When more than one billion shareholders watch you deliver annual results,
with great expectations of profits, the atmosphere can be electrifying. Each
with great expectations of profits, the atmosphere can be electrifying. Each
shareholder thinks he can run the company better. TV analysts, with their penchant
for statistics, egg on the shareholder, diagnosing your every move with god like
authority. The CEO of Indian Cricket, on whom the hopes of a billion rest, is
like a batsman facing the formidable Slinga Malinga yorkers ! The most accomplished
CEO will cringe before such an opposition. But not Dhoni !
When the Indian skipper delivered a dream result beyond the dreams of
avarice, beyond the dreams of the India haters, no bonus or dividends were
announced. In a glorious final, so different from the one sided finals of
the past, against a powerful Emerald Isle side, the guts, the determination
and the will power displayed by MSD had the corporate captains of Indian
industry gasping and singing praises about his leadership qualities. Eight
hours of his brilliant captaincy got him more than a million accolades from
one and all !
"A man who was not showing form came out with impressive grit in the final.
Team members in a company look up to bosses like these. People look for the
body language of the leader . He is always in charge of the situation .
Dhoni is very decisive and he does not waffle," says Mohan Das Pai, member
of the board, Infosys.
"How Dhoni took over the reins from stars such as Rahul Dravid and Sachin
When the Indian skipper delivered a dream result beyond the dreams of
avarice, beyond the dreams of the India haters, no bonus or dividends were
announced. In a glorious final, so different from the one sided finals of
the past, against a powerful Emerald Isle side, the guts, the determination
and the will power displayed by MSD had the corporate captains of Indian
industry gasping and singing praises about his leadership qualities. Eight
hours of his brilliant captaincy got him more than a million accolades from
one and all !
"A man who was not showing form came out with impressive grit in the final.
Team members in a company look up to bosses like these. People look for the
body language of the leader . He is always in charge of the situation .
Dhoni is very decisive and he does not waffle," says Mohan Das Pai, member
of the board, Infosys.
"How Dhoni took over the reins from stars such as Rahul Dravid and Sachin
Tendulkar and built a team that benefits as much from the presence of the world's
most experienced players as from its young, talented and at times erratic performers
is exemplary " says K Ram Kumar, executive director, ICICI.
"One must keep in mind that when Dhoni took over, Dravid and Tendulkar were
stars. His point to them was that I am the captain but you are far senior
and better than me. This is something to be cherished. A statement like this
makes seniors secure. It's an important quality of a good leader to
recognise the extremely capable in the team, rather than feel insecure about
their presence," says Ram Kumar.
It is positive manipulation, said Ram Kumar, about Dhoni's principle of support
with stick. . "When Dhoni comes out and tells the media
that Zaheer Khan is a great bowler and he will deliver, he is being
positively demanding. The confidence expressed in public puts positive
pressure. Some leaders do this by invoking fear," he says. Team building is
the greatest building.
that Zaheer Khan is a great bowler and he will deliver, he is being
positively demanding. The confidence expressed in public puts positive
pressure. Some leaders do this by invoking fear," he says. Team building is
the greatest building.
How about dealing with the competitors and handling volatile situations?
About innovating and experimenting in real time, Dhoni should be given top
marks, says Santrupt Misra, Group Director , HR, at Aditya Birla Group.
marks, says Santrupt Misra, Group Director , HR, at Aditya Birla Group.
"Dhoni continuously tries to innovate and experiment (e.g. when everybody said
he should go with Ashwin, he played Nehra). This means he knows both the
game as well as the people very well, which, of course, is another great leadership
trait. He is not overly ecstatic when he succeeds nor is he utterly down and out
when he loses. In a volatile environment, this is a great trait to have. Getting the
best out of your team doesn't mean you don't face tough situations yourself.
"Dhoni isn't afraid to put himself in the firing line, even at the risk of personal
best out of your team doesn't mean you don't face tough situations yourself.
"Dhoni isn't afraid to put himself in the firing line, even at the risk of personal
failure as he proved in the final. Besides he can keep the competitors guessing on a few
things. Inspirational leaders keep some tricks up their sleeve and use them
to turn around seemingly hopeless situations. MSD is a master at this."
says Suvojoy Sengupta , MD India, Booz & Co.
MSD turned around the Indian performance, after the abject failure in 2007 World Cup.
Under him, the subsequent trail of victories put India as the numero uno in world cricket.
things. Inspirational leaders keep some tricks up their sleeve and use them
to turn around seemingly hopeless situations. MSD is a master at this."
says Suvojoy Sengupta , MD India, Booz & Co.
MSD turned around the Indian performance, after the abject failure in 2007 World Cup.
Under him, the subsequent trail of victories put India as the numero uno in world cricket.
Dhoni is the turnaround man Indian companies would love to have as CEO.
"Forget cricket. Dhoni is the singlemost amazing leader India has " says
Ganesh Natarajan, Global CEO, Zensar Technologies.
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