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There was not a single dry eye at the Wankhede Stadium that day. Millions across the nation paused, at that very off beat non-prime time slot, and perked up their ears to listen to what the little man was saying. Because after twenty four glorious years, Indian crickets greatest flag bearer was drawing stumps on an epic innings. Every emotion laced word seemed to edify the realization; that the nation was losing the one man, whose fortunes had become the topic of everyday conversation, from residential dinner tables to corporate water coolers.
But to stop the inspiration emanating from Sachin’s craft, merely at the boundaries of cricket would be a colossal error. Over two decades of sterling performances and untiring dedication, have a lot to inform those other players in white collars as well. And as modern day business organizations try and chalk up record numbers of their own, surely there is a thing or two to be borrowed from the Little Master’s rich saga.
The power of a compelling story
There is something almost fairytale like about the Tendulkar legend. It began with a school kid shooting into national prominence, on the basis of his extraordinary talent. It did help that the young boy was from an absolutely average middle class family. Then the boy went from strength to strength, becoming quite the man of his field; and yet his impish, almost childlike passion for the game never abated. This is why at a time when many other stars in Indian cricket emerged, the Tendulkar storyline perhaps remains unmatched in terms of retaining audience interest. In the post liberalization era, it portrayed an inspiring example of how just about anybody could rise to prominence. As our great epics teach us, having an engaging narrative is the best recipe, for maintaining salience over the years.
Frequently organizations underestimate the power of this concept. And while lots is done in terms of external storytelling-usually in terms of advertising and PR activities; internal storytelling is always given the proverbial cold shoulder. Yet when it comes to keeping employees inspired and motivated, there is nothing close. Building up heroes within the company, serves not just to foster an internal climate, it also gives coworkers a rousing benchmark to follow. From an anecdote of an employee who handled a difficult business situation with outstanding results. Or the humble back story of a star performer. How the founders fought day and night to create something out of nothing. Once such tales begin doing the rounds, either formally or informally, the others begin to feel the urge to pen their own scripts in that direction.
The synthesis of two different ideas
Sachin, by his own admission, had two batting heroes when he was growing up-Sunil Gavaskar and Vivian Richards. The stolid, impregnably magnificent defense, of Gavaskar, wonderfully merged with the swashbuckling audacity of Richards’s stroke play in Sachin’s mind; to start nurturing the prototype of the perfect batsman. He found a middle ground between the two concepts. And every batting record began to fall in the wake of that epiphany.
Innovation is rapidly becoming a fundamental prerequisite for success in the business world these days. Companies engaged in the pursuit of breakthrough offerings, often are juggling with several potential ideas and approaches. Many times these discussions assume an absolutely polar nature. Ideas take up confrontational positions at the opposite ends of the spectrum. However the effective leader is one who can see the possibilities presented by synthesis. This does not necessarily imply the watering down of both ideas; but is more in the spirit of creating a new concept, by preserving their dual strengths. Perhaps classic Bollywood movies of the seventies, used to capture this combination of several ideas and genres perfectly. And this is why many of them, like Tendulkar, enjoy cult status even today.
The appreciation of strong fundamentals
Sachin Tendulkar’s career is littered with a dazzling array of big strokes. But prominent in all his long stints at the crease, is the presence of the dead straight bat, especially at the outset of his innings. This accent on strong technique, in terms of completely getting behind the line of the delivery, playing in the ‘V’, leaving the good ball alone, and the preference to keep his strokes on the ground, served him immensely over the last two decades. It enabled him not only to conquer test cricket, but also excel at the limited over versions. Sachin was a true master of the batting art; hence renditions on different canvasses were never a problem.
Organizations spend sometimes an entire lifetime, trying to figure out what they are really good at. This ability or skill is often called ‘core competence’. And its search, realization and internalization; are important initiatives. Because once a company knows what it is really good at, it can easily chart a future course of successful destinations. Samsung embraced ‘digital technology’ very early on, when that concept itself was nascent. This fundamental building block has allowed it to span a range of categories, markets and consumer segments with relative ease. It has also endowed the conglomerate with immunity to some categories running their course. As Sachin would probably concur, ‘when your basics are in place, you are in the market for the long run’.
The case of the ‘superstar leader’
One of the few places on the cricket field where Sachin failed to excel; was in the captain’s position. This is an enigmatic episode in itself. As he assumed seniority, given his pedigree, and the fact that his place in the team was never in doubt; it was obvious that the onus of captaincy would be thrust upon him. And yet across a few stints for country and club, Sachin never appeared to get the hang of it. Perhaps the Indian cricket team was not at its best, when he first assumed the mantle. Maybe 20-20 cricket needed a different mindset at the top, from the one he had grown up with. Probably Sachin could never fully appreciate; that the game never came as easily to others. Whatever be the reasons, it always seemed like Tendulkar was happiest when he was just another player.
That does inform the corporate world in many ways about leadership. Frequently management almost blindly assumes; the most talented employee on the job would make for the best leader. But leadership requires a different set of skills. Communication assumes great importance. Even in situations when the entire group is supposedly ‘professional’, and should know their jobs without being told. Empathy also rises to the fore, as does the ability to bring people together for the common cause. Many times star employees are also best utilized, when they are allowed to do, what they love doing best. This could mean keeping them away from the pressures of leadership, giving them the unfettered scope to create and add value. Eventually not every star shines at their brightest, when put at the center of the galaxy.
To be frank these are but four parallels, drawn from an outstanding career, of relevance to the corporate world. There are so many others. In an innings that spanned a hundred centuries, each and every one of them, might throw up an interestingly different lesson in terms of management insight. And that is the intention. Perhaps Sachin has retired; but by calling upon his inspiration to influence thinking in the board room, we can experience his presence for many more years to come.