The journey of cricketing superpowers

Right from the first world cup in 1975, till the mid-80s, the West Indies team was unconquerable in the game of cricket. Winners of the world cup in the first two world cup tournaments, the team was considered completely dominant and unconquerable. They had a power packed batting line up, who could tear apart the best bowling attacks with their huge sixes, and a lethal bowling attack, which was the nightmare of any opposition batsman. However, by the time the late 1980s arrived, they slowly started seeming a normal outfit, which could be defeated if targeted in the right way. The Aussie victory in the 1987 world cup signalled the beginning of the end, even though the West Indies outfit was still a force to reckon with, with greats like Brian Lara, Courtney Walsh etc. However, though strokes of individual brilliance shone through, the team was not able to perform well consistently, and defeats became more frequent.

West Indies was replaced by the Australian team at the pinnacle in the 1990s. The formidable team that was formed under Allan Border, was taken by able successors like Mark Taylor, Steve Waugh and finally, Ricky Ponting. The Aussies were able to keep up the fort for almost two weeks, because they planned and designed the next team, before one set of star players faced retirement. The transitions from one captain to another were smooth and pre-calculated. However, even they were caught on the back foot when a whole bunch of performers, including Mathew Hayden, Shane Warne, MrGrath etc, all retired within a short span of time. India is faced with the same danger, as we are now faced with the imminent retirement of the batting greats, Sachin, Dravid and Laxman.

All teams go through the initial stages where they take time to find their roots, before performers emerge, and a phase of consecutive victories occurs. This stage of maturity and maximum performance is sustained for some time, before the members of the team start getting old and retiring one by one. Thus, the team management should ensure that they constantly groom and nurture a bunch of young players, talented enough to slowly take the reins from the aging seniors.

This kind of succession planning is important for any kind of organizations or teams. Companies who have aging CEOs need to start planning beforehand and ensure a smooth transition, handing the power over to the next generation.

My visits to Deepalaya

It was 2 months after I joined MDI that I paid my first visit to Deepalaya, along with some 15 odd people from college. It was such a refreshing change from the routine life that I had started leading in the college. The less privileged children in this institution were so full of energy and enthusiasm, that it was in fact contagious. When we went in, all of us were serious management students, who were visiting the place to give our inputs as to how the place can be run better. But having met the kids there, we realized that they expected much more from us than advice and help as outsiders. They mingled freely, talking, singing and dancing with us all throughout the day, as if they had known us for years. The pure joy of basking in their innocent love was visible in the face of each and every Mandevian who visited the place that day.

Since the first visit, I have been to the place twice, and each visit was as memorable, if not more, as the first one. We realized that the children there were given sufficiently comfortable living conditions, and hence decided to support them in means other than material ones. The next time we went, we organized a career counseling session for the elder kids, giving them a picture of all the options available to them once they leave the safe environs of Deepalaya when they clear their class 10 examinations. The kids were very enthusiastic to know what the world outside had in store for them. Parallel to this session, we also had a dance training session for the younger kids, which was totally fun filled, and the kids enjoyed thoroughly. The next visit had us taking along two people from the armed forces, to advice the children about the experience associated with pursuing a career in the armed forces. The kids were expecting a serious session on the armed forces, but were instead pleasantly surprised by the interactive nature of the talk.

We also got to see their independence and republic day celebrations in two of the visits, and were surprised by the professional manner in which they performed. Considering the fact that they had minimal exposure to the outside world, the performances were excellent. At the end of each visit, I am marveled by the positive outlook that these children hold towards life, in spite of the fact that they have been exposed to many harsh realities, so early in life. Whenever faced with some small problem, I think of those children, and how they are bravely facing whatever difficulties arise, and suddenly my worries seem very small in comparison to theirs. Each time I feel lazy to take up some responsibility, I am reminded of the huge amount of responsibility that has been thrusted upon them. Whenever I miss my childhood days of freedom, I think of the joys that these kids have missed in life, probably for no fault of theirs. The fact that they still remain optimistic and cheerful all the time is something that inspires and amazes me. When I noticed a girl saved half a toffee for her friend who was ill, in spite having got just a small piece, I realized the simple, selfless love that these kids shared with each other.

As I watched the kids play around happily, without a care in the world, I realized the importance of living in the present, and taking life as it comes. I realized that by retaining the happy memories and erasing the sad ones, life would be filled with optimism and joy. From the kids I learnt the importance of staying together and sticking by each other in times of need and enjoying life together otherwise

The hazards of inefficient leadership..

