I always hesitate to write about MS Dhoni as already over the years, so much has been written and told about him. At times I wonder – if there is anything still left to be told about MS? His rags to riches story – his journey starting from a small town in Ranchi to achieving a net worth of $111 million is indeed inspiring – but what sets him aside from others is his attitude – the never dying spirit.
1. The Art Of Visualisation
You can’t do anything that you can’t picture yourself doing.
Suresh Raina, in an interview, said that MS would hardly speak for a minute in the team meeting. Every night, before the game, he would picturise and visualise that how much would the pitch bounce tomorrow, where can he play the ball, where should he place the fielders. Similarly, it’s imperative for an entrepreneur to visualise his dreams and plans. It’s rightly said that most battles are fought and won in mind first. This art of visualisation has only made people say DRS as Dhoni Review System.
2. The Humility To Acknowledge His Teammates
Look at the images of the 2011 World Cup. Where can you see Dhoni, after hitting the winning six? It was his trophy. It was his team. But he knew that it was Sachin’s moment. He let himself aside and ensured that Tendulkar got the fanfare moment. He knew that a single hand could have never won the World Cup. He let his team members take centre stage.
Under his captaincy, India has won all major trophies – ICC WT20 2007, ICC WC 2011, ICC CT 2013 and innumerable bilateral series. Look what Dhoni does – collects the trophy, hands it over to a younger player and moves to the side. He knows that it’s a team game and he is unduly exposed for all the credits. So, he just lets his team members grow.
3. Dare To Take A Risk And Stand By It
In 2008, CB Series, Dhoni dropped three senior players from the team. The selectors warned that he may lose captaincy if India loses the CB series. Dhoni knew that it was the need of the hour to make a younger team for the 2011 World Cup. Fielding has become an integral part of modern day cricket and these players were too slow fielders. He didn’t care much about his post as a captain and was quick to adopt changes. He believed in ‘Niskaam Karma‘ (work without worrying about the result) and his decision paid off. But the bigger underlying lesson is far too deep. What if India had lost the CB Series? India had never won a series in Australia before and winning a series against a mighty Australian side, consisting of Ponting, Gilchrist, Hayden, Clarke and Lee was a big task. But he didn’t fear away from making a bold decision, irrespective of the consequences.
You can’t disrupt the system if you can’t take risks. Winning or losing is an entirely different thing; don’t worry too much about it.
4. Perseverance And Self Belief
Who would deny that entrepreneurship isn’t a cup of cake? An entrepreneur is fighting too many battles, that too, all alone. But he/she knows that they are just one step away from magic. It doesn’t matter how many times, you fail, it’s just that how can you capture the big moment. Dhoni scored 31, 34, 19, 12, 22, 7 and 25 in matches prior to World Cup finals. Look at his numbers. He was completely out of form. But it didn’t shatter his belief that he couldn’t perform. He came before Yuvraj because he believed that he can play the best spinner of the world – Murlidharan better. What happened next? No one needs to be told about. Right? Does anyone remember the poor performances of Dhoni in previous matches? The memory of his winning six is still fresh.
Successful entrepreneurs are highly crazy about their ideas. They can do literally anything to execute their idea – let it even be walking on water.
5. The Power Of Being Ordinary
Remove him from the captaincy (like from Pune Supergiants), he would still contribute as a team member and leader. Dhoni never let his ego supersede him. What happened after he lost too many test matches in a row? He quietly quit the captaincy without any noise. He knew his time was over. Did he ask for anything more? No, he didn’t.
Everyone can be special. Being ordinary is no easier.