Leadership lessons from a life of a legend - Mahendra Singh Dhoni

To many the final six that this cricketer hit in the 2011 world cup would be the defining point of his career. But to us, the time he carried drinks for his players during the India vs Ireland T20 series, 2018 defines the man Mahendra Singh Dhoni. MS Dhoni had a very humble beginning to his cricketing career and hence one can always see him stay rooted to the ground. Hailing from Jharkhand, MSD is a team player, leader, coach as well as ex-captain. The way he juggles between these roles is something to be revered.

He has played alongside greats like Sachin, Ganguly, Laxman, Dravid and Kumble but what makes “Mahi”, as he is fondly called, standout is the success rate he has had with the Indian team so far. As a captain he has won the world cup in both ODI’s and T20’s, champions trophy, IPL and champions league. He even got India to number 1 ranking in tests. But despite these terrific records, one can never see MSD bragging about them in any interviews. He is a person who believes in processes and not results. There have been several times, when the Indian team has lost badly in an away series. During these times, one could see Mahi come to the fore front and defend his team and players. On the other end of the spectrum, when the team is celebrating with the trophy, one can notice Mahi slowly disappear to the back giving the lime light to the youngsters to enjoy. Such is his personality in dealing with winning and losing with the same temperament. He once said “I have three dogs at home. Even after losing or winning a series they treat me the same way” [1].

Technically, MSD is an asset in terms of the contribution he renders to the team. He is best in class wicket-keeper, a powerful batsman and an inspiring leader. It may not be far-fetched to say that he is a Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist and Michael Bevan amalgamated into a single player. For a long time, India lacked a wicket keeper who could bat at any position. India have tried make shift options like Dravid but to of no avail. The agility and speed with which Mahi can stump or run out a batsman is mind blowing and unmatched. He also adds a lot of value to his wicket keeping skills by mentoring players around him.

As a batsman he is one of the best finishers. He has the knack of playing with tail-enders and taking the match deep. Mahi believed in the philosophy that if as a team one can take a match long and remain cool in the tense moments, one can win from any situation. The victory against Sri Lanka in the finals of the Celkon mobile cup finals at Port of Spain or the finals of the WC 2011 are testimonials of his prowess as a finisher. He has also batted at different positions depending on the needs of the team. He started off as a hard-hitting aggressive batsman and currently dons the role of stabilizer and finisher in the team. He is unconventional but very effective in his batting. The helicopter shot which he is an expert in is something that is hard to be replicated. During his start as a cricketer, there were many critics who said that his technique may not allow him to be a consistent match winner. But as time progressed he has silenced them all with his performance.

Being a captain of the Indian cricket team, comes with a burden of expectation from more than billion-cricket crazy Indian fans, is an excellent example of a high-pressure job. Medical science has well established by now that when people are under pressure and stress, their decision-making abilities are considerably weak. The range of alternative courses of action available to them and various dimensions of these alternatives considered during the decision making is considerably restricted. Unorganized and incomplete scanning of the decision alternatives results in sub optimal decisions. Professional cricketers face high-stress periods in almost every game they play. Over the years Dhoni has been well appreciated for his composure and ability to deal with high-pressure situations pressure. Having an uncluttered mind seems to the greatest Dhoni’s greatest asset.

In an interview giving to Huffington Post in March 2015, Dhoni spoke at length about his tactics in handling pressure. Dhoni said "Everyone thinks, I do not feel any pressure. I feel the same pressure as anyone else. It is just that I have been in those situations a lot, so I know how to get out of that situation. But it is not that I will always succeed. But when you know ways to wriggle out, it becomes easier" [2]. This response shows the source of his superpower which is humility and eagerness to learn from every situation. Dhoni has worked hard to acquire this immensely useful skill of handling pressure. He has mastered the art of insulating himself from the surrounding environment and focus on the task at hand. Dhoni’s calm demeanor and composed stance have always had a positive influence over the rest of the team which helps the team respond the challenge on hand. Dhoni has orchestrated some excellent finishes in modern day cricket. These would not have been possible with Dhoni’s exceptional control over his nerves. Dhoni’s strategy has been to break the final target in multiple small targets and focus on achieving each of them. "There is no run-rate that is high. It boils down to how well the opposition bowlers execute. So, seven, eight, nine, ten, doesn't matter. What matters is keeping your calm [3]," said Dhoni, after flawlessly executing another unbelievable run chase.

A significant aspect of managing high-pressure situations is the management of interaction with the team members. Dhoni is known to place immense trust in this team members and give them the confidence to perform when the team needs them the most. Time and again, Dhoni has been able to deploy shrewd strategies under high pressure, often banking on the least suspected team member for the execution with clinical precision. A great example of this ability is the high-pressure final over in India vs Pakistan 2007 T20 world cup final match where Pakistan needed 13 runs to win. Dhoni handed over the ball to little known and inexperienced Joginder Singh over proven Harbhajan Singh and rest is history.

