Lessons from 'Men in Blue' - A Rise of Team India

Well here is my bit of learning’s from Champion Team India. It’s a Rise from a dream to a reality.

We are in the modern age of entertainment where sports itself is an industry and has a bigger story to tell not only to sportsmen but also to the likes of vivid mango people, a politicians, a businessman, corporate, students, etc. After all, star like Sachin Tendulkar, Michael Jordon much more than an average, mid sized company and now adding to the list MS Dhoni. Star like Sachin, Dhoni are itself industries in their own right.

These sports goliaths operate in a ruthless environment where success and failure are defined with the end of day results. You can either win or lose, no amount of creative campaign, notorious politics, bold Bollywood can conceal the truth of that terrible moments – the final whistle. And here are the notes of learning throughout of the ‘Men in Blue’ journey called as Cup that Counts…….

Lesson 1:  Have a Dream, Vision, Bigger picture in place

Indian team had a vision, mission or dream to win a world cup not for themselves but for Sachin, for country, for team. And team started preparing towards that more than year back. And if you look at the recent records of India before world cup, they have been gradually raising the bar of performance.

No doubt, Indian team did face some setbacks during the journey, they lost to SA, they became complacent and managed a tie with England, they had no easy game but when time demands they fought back really well to pull it back. And in the process they themselves got believed that they can turn around from any situation, they are battle hardened and team had a bigger vision, they could let these things to and regroup to accomplish bigger task. And peak when it is required.

Lesson 2: Leadership

Any truly successful team, organization or country requires strong and committed leadership. And team can have only one leader. Team India lead by MS Dhoni and he leads by example. He always gives the team a 100% of his effort and his energy. He never loses his temper. He is a great strategist. He has got fantastic ideas on the field. And he canvasses opinions and then he makes his own assessments.

Couple of decisions he took during knock out stage of the world cup were a great example of how convince he was on his thoughts. Even many cricket pundits have been surprised by the moves but he didn’t alter his plan and that’s what inspire team to justify and take responsibility to deliver the things on behalf of leader.

Whenever team faulted on occasion, Dhoni accepted responsibility for the team performance. Dhoni’s confidence and self-belief remained rock solid. He took the criticism in a positive stride and worked hard with his team to meet the challenge and win the world cup.

Lesson 3: Winning is about teamwork

The important thing to build a team is, to build relationships, to build trust. And probably the most significant thing that happened to team India has been the relationship that they have built. And it takes time. Through these relationship they have built trust within the team and once you have trust what happen is people take responsibility. People will believe in each other and support them. Its to provide a structure to people. It’s to tell people that they are moving towards something other than their individual glory.

Dhoni will be seldom heard saying, “I,” he is a big advocate of a joint effort and always mentions it to be a team effort rather than his alone. He often uses, “us,” and he is very blunt and honest. He will praise the players where they deserve it and also point out mistakes. He always exudes the oneness in the team.

Lesson 4: Focus on Core Strength

'Jack of all trades and master of none' - this maxim is very true as far as management is concerned. Focus on core strength is necessary for the immediate health of the brand as a whole.

Although India constantly strived to improve the bowling and fielding quality of team India but it did not lose its focus on the core strength, i.e., batting. A successful run chase in knock out matches is an example of this.

Lesson 5: Flexibility

Ability to adapt and respond to the changing environment and to constructively create opportunities for change through active participation is a must for any business. Indian team realized this fact and adapted it to the changing environment. Be it playing in foreign land or acclimatizing to new improved version of cricket. Men in blue have been successful everywhere. They beat Australia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka all three different teams with different strengths.

Lesson 6: Strategy Formation

The formulation of a sound strategy facilitates a number of actions and desired results that would be difficult otherwise. A strategic plan, when communicated to all members of an organization, provides employees with a clear vision of what the purposes and objectives of the firm are.

That is what Indian team precisely did. As batting has always been the core strength of Indian cricket team, the new strategy of team was to improve bowling and fielding department on occasion. Result of which is reflected in the performance of Indian team. It was surprised fielding efforts against Australia did the trick for India and surprised bowling efforts did the trick against Pakistan.

Lesson 7: Award Responsibility to the Players

One last thing which Indian team implemented is that players are awarded with responsibility. They are encouraged to think for team and themselves both and take charge of their own destiny. A rise of Yuvraj Singh, Confidence of Raina, Belief of Zaheer are only because of sense of responsibility they felt for every game. The greatest learning from Team India I can think of is that how to get best out of the people.

It might appear that since India won world cup all of a sudden all looks very positive. But again, this is what corporate life is all about, keep wining….

Accepting No Limit              Alternative Thinking            Driving Positive Changes               

Continue…..

It is all in your mind

The business executive was deep in debt and could see no way out.

Creditors were closing in on him. Suppliers were demanding payment. He sat on the park bench, head in hands, wondering if anything could save his company from bankruptcy.

Suddenly an old man appeared before him.

"I can see that something is troubling you," he said.

After listening to the executive's woes, the old man said, "I believe I can help you."

He asked the man his name, wrote out a check, and pushed it into his hand saying, "Take this money. Meet me here exactly one year from today, and you can pay me back at that time."

Then he turned and disappeared as quickly as he had come.

The business executive saw in his hand a check for $500,000, signed by John D. Rockefeller, then one of the richest men in the world!

"I can erase my money worries in an instant!" he realized. But instead, the executive decided to put the uncashed check in his safe.

