The magic of leadership and clarity behind CSK's IPL success

Identifying and nurturing top class leadership, sticking to your core team, clarity and conviction about your own strategy, going against the trend, knowing your limitations well, overcoming those limitations by punting on your primary skills with a willingness to take a calculated loss on the secondary ones, and to top it all, flawless execution on court – That in summary is how I feel CSK ended up winning the IPL 2018. Sports many times provides more lessons than training programs ever will. So much to learn there for corporate strategists and indeed, any of us corporate citizens. For the record, CSK picked a team with the highest average age in the tournament. When teams were outdoing each other to bid for younger, fitter and athletic players, CSK went after players on the wrong side of their 30s during the IPL auction, all with an eye on retaining their core team from earlier years. During matches, they were already accounting for the extra runs they will leak on the field and for the runs they will lose due to their slower running between the wickets. They backed their players to compensate for this through their primary skills (batting and bowling). They were lucky too, as they won 4 of their matches, by scoring 40+ runs in the last 3 overs. With a leader like captain cool MSD on board, they won the trophy with minimum fuss and maximum execution. Clarity, simplicity and confidence did it for them. Begs a question, if in trying to be high tech, do we sometimes lose our core and the essence of simplicity?

#Leadership #Clarity #Simplicity

Film review : Raazi

Raazi...........At the height of impending 1971 war, a kashmiri girl is married off to a Pakistani army officer.......She succeeds in her mission as an Indian spy but is destroyed as a person in the process................It's a reminder that a war never leaves any victors............The film trusts its audiences' intelligence to figure out certain things..............Even as one or two twists in the story appear too convenient, Meghana Guljar's direction is extremely sure footed and she ensures that the film stays true to its core throughout......Alia Bhat has outdone herself while playing Sehmat, though one or two scenes towards the end of the film, take her to the brink of her acting limits. Vicky Kaushal as the sensitive and loving husband, brings conviction to his part...........Good spy stories are  a rarity in hindi films and those with a female protagonist are even rarer to come by.....Go and savor Raazi! 

Film review : Veere Di Wedding

Veere Di Wedding........a girls' buddy flick, which is an uncommon choice for a hindi film and the producers have upped their bet, by not signing a mainstream hero. Kareena Kapoor plays Kalindi, who's in a steady relationship with Sumit Vyas' Rishabh. Rishabh proposes marriage and all hell breaks loose for the commitment phobic Kalindi. Enter her 3 friends who have enough problems of their own, and you have a recipe for a lot of smoking, drinking, swearing, sex jokes and a trip to phuket by the gang of four. Get the drift?

It's a breezy ride while it lasts and  you don't care for any character in particular. Everyone in the film is rich, wears designer clothes, drives swanky cars and all transactions happen in crores. There is even a joke thrown in about someone being below the poverty line :(

Swara Bhasker's Sakshi gets to say the best and most fun lines in the film. Sumut Vyas puts in a very restrained performance and brings conviction to his part. A special word on Sonam Kapoor' acting : If you have ever acted in a school play, trust me, you won't have done much worse than her. Alas, I'm sure, neither is your sister a film producer, nor is your father a successful film hero :) So, your acting ambitions will have to take a backseat unlike Sonam's.

Ending note: The only relationship that seems to work in the film is a same sex one 😂

If you have time to kill over the weekend, go and watch this one. You will have fun and that's about it.

Sacred cows make the best burgers

“Don’t angry me” can be a perfectly legitimate response to the article’s title, if like majority of Hindus (me included), you see godliness in a cow. (For the uninitiated, “Don’t angry me” is a dialogue made world famous in India by our own Rowdy Rathore.) But the action hero/heroine in you can relax, in spite of the urge to the contrary, since neither am I a beef eater, nor am I in the business of promoting beef eating. The title is borrowed from a quote that was given to me as a topic for a group discussion, years ago. I couldn't make sense of it back then and needless to say, was promptly shown the exit door after the GD. Came across a good equivalent of the same while reading the book "The art of thinking clearly" - "Murder your darlings". Now, don’t take the author literally here, in case, god forbid, you are tempted to do exactly that at times.

