Mahendra Singh Dhoni is regarded as one of the best captains in India’s cricketing history. Be it his cool temperament or his ability to handle pressure. Dhoni has been a class in showcasing his arsenal at times of crisis and has been crucial in steering his team through in the toughest of times. His ability to extract results out of pressure situations tells a lot about his leadership abilities.
Here are the leadership lessons that one can learn from Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
1 ) Believing in instincts and taking risks
A true leader is one who is never shy of taking risks. Taking risks have always been a part of the game for this man, be it the finals of the 2011 world cup where he had promote himself up the order or the Joginder Sharma final over back in 2007. Though many of his decisions have come under the hammer but most of the times he has been spot on with his moves.
His ability to take risks and more importantly, backing them has fetched brighter results for the team. Moreover, the ablity to believe in himself is what makes him one of the great minds on the field. Being a leader you have to analyse where you went wrong and have to take risks in order to achieve bigger results.
2) Backing his team at the time of need
Brighter results will come in once the entire team is contributing to the cause. It is equally important that you back each and every individual in the team to give the best of their abilities. Dhoni has always been known to back his teammates at the time of need.
He was never shy about giving multiple opportunities to a player to prove himself. He is known as a man in the dressing room who never pushes you to cloud nine on a great performance and neither undermines your efforts on a bad day. Backing the team throughout creates a positive impact on the team’s confidence and help them perform better as a unit.
3) Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of the team
In the post-match presentation against Bangladesh. Dhoni gave a detailed story of how he knew that Jasprit Bumrah was rather “weak” in the fielding department or that Hardik Pandya isn’t the best person to bowl a yorker. The fact that his decisions are spot on most of the times is because he knows how to use the right resources at the right time.
The ability to have the knowledge of the skills of each and every individual in the team gives an edge to any leader to use the right resources at the right time. That’s again a sign of a great leader.
4) Respecting the opposition
Dhoni is never found to criticise his opposition and respects them no matter what side he is playing against. In fact, he considers taking each and every match with equal importance.
There were a lot of instances where he was found respecting the opposition for their tactics while in the match. The ability to analyse the opposition and respecting their strengths(and weaknesses) is what makes him a class apart.
5) Absorbing Pressure
Dhoni might have ninety-nine problems but absorbing pressure isn’t one of them. In fact, there isn’t probably a man in the cricket world who can absorb pressure like what Dhoni does. Dhoni has always been surrounded by pressure on and off the field (may be one of the prime reasons for his white beards at 30).
To reflect the pressure through performance and not through anguish is what Dhoni has mastered over the years. As a leader, you got to keep yourself calm at the time when you team needs you the most. If the leader breaks down, you can’t expect the team to sail through. No doubt he is called ‘Captain Cool’.
5) Handling Criticism
Dhoni has been accused of a lot of things in the past and there has been under constant criticisms for a variety of issues. Be it the expulsion of the senior members of the team or his unorthodox leadership style.
He has always been under the hammer, but not much have ever shook Dhoni from continuing on what he does the best. In one of his quotes, he said that he sees criticism as an opportunity to improve his abilities. What better way to handle criticism than to use it as a tool to revive oneself.
6) Leading with example
As being a leader it is important that you lead from the front and showcase all the above-mentioned qualities. MS Dhoni has been an inspiration to not only to the people outside the dressing room but also people inside the dressing room. Dhoni has crossed all boundaries of getting out of comfort zone and to push his individuals abilities.
He has been the best with the bat, keeping wickets and also shown his caliber with the ball while dissipating the word ‘excuse’ for him. He was the first Indian to be awarded as the player of the year by ICC. A ticket collector to an Indian captain, the story has surely been inspiring.
7) Showcasing results
At the end of the day all that matters is the result, doesn’t matter how you get it. To MS Dhoni, he has got it in style. First Indian to lift the T20 World Cup, first World Cup after 28 years, Champions trophy, No 1 in tests and much more.
India has seen all the highs that are to be seen under the captaincy of this individual. Laying out strategies and executing them is what a great leader must possess and MS Dhoni has showcased all of it with absolute geniuses.
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