Mahendra Singh Dhoni the charismatic captain of Indian Cricket Team has been swashbuckling with his vision,

assertiveness, temperament and his clarity of thought which has fetched him consistent results in all formats of the game. The evidence of all this is his presence on the list of Time's 100 most influential people in the world! His meteoric rise and his leadership skills made him one of the most successful captains that India has ever witnessed. Lovingly known as "Mahi" Dhoni, not only brought home the first ever T 20 World cup but also quenched the thirst of 1.21 billion Indians for ICC World Cup this year, after a long gap of 28 years.

Leadership Lessons from MS Dhoni

After Indias cricket world cup glory there were flurry of articles on management lessons that can be applied in corporate world. Few B-schools have even come out with case studies on the topic. Here is my attempt to compile some lessons from Mahendra Singh Dhoni's leadership that helped India to the glory after 28 years. Emotional Intelligence We define emotional intelligence as the subset of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one's own and others' feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide one's thinking and actions. - Salovey & Mayer The best thing I like about MS Dhoni is his Emotional Intelligence. No matter how tense is the situation he remains in total control of it without loosing his composure. That allows his team members to focus on the performance without panicking. The leaders mood and behaviors drive the moods and behaviors of everyone else. High levels of emotional intelligence create climates in which information sharing, trust, healthy risk-taking, and learning flourish. Low levels of emotional intelligence create climates rife with fear and anxiety. Decision Clarity "I do not believe in taking right decisions, I take decisions and then make them right." Ratan Tata Dhoni took a lot of decisions which appeared questionable at first place. For example: Playing Piyush Chawla despite not being in form, Giving last over to struggling Ashish Nehra during match against South Africa, Playing Ashish Nehra in place of Ashwin in Semi Finals against Pakistan, Playing Srisanth in Finals in place of Ashwin, promoting himself up the order before in form Yuvraj etc. A leader has to be decisive and he should unwaveringly stick to his decision. The decisions taken under dynamic situations cannot be termed as right or wrong. They just have to be taken and they can turn either way. You just have to back your own decisions. Leading from the front It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership. Nelson Mandela During final when the chips were down he has decided to bat before Yuvraj despite not being in form. This decision could go horribly wrong as his decision to play Srisanth in place of Ashwin has already backfired. However he took up that challenge and went ahead with his decision. That was a courageous move under the circumstances. He proved that a great leader always roll up his sleeves in times of crisis and steer the team clear of any danger.

However when it came to celebrations Dhoni let the team savor the win instead of going ga ga himself. He was not seen doing photo shoot with the trophy. He was rather contended to see his team members holding the cup except for a brief period when he was handed over the cup. Even during victory run post win he was running behind with support staff and not in front. Strategy and Man Management Skills "He who knows when he can fight and when he cannot, will be victorious." - Sun Tzu He decided to bat before Yuvraj Singh in Final match as there were two off spinners in Sri Lanka (Leg spinner for Yuvraj being left hander) and Yuvraj is always tentative against leg spinners (specially at the start). Also it would have a left right combination with Gautam Gambhir and he takes on spin far better in the slog overs. He had convinced the team management about this decision despite not being in form. He has successfully managed to align seniors like Sachin, Sehwag, Zaheer as well as juniors towards the goal and there were no inter-personal conflicts. Big Picture Clarity (Clarity of purpose) "Leaders need to be optimists. Their vision is beyond the present." - Rudy Giuliani He experimented with few players in initial stages of the tournament without worrying about the result. He experimented with Yuvraj as fifth baller and that worked. He tried taking batting power play around 35th over that didn't work. During the closing stages of the tournament he minimized the experimentation but continued calculated risk taking. Team Building Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.- - Henry Ford T.E.A.M = Together everyone achieves more. - Unknown He is not the best batsman. He is probably not the best wicketkeeper India can have. Yet he turned out to be better than all of these - MS Dhoni is the best team builder and hence the most effective leader in the cricketing world. He transformed a team of champions into a champion team. Case of Joginder Sharma being handed over the critical last over in T20 WC Final 2007 at South Africa against Pakistan proves that he trusted the Non-Stars and provided them a Stage to Shine. Dhoni believed in reposing faith in youngsters. He has picked up his team and backed them over a long period. Dhoni will not pick and drop you without giving you a decent run. Ability to influence people during crisis "The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority." - Kenneth Blanchard During the final match, Gautam Gambhir was getting jittery and tried to hit a few risky shots. Dhoni went up to him and they spoke briefly. We don't know what Dhoni said, but it certainly seemed to calm Gambhir down.

