IT’S TIME FOR THE PROTéGé TO COACH THE MENTOR – MS DHONI, ARE YOU LISTENING?

?@KeepUpWithKaustubh

The road not taken in HR corridor

Any leader who’s ever been in a situation where someone in their team has done a better job than them, will empathise with Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s IPL fiasco!

Yes, there are some things even MS Dhoni isn’t allowed to do, but he just did – and it landed captain cool in hot water! Chennai Super Kings beat Rajasthan Royals in the ongoing IPL, to clock Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s unprecedented 100th IPL win as a captain, out of just 166 IPL matches. But Dhoni’s decade-and-a-half-long stellar reputation got dented just a wee bit in the process. Shortly after being bowled out himself, Dhoni lost his cool over an umpiring call and walked out into the pitch from the dugout to have it out. Eventually, the decision was overturned. Chennai also went on to win the match, but what ensued was a public outcry of Dhoni’s uncharacteristic defiance of international cricket rules. The cricketing world stared in disbelief as Dhoni stormed onto the pitch like a petulant child who’s just been denied something.

What made the perennially calm Dhoni, who has faced several high-pressure situations on the pitch over the years, finally lose it? I don’t think anyone but the man himself can answer that. But that’s not the point. The point is that this incident tells us a lot about leadership dynamics.

Leaders are human, MSD is too. But leaders need to understand that while it is ok to have an emotional response to a seemingly unfair situation, it is not ok to break rules and disrespect an institution. He had several options open to him. Dhoni could have waited for the right time to make his displeasure felt. It doesn’t matter whether a leader is right or wrong, it matters how he chooses to react to it. But emotions, per se, are not to blame. I would go as far as to say that emotions are an asset for leaders. Effective leaders have used emotion to change the word, to establish real connections and to effect positive change for generations. So emotions are not the problem, execution is. The most effective leaders in the world use emotions to control the future; they don’t let emotions control them.

But don’t take my word for it. Ironically, its Dhoni’s protégé, Virat Kohli who has taught him the perfect lesson. Earlier in this season of the IPL, Mumbai Indians beat Royal Challengers Bangalore. However, the real news of that match came off the last ball. Pacer Lasith Malinga’s single-minded goal was to deny the batsman the chance to score, a task he managed to accomplish. However, a replay on the large screen in the ground demonstrated that it was actually a no-ball, by quite a margin – a critical miss by umpire S Ravi. Captain Virat Kohli and team RCB were understandably furious. Kohli made his displeasure felt, but if you’d excuse the pun, he remained within the ‘boundaries’. He spoke up about it after the match, but refrained from theatrics on this pitch. He also certainly refrained from breaking the rules, storming onto the pitch or doing anything that is unacceptable for a captain of his stature.

We all have our good days, and some bad days as well. It’s during the bad days that true leaders show their mettle. When the chips are down, the ones who stand out are those who can use the few things that are in their control under the circumstances, to keep their heads above the water. Those are the ones who go on to rule the world – or change the rules.

There is another really important lesson for leaders in this small incident – that we are all only as good as our last performance. Leaders aren’t born overnight; it’s hard work. The most respected people the world over spend years making the right noises, forging the right alliances, building teams, handling people and living up to an image. All the efforts accrue goodwill for sure, but reputation is more easily undone than it is built. We have too many examples of leaders falling from grace with one bad move, or a decision made in a weak moment. True, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s present indiscretion is not of career-breaking proportions, but it is an indelible blot.

While his past impeccable behaviour is probably the reason why he’s only been handed a fine as penalty. Here’s what industry influencers have been Tweeting online.

It will now take a considerable amount of damage control to undo the effects of this incident, and not just MSD, but a lot of leaders out there will realise that there’s a message in it for everybody. Today, this has happened to Dhoni, but tomorrow it could easily be any of us. Each time we expect a poor performer to do badly again, we deny him an impartial hearing. Each time we are angry with someone, but take it out on another person, we have wronged someone gravely. Each time we let emotions control us instead of us controlling emotions, we become less effective leaders. The Gospel truth is that - respect, control and empathy are un-negotiable tenets of leadership. Thank you MSD, for reminding us of that, and perhaps you can now pick up a lesson or two from your protégé who’s come a long way.