Can You Guess Who is One of My Greatest Inspirations?

“I love to be in the moment; I love to analyze things a bit.” Do you know who said this? While you guess the name, let me tell you I adore this person and have learnt a lot from him. Here are some hints that can help you decipher the name:

1. He is an Indian cricketer.
2. Before he began playing professional cricket he worked for the Indian railways.
3. He experimented with football and badminton too.
4. Only player in history who won the ICC ODI Player of the Year award twice.
5. He earned the title of Lieutenant Colonel by the Indian Territorial Army.

Yes, of course, he is none other than MS Dhoni. He is the king not just for the cricket players and fans but also for the entrepreneurs. Teaching the world to deal with failures and criticism, and working with calm, MS Dhoni has stood through the toughest of situations. I have learnt some serious lessons from this cricketer and one of his best lessons that reach my heart is, “It’s important to learn and not repeat the same mistakes. What’s done is done.”

What we learn from Dhoni:

I am sure most of you out there is a bigger cricket buff than me. So, without getting into the analysis of his life and career, let me try to peek into his mind with you. Some of the things that have been said about him or he has spoken about which I love are:

• “I never allow myself to be pressured”

Needless to say, MSD is always ice-cool under pressure. Leading a billion hopes is as high pressure as it gets, but our reaction to the situation makes it good or worse. But pressure gets better off us if we let our mind get ahead of the situation. I have heard him say about a player in opposition, “if he continued to play like he did he would have won the game against anyone so we had to stick to our plan and wait for him to make a mistake.” In the corporate world, we have action bias, i.e., chop and change your plan to force some action. Wait we never do!

• Ravichandran Ashwin says, “I would be ready to die on the field if Dhoni told me to”

Dhoni’s team trusts him because he trusts his team. Trust and confidence are the two attributes that Dhoni will always have for his team. Equipping team members with a sense of responsibility to perform well gives them the ability to deliver their best. Can we ever forget Joginder Sharma’s last over against Pak in T20 World Cup? I have learnt to trust people. Everyone comes with a special talent and their talent can make our business a big success, that is what is hired them for, right?

• “Face the Failure Until the Failure Fails To Face You”

Dhoni suffered a string of losses but he came stronger and fought back by playing super amazing. When going was tough he was often seen playing with his daughter Jiva, remember the real prize you are playing for. As an entrepreneur, we should always remain calm and not fear to fail. Failing is an integral part of success. After all, even Edison made ten thousand unsuccessful attempts to finally invent the light bulb. Someone has the right words to explain it, “If you try and fail Congratulations! Most people won't even try.”

• “Never Let You Success Get To Your Head and Never Let Your Failure Get To Your Heart”

Handling success is as important as handling failure. Dhoni earned fame and money early in his life and still kept himself modest and humble. No bragging and no overbearing, this man maintained a steady path and did not lose his balance. Many managers lose their calm on attaining success and finally fall head-on. The prominent theme of the Bhagavad Gita is Nishkam Karma or Nishkama Karma (??????? ????).  Nishkam Karma means work without motive or action or without desire. The result of every work is mixed with good and bad. But never give up, keep working.

• “If the plan doesn’t work, change the plan but never the goal.”

MS Dhoni is one of the most versatile players who can adapt to any given situation. He plays all three formats of the game, keeps wickets, can bat in any position and if required can roll his arm over too. The key to his long term success is his ability to be versatile and adaptable.

What’s More?

Dhoni is aware of the spotlight he has, but his mind never takes over making use of the spotlight he is able to establish with his qualities. Having a focus, trusting his instincts and being a strategic thinker are some of his amazing qualities. I have a lot more lessons to learn from him. How do you think his wisdom can be used in an entrepreneur’s life?