It is often said, a team is only as good as its captain. The approach of the people at the pinnacle is most important for the progress of any organization. Inefficiency in leadership and corruption at the highest level always means prevalence of total chaos. Be it the case of the Satyam scandal, or the 2G scam, lack of transparency in corporate governance has always been one of the main reasons for the downfall of many a company. The effects of these scams were restricted to the stakeholders of a company, or to a particular section of the society. However, there have been extreme cases of poor governance that led to the downfall of the nation’s economy. One such example is the case of Zimbabwe, when unstable governance and lack of fiscal discipline led to the collapse of the monetary system of the nation, and the usage of the local currency had to be suspended totally.

The major cause for this economic disaster was the land reforms that Robert Mugabe introduced, starting from 1999. The reforms intended to redistribute wealth from the hands of the Whites to the Blacks. The violent land reform program destroyed the agricultural sector in Zimbabwe and in particular the tobacco industry which accounted for one-third of Zimbabwe's foreign exchange earnings. This made the economy further prone to hyperinflation.

The second cause for this hyperinflation was civic unrest. The Mugabe government organized a massacre, which was responsible for the death of 20000 of the minority population. The controversial land reforms also triggered a round of civil unrest. Unrest led to poverty and violence. The initial inflation caused further poverty and poverty created more of unrest.

Rash fiscal measures were taken by the government, such as printing money to finance troops, to increase the salaries of army and government official and to repay debts to the IMF. These measures led to the weakening of the economic system. Irresponsible printing of currency led to inflation, which was fuelled by other factors. The government continued to print currency in spite of the onset of hyperinflation. While the government lacked stability and fiscal discipline and the citizens were experiencing serious bouts of malcontent and strife, the perception of strength of the currency was dropping and hence it was weakening by the day.

The currency black market in Zimbabwe was also very much active, and the government did nothing to control it, because of which the collapse of the economy was triggered. The central bank tried out few restrictions, but was unsuccessful in creating a lasting impact. The Zimbabwean currency had to be suspended, and to date, the US Dollar is used for all transactions. Thus shows the importance of effective governance at all levels.

Learning management sportingly

A major chunk of my childhood memories are pictures of the pure enjoyment I used to feel while playing cricket and football for hours together with other kids in the neighbourhood. The joy in winning and the disappointment of losing are experiences that leave a lasting impact on any child’s young mind. Sports and games are one of the first teachers to any kid. When a child plays a game, he not only gets to enjoy the excitement associated with the game, but is also unknowingly exposed to numerous lessons that mould and shape his character.

While going through the practice sessions, the child understands the importance of hard work, and how important practice is, in order to achieve success and greatness. He understands that constant practice will ensure perfection in anything one does. It also teaches the child how important it is to deliver the goods on the D-day. No matter what amount of effort might have gone into the preparation for the game, all of it will be futile if one fails to perform to the fullest potential on the day when it matters the most. After a few experiences of failures, the child understands that confidence is a very important trait to have while fighting against equals. He realizes that he needs to be sure of himself and hold the belief that he can win if he wants to actually win.

Most games involve working in teams, and this teaches the child the importance of adjusting with a team, and making collective decisions for the better of the team, rather than take individual decisions. While working in teams, the child understands the importance of trust and understanding that is required within teams to ensure that they combine into a winning unit. The sport also inspires the child to keep trying and working hard until he succeeds in attaining his goal. It also teaches the child the importance of precision and accuracy that is required to attain perfection in anything in life.

In addition to all this, the child learns important lessons in time management. He learns to plan his strategy through the amount of time available; he learns to prioritize the various strategies he has thought of accordingly. He is also exposed to the concept of deadlines, and understands the need to finish the task within the defined time limit. Thus, a child, when he plays a game, is in fact developing a strong character that will help him in times to come, where he is faced with real-life games where he has to win.

Leadership vs. Management

In the year of B-school education that I have gone through, I have attended many a session on the importance of having a person in the team who plays the pivotal role. In many situations, that role has been referred to as a leadership role, and in many other cases, that person has been termed a manager. Both these skills are talked about with respect and awe, and the qualities required for such a person has been listed many a times. So, what exactly the difference between leadership and management, and what is more important??

Over the years, many scholars have drawn inferences from happenings in the political front, and view leadership as undemocratic. In the past, leadership has been considered the misused privilege of the aristocracy, who dominated humankind at that time. This drew the indignation of the academic community, and once the feudal system was abolished and democracy was established, they declared that democracy meant equality, and there is no place for leadership in such a scenario. The learned ones established ‘equality’ as one of the main pillars of democracy. However, what they failed to understand is that in essence, democracy means equality of opportunity and privileges, and not equality of capability.

