Business lessons from sports for Indian entrepreneurs: Top 10 takeaways

#4 Trust your team but trust yourself more

Late Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant

At Kobe Bryant's memorial service, teammate Shaquille O'Neal recalled an incident when he asked Bryant to pass the ball more often.

As business leaders, it is important to trust your team, but at crucial moments, it is imperative that you trust yourself even more. By the very nature of their profession, entrepreneurs are visionaries who need to see ahead of the curve. In such situations, it is important to back yourself, especially when no one else is.

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#3 Welcome competition

Rivals Roger Federer & Rafael Nadal

One of the heartwarming moments in the aftermath of Nadal's historic 21st Grand Slam triumph was the congratulatory message from his great rival Roger Federer.

True business professionals welcome healthy competition, while "pretend-preneurs" are busy weakening their rivals rather than improving their own offerings.

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#2 Be a patriot

Whether we consider Neeraj Chopra at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics or Leander Paes at the 1996 Atlanta Games, the great athletes are able to step up their performances when representing their country.

Who can forget how carefully Chopra folded the Indian flag after his victory lap, like a true soldier? (Even earlier, back in 2018, Chopra was named the flagbearer at the Asian Games.)

Similarly, Indian business leaders must never lose sight of the larger role of nation-building that they are involved in.

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#1 Value your support system

PV Sindhu with her coach Park Tae-sang after winning the 2020 Tokyo Olympic bronze medal

Once an athlete or a startup has finally tasted success, it is easy to downplay the contribution of others. Business leaders would do well to imbibe the humility of a two-time Olympic medal winner like PV Sindhu, who is conscious of highlighting the role of her support system, be it her parents, or coaches - past and present.