The idea is to challenge our most cherished beliefs, biggest fears, fixated positions and strongly held opinions. The views that we hold so dear to our heart, the biases that we carry for years together, all of our “has to be, must be, should be”. How about becoming aware of them, challenging them and verifying them? Except laws of pure physics, of course. It’s obviously not advisable to jump from the top of a building to verify the “law of gravity” J

Problem is, we don’t even consciously choose most of these beliefs. They have been drilled into us over the years, through our education, or by our parents/elders/friends or worse, by the media. Unknown to us, such beliefs impact our choices in life at crucial moments and cost us our chance of success and happiness.

These unverified beliefs lead us to what’s called “confirmation bias”. We are naturally programmed to filter out evidence which is contrary to our world views. Equally, any evidence that’s in line with our belief system always registers. For instance, Rahul Gandhi believes that Coca-Cola founder started as a shikanji seller. A quick visit to Coca-Cola’s corporate website will tell RG that the founder was actually a pharmacist named Dr. John S. Pemberton. But, Rahul’s confirmation bias is his confirmation bias and none of Coca-Cola’s facts.

Sports presents innumerable examples of challenging confirmation bias. Unconventional tactics by sportsmen (and women too) usually end up surprising opponents and result in improbable wins. As a captain, Martin Crowe challenged the belief that a spinner should always bowl with an old ball and achieved great success for his team in the process, in the 1992 cricket world cup.

Corporates aren’t behind in this either. To anyone of us, born in India, on the wrong side of the new millennium, a scooter always meant “hamara bajaj”. But, when Bajaj’s very survival was threatened, it took a Rajiv Bajaj to challenge the belief that Bajaj is primarily a scooter making company. Under his leadership, Bajaj successfully transformed itself into a motorcycle manufacturer and today, it produces nearly 20% of annual motorcycles volume produced in the world.

If you are wondering why the picture of Aamir and Kareena with this article, blame it on a kiss. Well, in 3 Idiots, the “know it all” Rancho does carry an unverified belief. He thinks a nose obstructs a kiss. It took Kareena’s Priya to challenge and destroy that belief for Rancho. So…….

10 lessons to be learnt from Sachin Tendulkar’s success !

You can be a child prodigy and yet not be a spoilt brat
Even if you are blessed with enormous talent, there is no substitute to hard work, dedication and discipline
Nobody can be successful all the time, but if you do the basics right, success will follow sooner than later
If you are a person of unquestionable integrity, even your rivals will admire you
Even if you are super successful at what you do, you will always have some detractors around. Learn to ignore them
Let your performance do the talking
Try to fulfill your own expectations and not the world’s expectations from you
Having passion for what you do is the surest way to success
In a long journey, you will have phases where everything seems to be going against you, but you have to keep the faith and carry on doing the hard work
You may be brilliant individually, but you need a good team to be successful

My take on life :)

We live in technologically exciting times, the world is constantly evolving and at express speed. The internet and the mobile technology has really altered our lives. Things we never thought of earlier are happening at the click of a button. We are light years ahead of the lifestyle of the last century. The TV screens have become bigger and light weight, a digital camera costs only a few thousand rupees, washing machines are automatic, we can talk to persons sitting in another continent, almost free of cost, even kids today carry mobile phones. We can easily connect our laptops to TVs, a small pen drive easily stores few GB data. We don’t need to carry huge photo albums to share snaps with our friends. The era of cassettes is long gone. Today, music of latest movies is easily available online.

The practice of writing letters is almost extinct now, people have switched to writing e-mails. That’s not to say, writing letters was boring. It had its own wonderful charm, but fact is not many do that anymore. I don’t remember the last time I walked into a bank. ATMs almost do everything we need with banking.

So, what am I coming to, you will ask. My point there is still so much more to be invented. There is still so much more possible to be done. There is something new introduced almost every day. Products are becoming obsolete in a matter of few years. Sky is the limit to where we can go. So, it’s of utmost importance for people of our generation to stay on top of every emerging technology and trend, else we will be left behind, even before we realize it. So, let’s invest our energies on learning new products, new technologies and earning knowledge. That’s the only sound investment.

We must be totally ethical in the way we live life. This gives a lot of mental peace to us and to our families.

Also, it’s important to dream big. Do not be blinded by your past or present. If you have a dream, the only way to move forward is to try to realize that dream. Not many are successful all the time, not even Sachin Tendulkar. But if you keep putting in the efforts and do the basics right, success will follow sooner than later. So, be persistent in your efforts.

It’s important to have a vision in life. You need to visualize life 5 years, 10 years, 20 years and more down the line. Don’t just live life as it comes. Have some goals. List down things you want to accomplish in life. And go for them with everything you have got.

