Leadership Lessions from Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli has been a phenomenal player. There are often strong reactions that people have when you take his name. Some people absolutely adore him and others prefer him as a player to a captain.
As Virat stepped down from the captaincy of the India cricket team, my mind wandered to leadership lessons we could take from his time as the most successful (by # of wins) India Captain in history. Here are my 5 takeaways.
1. Belief In the Cause:
Virat showcased unwavering belief in his team and the cause of winning abroad. The belief was contagious, and the starting point of a change in India cricket. We competed toe to toe in alien conditions, and won in most of them including being the #1 ranked team for many years.
2. Clear Expectations:
It’s critical for a leader to be clear in what he/she expects from his team. Virat made it abundantly clear that fitness and a fighting spirit were non-negotiables. This meant, even if you were an ace or celebrated cricketer, but unfit, you didn’t make the cut. Fitness and fielding standards in the collective team are world-class toady. Something that India cricket of the past could never boast of.
3. Creating Your Own Template to Success:
When Virat got the captaincy from MS Dhoni, we were a spin super power. That was MSD’s specialty. Yet, Virat believed that in order to be a greater force to recon with in international cricket, we need a battery of fast bowlers. He promoted and backed the fast bowlers, and under his stewardship there is a day light difference in India’s pace bowling performance and reserves. One can always say he had better bowlers playing under him, but he created conditions that encouraged fast bowlers to come to the fore.
4. Never Back Down, and Back Your Team:
Virat was least worried about what others felt of him, and never backed down. If the opposition picked on someone in his team, he was there to give it back to the opposition. He always had his team’s back. This may not well be appreciated by everyone, with some people calling his style a bit aggressive. I would argue that in fight of flight, he choose to fight, which in turn created an indomitable fighting spirit within the team.
5. Seldom Make Excuses:
Things don’t always go as per plan. The last thing you want as a leader is to give excuses. When things don’t go as planned or the execution falters you want the leader to put up his hand and accept it. Virat embodied this every time the team failed to deliver.
Virat’s success as a leader, on the back of a diametrically different MS Dhoni, told the world that there is no one template to being a successful leader. Each of us can do it in our own way. If we try and imitate our predecessor it may a race to the bottom, as when the chips are down things will likely fall apart.
If you can take away one lesson from Virat’s era as a leader, it should be about being authentic. Virat lead in his inimitable style, and he did not change it to fit in.