Another keys method used by Dhoni to manage the high-pressure situation is to concentrate on the process without thinking too much ahead of the time. Dhoni places immense importance on working with the team physio and learning from senior team members, to be able to manage the work stress. Dhoni beautifully summarizes his approach as “When you are constantly thinking of all these things, you do not think about the results. So there is less pressure, and you are trying to make sure that the process is more important. You are looking at how you can alter the course of the game and that in turn will help me get the desired results [4]”. This closely follows the STOP model.

Figure 1: STOP model

In today's VUCA business environment, a business leader must operate under constant stress and ambiguity. In a way, businesses in today's world operate in the chaotic environment. In such situations, Dhoni is an ideal role model for corporate leader wanting to lead under pressure. There is also a very strategic aspect to this player. During the tri series involving Sri Lanka and Australia, held in Australia, India had pulled off a remarkable victory in one of the league matches. MSD and Rohit Sharma were in the middle when India were inching close to victory. At that moment he had called for a needless change in gloves. He had sent instructions to the balcony that the celebrations must be curtailed and that all players should underplay the victory without any over the board celebrations. This strategy worked wonders as the Australians were rattled after the defeat. The men down under always treated any defeat as upsets during the Ricky Ponting regime. But from this point onward they saw India as a different opponent, one who could match them in their home soil.

What differentiates leaders from great leaders is the way they handle tricky situations and convert it into their advantage. During the T20 world cup in 2016, India lost to West Indies in the semi-finals. Post the match, a Sydney based journalist Sam Ferris asked Dhoni if he was keen to continue after having achieved a lot in the game. Dhoni in an unconventional manner called up the reporter on stage and asked him a few questions on topics such as retirement, fitness and world cup 2019. The reporter under pressure answered everything in favor of Mahi. This is an ideal example of a situation in which the reporter tried to put Mahi under pressure but ended up facing the heat. This also generated immense praise for Mahi’s presence of mind and his message to continue playing the game was sent to the world in a clear uni-vocal manner. Corporate employees can draw inspiration from the time he spends with family despite his hectic schedule. One can witness his wife Sakshi and daughter Ziva attend almost all the matches. One will invariably find Mahi spend some time with family even on the match day. From a perspective of a corporate manager, his work life balance is something that can be mimicked. Cricketers sometimes will have to be away from family for a long time on away tours. They also face hardships with respect to climate, food and atmosphere. In such times having mental fortitude is the key of the hour. This translates to the LEAP model, which shows how Mahi is successful in his work:

Figure 2: Leap model

Being a leader, it is imperative to not show any emotions on the field and let the oppositions know the strategy or game plan. In one of the interviews, R Ashwin remembers what it was playing under Mahi as a keeper and a captain. When Ashwin bowled bad balls, he used to look at Mahi to see if there is any reaction. He would receive none. The same thing happened when Ashwin took wickets. Ashwin then goes on to tell that if a player in the same team is not able to decipher the emotions of Mahi, imagine how difficult it would be for the opposition to decode captain cool. But the ability to not showcase it outside requires immense guts and talent. In the corporate environment such detachment to both victories and defeats would help leaders sustain in the business for a long time.

Like all human beings, Mahi does have his share of downsides. He would get predicable at times with the selection of the squad. He would give a very long rope to player he had trusted to deliver. He would sometimes not make many pro-active field changes in a test match when the going was tough. Critics have said that his finishing abilities as a batsman is diminishing. But all these qualities and incidents is what makes Mahi a human. But the biggest mystery around Mahi has been his calls with respect to his career. When he quit from test matches, no one knew till the moment he announced. The same is expected when he hangs his boots from limited internationals. His transition from a newcomer to a batsman, wicketkeeper, captain and finally to a mentor for young players can be showcased on the leadership development cycle:

Figure 3: Leadership development cycle

The aura and energy around Mahi are magical but the day he retires, India will not only miss India’s greatest captain but also a player who was able to keep wickets, bat at all positions and guide the bowlers. In conclusion India may never witness a phenomenon named Mahendra Singh Dhoni again.

By Adithiya Sreenivasan Nagarajan, Mehul Shinde, Bhuwan Sharma

References:

[1] https://www.indiatoday.in/sports/cricket/story/mahendra-singh-dhoni-quotes-one-liners-captaincy-limited-overs-953284-2017-01-05

[2] https://www.huffingtonpost.in/2015/03/07/dhoni-on-pressure_n_6821584.html

[3] https://www.news18.com/cricketnext/news/ipl-2017-ms-dhoni-says-the-secret-is-to-keep-calm-1381161.html

[4] https://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/ms-dhoni-s-success-mantra-enjoy-life-don-t-think-too-much-ahead-of-time/story-etQrAbrwJQDcYJziXmHEJL.html