And above all else, don’t be too serious about life. Ultimately, we are on this planet only for a few years. So, why not enjoy life to the fullest, till it lasts :)

Spectacular Vs Effective

Ricky Ponting recently said something very interesting – “I am past my best as a player, but so is Sachin Tendulkar”

To put things into perspective, this year, Sachin has scored 9 test hundreds, averages 60+, has a 200 in a one day match and the ICC player of the year award in his kitty. So, can Ponting’s words be dismissed as just a jealous opponent’s frustration or is there really some truth in what he says?

One thing is certain. The Sachin of 1998 was very different from Sachin of 2010. While then, he used to charge down the track to the fastest bowlers in the world, today, he stays within his crease, but scores as many runs. If earlier, he used to decimate the opposition’s bowling with relentless attack, today he tires them out by playing more quietly. He used to hit even the good balls to the boundary earlier, but now he plays the bowling on merit. One thing has remained constant though, he is still the prized scalp for the opposition and he still scores runs with absolute consistency.

The point is, which Tendulkar will you pay to watch? Personally, I would any day prefer to watch the Tendulkar of 90s, who used to get even the commentators all excited with his breath taking shots! Remember Tony Graig going totally berserk doing commentary in that famous Sharjah match against Australia? This is the Tendulkar, who used to scare the bowlers and who would be their worst nightmare, ask Shane Warne!

Guess the same applies to life! Don’t we all love the spectacular more than the effective? That’s why superstars are more popular than good actors. That’s why Shahrukh’s films will always make more money than a Naseer’s.

Being spectacular has a lot to do with the ability to take risks and to think big. These are people who disturb the status quo and raise their game, when the situation demands it.

That’s not to say that being effective has no place in the world. But if one is to progress fast, he needs to be spectacular and not just effective.

Cricket, spot fixed and foxed!

Earlier watching cricket used to be simple – You support your national team, they give their best to win a match for the country, the better team on the day wins.
If your team wins, you will be happy, if they lose you will be sad. Irrespective of the result, you will keenly wait for the next match.

It stopped being so, the day, allegations of match fixing surfaced. Initially cricket lovers were dismissive of these. As more skeletons started coming out of the cupboard, everybody feared for the worst, but was hoping against hope that this will all turn out to be just a bad dream. The fears turned into reality the day Hansie Cronje confessed to his involvement with bookies. As many established players started getting engulfed in this mess, cricket lost its innocence, forever it seems. The ghost of match fixing just refuses to go away.

But some of us love this game to a fault and can’t stay without watching cricket, irrespective of who is playing whom, whether its match fixed or spot fixed! (Thanks btw to NOTW for introducing the cricket world to this wonderful(?) term called spot fixing.)
Hardly had cricket started to come out of the sordid match fixing saga, a new demon has emerged and I believe threatens the game at its root from a spectators point of view. Because now, it’s not just about the result of a match being fixed. It’s about every single ball and every single action that happens on a cricket field. If a bowler bowls a no-ball or a wide, he will be looked with suspicion. If a keeper concedes byes, he will be on the watch-list. If a batsman lets go a ball or plays a dot ball, he will be questioned.

How will a spectator know if what he is watching is real, live action on the field or some sort of a set piece where all actors involved have well rehearsed roles and are playing them to perfection? It will then just be like any so called “reality show” on television, where almost everything that happens is scripted. Twists and turns are introduced for effect, controversies are created for purpose, everything is ostensibly done to entertain the viewer.

Of course, from a player’s perspective, it will be very tempting if someone offered him thousands of dollars just to bowl a no ball, especially when the player is still very young. Because, one no-ball will hardly impact the result of a test match, which is played over 5 days and 4 innings. So, the player may think, I will bowl just one no-ball and give my best for rest of the innings. It will be his way of clearing his conscience.

The ICC and all cricket boards have to take firm steps to curb this menace before it engulfs cricket fully. For spectators who are already bored because there is too much cricket on TV, this is the last straw.
The ICC will surely not want to flash a disclaimer at the start of the proceedings that “this cricket match is a work of pure fiction and any result matching predictions by anyone is merely coincidental.”

In the lap of nature

I have either watched a movie or had had a dinner at a swanky restaurant or both, the previous day. Just the thought of getting up and going to office is killing me. Even as I reach office, I am already thinking about when to leave for home.
That's how Monday mornings typically start for me. And then I wonder, if the weekends are for taking a break and for rest, how come I am so badly exhausted at the start of a week.
How, instead of coming back fresh to work, I am even more tired?

