India’s performance so far in the ICC ODI cricket World Cup offers valuable lessons in leadership

The Indian men’s cricket team has had a terrific run in the ICC One Day International (ODI) World Cup currently underway in India. India is the first team to qualify for the semi-finals of the tournament, having convincingly won 8 of its 9 league games (the 9th match is scheduled to be played on 12th November).

Team India's performance with bat and ball, Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, fielding quality, choice of DRS reviews etc. have all been largely consistent and good. But what I am even more impressed by is the camaraderie that is so clearly visible on the field. Players congregate to celebrate the fall of every opposition wicket. While fielding, every DRS review involves consultations with those may have had the best viewing angles. Wicket-taking deliveries and catches are followed by hugs, pats, high-fives- and broad smiles. The team is clearly enjoying itself- and that’s a huge part of achieving sustainable performance.

The BCCI has been sharing video clips of the team’s fielding coach talking about contributions by different players at an informal post-match team gathering. There is banter and good-natured ribbing; congratulatory pats on each other’s back are much more frequent. The conversation culminates with one player being given the “best fielder” award. This recognition seems to have become aspirational for the players, and as such, seems to be spurring their on-field performance in taking catches, stopping boundaries, acrobatic wicket-keeping etc.

Team sport has always been an excellent analogy to use while draw lessons in organizational leadership, motivation, and team-building. An important leadership dimension (responsibility, if you will) is the ability to create and sustain an environment (some call it culture) that nourishes a sense of joyful belonging to the team/organization. Teams and members must demonstrate mutual respect and have fun in what they are tasked to do. This is a key enabler of the entire organization making faster progress towards its shared goals and being more resilient in the face of impediments.

The importance of the “environment” is evident in the context of the current team in this tournament. High performance teams are aware of situations- something this team has demonstrated. Batsmen have at times, battened down the hatches to see off a hostile spell, just as they have at times scored at 9+ runs an over! Not every player has delivered in every game; however, in every match, some have stood up and shouldered the burden of carrying the team to victory. The way the captain and other players have answered questions during post-match media conversations too reflects the team’s hunger to win, as well as individual players’ commitment to be accountable for whatever roles they are assigned. There has been active encouragement for others. Players have sometimes stopped themselves mid-sentence and rephrased it so that there is no finger-pointing or blaming.

I believe that the positive environment prevailing in the Indian men’s cricket team plays a major role in enabling the high level of performance they have delivered thus far. It’s not that corporate leaders do not know what they need to do; it’s just that many of them are held back by shackles that exist in the form of biases, fears (of failure, being judged etc.) and habits. Smart leaders are able to contextualize experiences and abstract key lessons. They are able to apply these insights to other situations that they know are not identical to those they have faced in the past. Easier said than done- but being a leader is not easy!

PS: My best wishes to Team India for continued success in this tournament and beyond!