MSD-LEADING FROM THE FRONT...

Leadership is not about a position but an attitude. It is all about making a difference to one’s own self and others. It is an inner shift, a calling, an urge, a pull, a realization and a cause that kick starts the leadership or changes journey for many. People have always looked for a role model, or a story of a leader that is entrenched in a skill that is life changing and learning for every aspiring leader as it might be a great idea to draw some lessons from the leadership style of successful people around us from all walks of life.

A young captain foremost a team of youngsters in a game, Dhoni has made Team India, the paramount team in the world today with his alluring leadership. Ever since he became a captain, Team India has performed like a victor in all forms of the game.

He displayed fabulous potential of a great leader after he led India to victory in the finals of Twenty 20 against Pakistan. The icing on the cake was the triangular series win against Australia in Australia in 2008. And the journey continues with a clean sweep against Srilankans on their own land.

After the series triumph, look at his statement - "It doesn't matter whether people say we are the best team or not or whether we have won or lost the previous match. In every match, one has to start from the scratch. It is important that we carry the momentum in the game. During the series we had the motivation, we had the plans and most importantly we executed those plans well." Doesn't it speak of a great leader?

It’s time for Corporate India to learn from this young leader. In business, most of us with no experience head on against the international biggies, just the way as the Indian cricket team had no track record to back them against in-form teams like South Africa, England and Australia in the Twenty20 Cricket.

Instead of pressing teammates to win, Dhoni told them to just enjoy the game. Also, he has mentioned at several forums that he believes to live in the present and not worry about future or past. That's another management tip. Too much strategizing for the future is not recommendable in a dynamic business.

Most leaders tend to move people who are low on confidence to less complex tasks and away from the limelight. That kills their confidence even further and gives them the impression that the leader has lost confidence in them. On the contrary, by putting such a person in front of a challenging task, it tells the person that the leader has confidence in his/her abilities and will be fired up to put in 120 per cent. This happened with Joginder Sharma in two crucial matches, where he was hit all around the ground and still given the last over. He delivered on both instances!

Dhoni's style is not just belligerent, it is more judicious. Even in the nonattendance of seniors, he could guide the team to victory. This tells us, with a "B" team, it is easy to focus on getting the best out of the team - it gives opportunity and environment for the untested to show themselves and become stars. Learning from this, even in our business, putting the team before ourselves, and putting the organization before the team, is the single biggest challenge in execution. At the end of the day it is about joining the dots (aligning the strengths and weaknesses of individuals) to work for the team rather than against.

Leaders need to be assertive yet humble and must rarely allow their personal egos to be an obstacle for the success of their organization and that's what M.S. Dhoni showing us through his current leadership style.

Dhoni's story is all about an ordinary man doing extraordinary things and a role model for every aspiring leader. Each one of us could use this model, pattern and design to create our leadership journey.