Bye Bye Captain Cool

3 Things I have learned from MSD’s Life & Leadership

Mahendra Singh Dhoni or MSD for short has been an icon of Indian Cricket for a long time. From the days when he was just a cool looking wicket-keeper sporting long hair, to his reliable looking short hair and captaincy, Dhoni has and will always be one of the best captains India has ever seen. Although he had taken a step back this past couple of years, his retirement on August 15^th has been received with a huge groan by his huge fan base. A friend speaking to me about this said “Indian Cricket will never be the same again” and I couldn’t agree with him more.

Fondly called as ‘Captain Cool’ he accomplished what many before him were unable to do. He stepped in at a time when the Indian team was considered ‘amateur,’ his captaincy propelled the team to win the ODI World Cup and the 20-20 World Cup. Somehow under his leadership, even in a dying match, every Indian felt hope every time he stepped onto the field.

So, what made Dhoni successful where others had failed? Here are some things I have learned for MSD’s leadership.

Captain Cool Always

The main key to Dhoni’s success was his ‘cool’ attitude. Every Indian Cricket fan remembers Dhoni’s magnificent six which led India to win the World Cup 2011 after 28 years. He made the world wake up and take note of Indian Cricket once more. What a day that was, I remember hooting and screaming together with my entire family, as crackers and fireworks lit up our neighborhood. The World Cup was ours, a moment of pride and joy for every Indian. Dhoni could have been angry or frustrated at the end point when all hope seemed lost, but his calm attitude led his team to victory. The Bible says “People with understanding control their anger; a hot temper shows great foolishness.” This is a great lesson for life, when we do not immediately give in to our feelings of anxiety or frustration, when we restrain our negative emotions, we can often triumph in style.

A Team player like no other

While many players excelled at certain positions in the order, this Captain led by his availability and flexibility. When the team was in dire need, he would advance up the order destroying the opposition with his ‘helicopter shot.’ And when all the team needed was a finishing run, he stepped into that role as well. One last run before he took the left stump off. He demonstrated true team spirit, as the Bible says “ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. True leadership is one where there is no room for “self.” The team matters above all else. He could have been a show off and advanced his own ratings and scores but the team mattered to MSD.

Great leaders are born off the field

Sometimes it is easy to be a huge success in your professional life but hard to be a success in your personal life. Dhoni showed us how to do both. A doting dad and a loving husband, you could hardly see him without his wife hooting in the stands, and later with his kid watching. He was a great leader to his own family. This observation is validated by his wife Sakshi’s emotional tribute on Instagram on his retirement, she says “You (MSD) should be proud of what you have achieved. Congratulations on giving your best to the game. I am proud of your accomplishments and the person you are!” ‘The person you are’ is not determined by the runs you score; it is determined by your character and the way you impact others.

Dhoni will always be missed, but the lessons of life that you can learn from his leadership will remain. Whether it was his ability to hold back anger and anxiety, his willingness to sacrifice for the team, or even his gestures of love and leadership toward his family and his teammates, he has set an excellent example. A greater example was set by Jesus who lived these words “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.” That’s right, Great leadership comes from great humility and grace.

Bye bye MSD, you will be missed!