With the emergence and increased focus on management as a science, the concept of leadership took a further beating. The concept of management gained a lot of attention, and this concept was replacing the concept of leadership as throughout. Even the US army decided to replace leadership with management. The loss in the Vietnam War, in retrospect, has been attributed to this change in systems and functions.

Quoting various management gurus in the USA, “Management is a bottom line focus. How can I best accomplish certain things? Leadership deals with the top line. What are the things that I want to accomplish?” According to Peter Drucker and Warren Brenis, “Management is doing things right, while leadership is about doing the right things. Management efficiency is in climbing the ladder of success, while leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall”

What one needs to understand is that management is one of the major tools that a leader employs while he devises methods of leading the team. Thus, leadership gives direction and purpose to the team, while management ensures effective implementation of what has been decided as actions to reach the objective. One can be a good manager without being a good leader, but the reverse can never be the case.

Apple: Taking innovation to the next level

The recent news of Steve Jobs’ resignation seemed like the end of an era for Apple and its employees. Going through these news clippings and videos, I wonder, what is it about this company that strikes a chord with people so effectively and easily? Is it the charisma of the man whose name has come to be linked inseparably to the company, or is it the culture of innovation and thinking that the company has developed over the years. Or is just because the products that the company has been coming up with are world class??

Though their products have been classy and the best in the market, the quality of products alone wouldn’t have ensured apple reaches where it is currently. For example, the the iPod was a phenomenon not just because of its features, but also because Apple introduced iTunes along with it. Similar is the case with iPhone and AppStore. Apple is present across Industries, thus facilitating and supporting the business model. Apple’s value proposition is that the product is an experience, and hence, Apple ensures that this experience is savoured fully by the customer.

Having these products also makes complete business to Apple because, depending only on luxury consumer products as a source of income would make the revenues extremely unpredictable and dependent on the macroeconomic scenario. Hence, having a product like the iTunes gives Apple the assurance of some flow of income, while at the same time gives the users a complete Apple experience.

Another reason for Apple’s success is the growing adoption of Apple products for business and commercial use. Saving time and minimizing frustration is Apple’s brand promise, and it sticks to this promise by maintaining uncomplicated product designs that goes down well with the users. Apple is also particular about having great in-store service. This ensures that the experience the customer has when he purchases an Apple product extends beyond purchase and usage, right upto solving issues that he might have with the product over time.

Apple has grown far ahead of its competitors not just because of product innovation, but because it coupled product innovation with business model innovation. Product innovation alone would have made it competent, but not as big a phenomenon as now.

Lessons from Mandela -2

Leadership traits described by Mandela are often considered to be words of wisdom, coming from a man who has experience in taking along the masses and using them as a pillar of strength and support. Having fought the system for such a long period, and finally succeeded, life must have taught him a great deal, which he in turn has imparted to the world

1.       Keep your friends close — and your rivals even closer: Mandela believed that embracing his rivals was a way of controlling them: they were more dangerous on their own than within his circle of influence. He cherished loyalty, but he was never obsessed by it. After all, he used to say, "people act in their own interest." It was simply a fact of human nature, not a flaw or a defect. The flip side of being an optimist — and he is one — is trusting people too much. But Mandela recognized that the way to deal with those he didn't trust was to neutralize them with charm.

2.       Appearances matter — and remember to smile: After he emerged from prison, people would say, over and over, It is amazing that he is not bitter. There are a thousand things Nelson Mandela was bitter about, but he knew that more than anything else, he had to project the exact opposite emotion. “The smile was the message”

3.       Nothing is black or white: As a statesman, Mandela was uncommonly loyal to Muammar Gaddafi and Fidel Castro. They had helped the ANC when the U.S. still branded Mandela as a terrorist. When I asked him about Gaddafi and Castro, he suggested that Americans tend to see things in black and white. Every problem has many causes. While he was indisputably and clearly against apartheid, the causes of apartheid were complex. They were historical, sociological and psychological. Mandela's calculus was always, what is the end that I seek, and what is the most practical way to get there?

4.       Quitting is leading too: Knowing how to abandon a failed idea, task or relationship is often the most difficult kind of decision a leader has to make. In many ways, Mandela's greatest legacy as President of South Africa is the way he chose to leave it. In the history of Africa, there have been only a handful of democratically elected leaders who willingly stood down from office. Mandela was determined to set a precedent for all who followed him — not only in South Africa but across the rest of the continent