Just knowing it was there might give him the strength to work out a way to save his business, he thought.

With renewed optimism, he negotiated better deals and extended terms of payment. He closed several big sales. Within a few months, he was out of debt and making money once again.

Exactly one year later, he returned to the park with the uncashed check. At the agreed-upon time, the old man appeared. But just as the executive was about to hand back the check and share his success story, a nurse came running up and grabbed the old man.

"I'm so glad I caught him!" she cried. "I hope he hasn't been bothering you. He's always escaping from the rest home and telling people he's John D. Rockefeller."

And she led the old man away by the arm.

The astonished executive just stood there, stunned. All year long he'd been wheeling and dealing, buying and selling, convinced he had half a million dollars behind him.

Suddenly, he realized that it wasn't the money, real or imagined, that had turned his life around. It was his new found self-confidence that gave him the power to achieve anything he went after.

Use your imagination and create the world you want to be in...it is the easiest choice you can make to turn your life around and make a huge shift in your life style.

- Input from Unknown source.

10 tips to ace your B-school interview

After the written exam, most management institutes invite you for the next stage of the testing procedure, which could comprise essay writing, group discussions and interviews. In fact, almost every institute uses interviews to assess the suitability of the candidate.

So what are the broad topics that you should prepare for in interviews?

There are some questions/ topics that you should be ready to address. These are:

·       Your introduction

·       Academics (especially for candidates who are currently in their final year or who have just recently completed their graduation)

·       Work experience (for candidates who are currently working)

·       Current affairs and business awareness related questions, to assess whether a candidate is aware of and can speak on broader issues of national or international importance

·       General questions such as why you wish to do an MBA, your career plans, etc

·       Your hobbies and interests

·       Your strengths and weaknesses

Tips to prepare

·       In your introduction, try to ensure that you go beyond just repeating some mundane details about yourself. Try and make your introduction interesting by highlighting your unique qualities, interests, aims, etc.

·       It is important to also highlight your achievements in your introduction, this could impress the evaluators and go a long way in ensuring your success.

·       You could write down some points about yourself that you wish to cover in your introduction, this will ensure that you don't miss anything and may also aid in a smooth delivery on the day itself.

·       When preparing to talk about academics, you will need to revise the fundamentals/ basics of the subjects you have studied during your graduation. Application-based questions could also be asked. For example, engineers with an electronics and communication background are often asked the differences between GSM and CDMA and which technology they think is better and why etc. Similarly, a candidate with an economics background may be tested on the relevance of Keynesian theories today, especially in the light of recent global economic developments.

·       Quite often, candidates are asked about their favorites subjects and are asked questions on these. So think about which subjects you are ready to answer questions on!

·       For candidates with work experience, the panel could ask you about the company in which you work and your role, as well as your firm's major competitors, the industry in which your company operates in, etc. Plus, be prepared for questions on recent developments in the industry -- such as large M&A deals, etc.

·       Whatever your background, I strongly suggest that you read a newspaper every day. This will go a long way in helping you answer questions pertaining to GK and business awareness (besides helping you in the GD/ essay writing round as well (if any)).

·       For questions on your career goals, strengths and weaknesses, hobbies, etc ensure that you do some introspection and above all, be honest! Do not invent some hobby or strength just to impress the interviewer. Try and think about these questions -- remember that if you mention a particular strength, you may be asked to justify it by providing an example of when you actually demonstrated that particular strength.

·       I suggest you read about the MBA course before the interview. If asked a question such as "Why MBA?", you could speak about the subjects that you are interested in or how the methodology used for teaching the course interests you -- the use of case studies, 'live projects' with companies, the summer placement experience, interactions with people working in the corporate sector through guest lectures, etc.

·       Finally, it is a good strategy to practice for the actual interview by undergoing a couple of mock interviews and seeking feedback. You will find that practice helps you improve your responses and provides you indicators on which areas you need to prepare better.

The author, an alumnus of IIM Calcutta, is an MBA preparation expert and has been involved in MBA coaching for almost six years. He has also written the best-selling 'An Introduction to CAT-Tips from an IIM Alumnus' published by Pearson Education. He can be contacted at bsiddharth_2001@yahoo.co.in.

Amazing Story

I was reading some of speeches from eminent business leaders and came across this wonderful story from Azim Premji about the power of education and cascading effects of educating one child.

The story is about a poor Scottish farmer named Fleming. One day, while trying to make a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog. There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the boy from what could have been a slow and terrifying death. The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman's sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved.

"I want to repay you, " said the nobleman. "You saved my son's life." "No, I can't accept payment for what I did," the Scottish farmer replied, waving off the offer. At that moment the farmer's own son came to the door of the hovel.

"Is that your son?" the nobleman asked. "Yes," the farmer replied proudly.

"I'll make you a deal. Let me take him and give him a good education. If he's anything like his father, he'll grow to a man you can be proud of." And that he did. In time, Farmer Fleming's son graduated from St. Mary's Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of Penicillin. Years afterward, the nobleman's son was stricken with pneumonia. What saved him?

Penicillin.

This is not the end. The nobleman's son also made a great contribution to society. For the nobleman was none other than Lord Randolph Churchill. And his son's name was Winston Churchill.

I think this is the only way for accelerating economic growth and development for the entire world economy. Those who know, share there information. You never know when you end up making a farm kid into Alexander Fleming.