Management lessons from CEO Dhoni

The Times of India April 5, 2011

Namrata Singh TNN
Mumbai: What Mahendra Singh Dhoni as !" of the Indian #ri#$et team did to ensure
the #ountr% &on the World up &ill be et#hed as learnings for leaders a#ross all &al$s of
life'aptains of India In#,leading business s#hools and () leaders ha*e ta$en note of
Dhonis st%le of management'
!+perimentati*e,inno*ati*e and ris$,ta$ing are some of the #hara#teristi#s being
attributed to him'So &hat reall% is Dhonis management st%le (e sets stret#h goals and
&or$s determinedl% to a#hie*e them b% getting the best out of his team,sa%s Adi
-odre.,#hairman,-odre. -roup,&ho has ta$en on a ne& role as #hairman of The Indian
S#hool of /usiness'Dhoni is being des#ribed as a true leader &ho did not hesitate to push
himself up the batting order in the final,&hen the team needed him the most'(e led the
atta#$ from the front and &as not afraid to ma$e this #hange'(e $ne& &ell that had he
failed,he &ould ha*e been #riti#i0ed but %et he fearlessl% too$ up the #hallenge at a
#riti#al time in the Indian innings, sa%s (arsh -oen$a,#hairman,)1- -roup'
Santrupt Misra,() head,Adit%a /irla -roup,on the other hand,lauded Dhoni for being
e+perimentati*ethat is inno*ati*e and,at the same time,prepared to fa#e the
#onse2uen#es'(es in#lusi*e,but at the same time &hen the moment of truth #omes,he
doesnt hesitate to ta$e de#isions' And &hat does one learn from Dhonis leadership s$ills
Ta$e measured ris$s and ba#$ %our team to deli*er, said -unit hadha,!",Deuts#he
/an$ India'A leader should maintain his #alm'(e should $no& his business and ta$e
appropriate de#isions in #hanging #onte+ts, said Misra'
"ne #ould see ho& these #hara#teristi#s #ame to the fore &hen,in a #risis situation during
the World up 3India had lost t&o #ru#ial &i#$ets of Sa#hin Tendul$ar and 4irender
Seh&ag5,Dhoni $ept his #ool and led India to *i#tor%'Dhoni has been #onsistent mat#h
after mat#h'(e has stu#$ his ne#$ out and a##epted his mista$es, said Deepti
/hatnagar,fa#ult%,"rganisational /eha*iour,IIM,Ahmedabad'Whats more,the #aptain
su##eeded in building a team &here %oung people #an #ome up &ith their opinions'In a
situation &here a mu#h %ounger pla%er li$e 4irat 6ohli #an gi*e his opinion to&ards a
senior pla%er li$e Sa#hin &ithout inhibitions itself spea$s *olumes about the team #ulture,
said /hatnagar'7ehras #omeba#$ against 1a$istan is another good e+ample of ho&
Dhonis faith in him paid off'3WIT( I718TS 9)"M )!!/A :A(A)IA( A7D
(IT)A 877IT(A75