Keep it simple, silly Unlike most other captains today, Dhoni does not believe in strategising excessively before a match. In fact, he seldom watches match videos or pores over statistics. Team meetings on match days are mostly standin sessions lasting no more than 10 minutes, say colleagues. "I like to keep things simple. Cricket is a simple sport and you

complicate it by thinking too much. More you think, more complex it becomes,'' Captain Cool said at a press conference days after winning the ICC World Cup.

BILLGATES

1.

Failure Teaches Resiliency

Its fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure. The employee deserves recognition for great work, but mistakes should be recognized. and when an employee or coworker makes a mistake. It may be a small failure, but it must also be acknowledged, not swept under the rug, so it can be turned into a gain. Microsoft has made countless mistakes. Theyve put out software that wasnt ready or that was fragile against hackers, but they learn from their mistakes and do their best to make the software better. I own Vista and its not a great operating system, but it hasnt crashed or been attacked by a virus. Im a huge fan of the Microsoft Office products. They are still the best office based programs available to companies, and they constantly being improved. Microsoft understands what a person needs and then they try to over deliver. They dont always hit the mark, but neither will you, so try to use each mistake to improve your company.

2.

Understand Your Ego

Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they cant lose. If I dont keep delivering value, all of you will stop reading this blog. I cant just push out a bunch of recycled material from someone elses blog and expect my readership to grow. Take a look at how you might be coasting. Some bands make a whole career out of just one hit. One hit wonders. They think that they can just ride out the wave and not come up with anything else new. If you want to separate from the pack and become the success that your mother had hoped for, then stop believing your own hype and keep those ideas coming.

3.

Unhappy Customers Help You Improve

Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning. The customers that dont complain are ones that dont care enough about the company to come back and buy again. They will just take their money to someone else that listens.

Ive dealt with this when I ran my own wild mushroom mongering business when I was in college. I didnt take enough care to throw away the mushrooms that were riddled with tiny worms. I thought that I didnt have enough time to worry about it. I got up at 6am and picked wild mushrooms until 1pm, just as the lunch rush ended. I took a quick shower and was at the first restaurant by 1:45, then I rushed until 6pm trying to peddle my mushrooms to the various chefs at each restaurant. I thought that the sous chefs could deal with the mushrooms that werent good enough to serve their customers. WellI learned quickly. The chefs stopped dealing with me. I learned this because one chef told me that I was giving him crap. He told me to come back when I had better mushrooms. I made sure that the next batch that I picked was of higher quality, which meant less money since I was paid by the weight. It worked. The head chefs started buying from me again. Make sure you listen to your customers at every stage of the process. If you ignore what they have to say, they will soon ignore you.

4.

Leadership isnt about Control; Its about Trusting Others

As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others. I love companies that empower their employees to make the company better. Toyota is the company that has almost perfected this technique. They give rewards to any suggestion that is implemented into the companys processes. Even if its a small suggestion such as a new type of cleaner for the oily floor, they will give the employee a monetary reward. Toyota understands that every employee must be involved in improving the company, otherwise youll have managers making all the decisions. Managers are sometimes so far out of the loop that they cant make informed decisions that help with day to day operations. Being empowered makes an employee feel proud. A proud employee feels appreciated. Thats what most employees want more than anything else: to contribute to a company that appreciates them.

5.

