurance from the leader, to at least tryand not worry about the result, helps buildthe morale of members and affects the overall result.”

Walk the talk

As India’s wicketkeeper, batsman and cap-tain, Dhoni’s personal performance has

broken many records. “He has proven to beIndia’s man during crisis. The number oftimes he has bailed India out with late orderinnings is what the leader is all about. Youhave to lead from the front and walk thetalk,” says Sharma.

Learn to handle failure

There is no constant in heroism and a per-son isn’t always on the top. Failure is an

inevitable part of success and a true leaderdoes a retake when there is failure. Severalsportsmen such as Michael Jordan have seenfailure and started again,” says Birla.

Connect individually

Apart from being a captain, Dhoni has alsobeen a mentor for younger team players.

“He connects with each player in the team,providing them quality time with equal fre-quency. Leaders who connect with each teammember derive more out of them in the longrun — their loyalty, high confidence and zealto surpass themselves in their performance,”says Suri. “A good leader ensures that egosdon’t develop in the team and has expecta-tions that are realistic. He talks to people in away that he reaches out to each member,”sums up Birla.

LESSON #7

LESSON #6

LESSON #5

LESSON #4

Dhoni shares a light moment with teammates during a team training session at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on January 5. PIC/AFP

Don’t buckle under pressure

He isn’t called Captain Cool without rea-son. In his career spanning over a decade,

Dhoni has seen dark days too, and battledmany controversies on and off the field.“However, when he’s on the field, it’s all aboutthe game. The controversies directed at himmay have rattled him. But, there were noflare-ups, display of hurt or angst or slangingmatches. He conducted himself with dignityand pride, choosing to let go of things thatdon’t add to growth, demonstrating a strongsense of character,” says city-based victorycoach, Farzana Suri.

“Every leader should stay grounded evenduring peak pressure time, criticism in per-sonal and professional life, and maintain adegree of lateral thinking orientation thathelps taking right decisions and best per-formance at all times,” explains Shah.According to Birla, if the leader does nothave the emotional resistance to stand strongunder pressure, the team will follow suit.

LESSON #2

Do it the Dhoni wayAs Mahendra Singh Dhoni leads India into theCricket World Cup quarter-finals with six wins —after a dismal showing in the preceding Australia tri-series — the guide invites experts to decode CaptainCool’s qualities that can serve as leadership lessons

Go with your gut

Whether it is an odd selection of players,shuffling the batting order or attacking

field setups, this skipper goes by his gutinstincts on the field and that has led tomany a wins for India. “This requires a lot ofbelief in oneself and one’s abilities. No matterwhat position you are in, without self-belief,your steps won’t move you to stride ahead.Leaders should keep that faith in what theybelieve in,” says Suri. Birla feels that afteryears of experience, a person builds up asixth sense. “There was once a Formula Onedriver who was looking at navigating a bendon the track. But at the last minute, he pulledover. Turns out, there was a pile-up aheadand his instinctive approach saved his life.He said this was because the audience waslooking ahead rather than at him and hesensed something was wrong. This is whatexperience builds up,” she elaborates.

According to Shah, leaders need to readbetween the lines and see what others mayhave missed and take the risk that is requiredat that moment.

LESSON #3

Dhoni is known to take keen interest infitness and this aspect has inspiredmembers of the Indian team to keep uptheir fitness levels too. “Anybody who isphysically fit is living consciously, hence, isfocussed, alert and wise. To lift a 25 kgbarbell, one needs to be focussed; hence,being mentally and physically fit isinterconnected. This also affects the personemotionally and the person is an inspirationto the members of his team and they try andadopt this way of living as in the end,everyone wants to be on the top,” saysnutrition consultant, Karishma Chawla.

Dhara Vora and Krutika Behrawalatheguide@mid-day.com

health

LEADERSHIP SKILLS

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