India’s glorious victory in Champion’s trophy can be a case study in management. Takeaways that immediately come to my mind as a result of team India’s stupendous performance are:
(1) Create such a position for yourself that you negotiate all the terms from position of strength. Given Indian team’s strength, the tournament ultimately got played on a hybrid model, with matches happening in Pakistan as well as Dubai.
(2) Collective strength, also known as team strength, matters much more than the strength of individuals. One day Virat clicked another day it was Rohit. It was the combined strength of everyone that came into play game after game.
(3) One must have a plan B, a handy replacement even for the most critical team member. Jasprit Bumrah, India’s main strike bowler, was absent; Shami’s timely recovery could be attributed to India’s good fortune, but the presence of Harshit, Arshdeep and Hardik was not incidental, but as part of a well thought out plan B.
(4) No leg of a task should be taken lightly. Even on a wicket that was not friendly for batters, good bowling and great fielding ensured the team’s success.
(5) Larger objective has to overshadow immediate or personal goals. For the team, winning the cup for their country was paramount objective, much beyond the individual glory by way of personal achievements and records and our captain led from the front, taking all the risks, without worrying about his statistics.
(6) Skill, fitness, attitude etc are prerequisite for success – this was amply demonstrated by team india players that endeared them to even their bitterest critics!
Hopefully, we will continue to select the best based strictly on merits, provide the best training and opportunities and support our heroes – in their good times and occasional failure, understanding the true spirit of any sport- there’s only one winner!
Arvind Arya blog 