Treat Everyone with Respect

Be nice to nerds. Chances are youll end up working for one. Be nice to nerds, your secretary, the supervisor in the next building, and the co-worker that just doesnt know when to shut-up. Whoever you are dealing with, they could one day become your superior. If you were a jerk to them, they wont do you any favors when you need them the most. I worked with someone that treated me like crap. When I moved up he suddenly wanted to be my best friend. I knew that he was only out for himself. I was nice, but never bent over backwards to help him. My boss could see this and one day we had a discussion about this employee. I vented my frustrations. He was gone by the end of the month.

Im not proud of this and didnt expect him to be fired, but if you dont give more than you get you wont be successful at your job.

6.

Action Creates Results

We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten. Dont let yourself be lulled into inaction. Listen to everyone because they just might have a great idea that might bring in a lot of revenue. Howard Shultz, the CEO of Starbucks, didnt like the idea of the Frappuccino. He was a coffee purist. He finally relented when he saw how his partner (Starbucks likes to call their employees partners) was so adamant in wanting to serve a drink to her customers that was cold, creamy and sweet. After telling her to stop trying to make her anti-pure coffee drink, she ignored him and made it anyway. He finally listened and took action, letting her come up with a concoction that her customers would like. Through this process they saw the potential. They eventually perfected the idea and it was an instant hit. Starbucks now bottles Frappuccino and sells it in grocery stores and convenience stores throughout the world. They are pushing the Starbucks brand to new people every day. What if Howard stuck to his guns and stayed the course with what he thought was best? If he didnt listen to his coffee partner that wanted to give her customers what they really wanted, they might not be the strongest coffee powerhouse in the world.

7.

Step Back and Look at the Bigger Picture

Until were educating every kid in a fantastic way, until every inner city is cleaned up, there is no shortage of things to do. Work is great, especially when we have a good year and the boss loves our production, but work in itself shouldnt be our whole lives. Bill Gates understands that he may be the richest man in the world, but if he doesnt help others lift themselves out of tough circumstances, he hasnt lived to his full potential. We need to give back to the people that are less fortunate than us. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is one of the largest donators to underprivileged people in the world. Because there is no shortage of people who need help, Bill was able to help Microsoft become stronger and he will continue to work happy because he is isnt afraid to set new goals. Bill Gates is a controversial figure, but he is making history. No one can deny his influence on business and charity. He is working to his full potential. Bill is not perfect, but he does care about the choices he makes. When I think of Bill Gates I think of many descriptions, but lazy is not one of them.

When you use the resources that you have to take action, you are creating a work happy mindset. Whether you are a marketing assistant or the CEO of a fortune 500 company, make sure you are engaged in every decision you make. The work happiness will come when you allow yourself to be involved. Vicky jain:
Female business leaders hold an advantage over their their male counterparts because they nurture and add humanity to the position, PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi said during her keynote address at BlogHer last week. Women globally represent 70% of the buying decisions around the world, Nooyi said. Theres a shift happening among women in the world. This shift Nooyi mentioned is happening across the board, and conferences such as BlogHer are an example. The importance of incorporating humanity into advertising, business and the executive role is something that has become extremely important since the recession. Nooyi told the audience that senior leaders must balance their IQ with their EQ, or emotional intelligence. This emotional intelligence provides female leaders a huge advantage to relate directly to their employees and consumers. Employees perform better when they bring their whole selves to work, Nooyi said. The proportion of women in leadership positions at organizations has yet to reflect the shift Nooyi mentions. Only 12 women hold the CEO position at Fortune 500 companies. Nooyi distills her leadership philosophy into Five Cs, which she shared with the audience. y y y y y Competency. Stand out from the pack and be a lifelong learner. Remain ahead and abreast in your field. Courage and Confidence. Speak out. Establish your knowledge base and be confident in it as a leader. Communication. Over-invest in written and oral communication. Leaders constantly have to motivate the troops. Consistency. Remaining steady, reliable, and determined allows for credibility and a baseline to measure your successes and failures. Compass. Integrity is critical in this job.

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