But, this weekend was a refreshing change from the tiring(?) weekends I usually have. I got to spend 2 days in a wonderful, natural environment, away from our crowded city, the pollution, the traffic.

Have you ever spent two days without carrying a cell phone, a wallet, a watch with you? Try it. Trust me, you have no idea of the immense sense of freedom and lightness it brings. It’s like a huge load is off your shoulders. To have no obligation to answer the phone, to have no idea about what time of the day or night it is, is pure bliss.

Pick up any newspaper or watch any news channel. These days, they either talk of corruption, match fixing, accidents and some controversy or the other. Why should one fill his or her mind with all this trash? To have freedom from the grip of newspapers and televisions creates so much free space in your mind, it’s as if you have emptied the recycle bin 

We went trekking to a small fort nearby on Sunday morning and were greeted with a clouded sky, lots of fog and a sprinkling of intermittent rain. Along our way to the top, we had to cross a small river, which made the walk really exciting. The feel of the cold water touching the feet was so soothing.
Halfway to the top of this fort, we found a majestic waterfall. It was inviting us in its laps. It was time to get totally drenched in water. The water was so pure and clean, I bet no mineral water can be better. I just closed my eyes and heard the sound of water falling from the top. It was so rhythmic and calming.
Imagine my joy when a hot plate of upma was served to us, even as we are enjoying a swim in that water. It was a rare joy to be had in the lap of nature.

I would just love to go back and have this experience again!

Master class number 48 and still counting

The master blaster delivered another master class when he scored his 48th test century against Sri Lanka this week. He has scored almost a 100 centuries, close to 150 fifties, more than 30000 runs in international cricket, till now.

Mind-blowing and mind-numbing stats these, for any cricket follower! But some people are just so hard to please. They still complain that Sachin is not a match winner for India. The Indian government should soon consider bringing in a legislation to arrest people who say Sachin is not a match winner:)

I remember watching an interview of Sachin, taken by the original little master Sunil Gavaskar, about a decade ago. During that interview, Sunil had predicted that the master blaster will score 50 test centuries and 15000 test runs by the time he finishes. Its a tribute, first to Sunil's astute cricketing judgment and secondly to Sachin's supreme batting skills that today, he is close to achieving both the targets.

His journey from a boy of sixteen, playing his first match, to a batsman, whom everybody acknowledges as one of the greatest of all time, is stuff ordinary people don't even dream of, let alone actually living it.

The scars of a bad debut at a very young age take a long time to heal. Ask Sri Lankan Marvan Attapattu, who debuted at the age of eighteen and got three ducks in his first three innings. He confessed years later that he was not ready for international cricket at such a young age. Sachin was barely out of his school days when he made his debut against Pakistan. Imagine facing the likes of Wasim, Waqar, both at their peak. A Waqar bouncer hit Sachin on his face in a match in that series. There was blood on the pitch. Sachin's response? He came on the front foot next ball to hit a cover driven four.

I recently read a book written by Sachin's brother Ajit, a very interesting one. Almost everything Sachin has done since his international debut is very well documented now. But this one talks about Sachin's journey from a school cricketer to his first test match. It brings out some very interesting facets about Sachin the boy, which are still seen him as a cricketer - confidence, focus, fearlessness. Ajit mentions that when Sachin was taken to Ramakant Achrekar's cricket coaching class on first day, he was asked to watch others practicing in the nets. While going back home, Sachin told Ajit that I know I can bat much better than all of them. Mind you, Sachin had never played with a leather ball till then.
At another time, while Sachin was scripting a double hundred in a very prestigious school cricket final, Ajit asked him if the opposition was doing something to disturb his concentration? Sachin said that they know very well that these things don't have any effect on me. Come to think of it, that's how it is even today, ask the Australians:)

Sachin gives me one more reason to be a proud Indian! Even the Pakistanis admire him whole-heartedly. Perhaps he will be able to solve the Kashmir issue once and for all if he is the one talking to Pakistan:)

I believe there are only two things missing from Sachin's resume - A signature test innings, the kind Brian Lara played twice, with scores of 375 and 400. Secondly, of course, the world cup. Many Indians are already dreaming that Sachin will score a wonderful 100 to help us win the final at Wankhede in 2011. Keeping fingers crossed for that one!!