Success is inspiring and a thread bare analysis of success of individuals, teams and federations in the sporting arena provides key insights that individuals as well as corporate sector can learn from.

Learning from India’s World Cup Triumph

Humility & professionalism
When it comes to exhibiting high-order leadership behavior, MS Dhoni epitomizes the Level 5 leadership traits coined by Jim Collins through his humility, simplicity and professionalism. He never craves for front-stage glory but always enjoys the team’s success while staying in the background - a classic example of ‘Down to Earth Leadership’. A leader’s primary role is to create opportunities for success and enjoy the success of his team.

Courage
The ability to soak pressure, calm your team and stay focused when the chips are down. This is what MSD did, walking out at No. 5, despite a poor run with the bat. This is ‘Leading from the Front’, even when past performance has not been encouraging. As leaders, it is our duty to hold ground firmly, when the wind is blowing against us.

Faith
Having faith in our ability is imperative to weather the rough phase. Yuvraj went through a harrowing experience of poor form for over a year, before turning it around; when it mattered most. Credit goes to the leader and senior members – MSD and Sachin for persisting with their faith in Yuvraj.

Focus
Focus is not about concentrating only on what to do but also about what not to do and what to stop doing. While most teams (Australia, Pakistan, Srilanka, SA) engaged in mind games or verbal duals directed towards India, not a single irresponsible statement was made by ‘Men in Blue’ towards their opponents.

Proactivity
Attack is the best form of defence, or catching the bull by the horns simply puts our enemies on the back foot. Sehwag, in his brief innings against Pakistan, destroyed the morale of their best bowler Umar Gul and paved the way for a fantastic victory.

Opportunity counts
Ashwin , an exceptionally talented player kept playing the game in his mind and was suddenly surprised by a call to play against Australia. He did not disappoint. In a highly professional team, whether in sports or business, the opportunities to excel will be far and few.

Leader is as good as his team
MSD inherited a decent but not a very cohesive team. But he never looked back; he worked with the team to create a very strong, cohesive unit hungry for success, irrespective of the opponent.

Man management
Managing team for achieving objectives is one of the toughest tasks for a leader, especially when few members may be senior or superior to the leader in individual performance. MSD handled senior players like Sachin, Zaheer, Yuvraj, etc. exceptionally well.

Himanshu R. Saxena, Head - Strategic Alignment & Leadership Management, TCS