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Universal Business School, Karjat
Leadership Profile Report by Raj Kattimani – PGCM-4 (1425)
Leadership & Change Management Assignment - April 2015
Submitted to: Dr Vidu Soni

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Biography:
ahendra Singh Dhoni (MSD) was born on 7th
July 1981 in Ranchi, Bihar (now in Jharkhand), India. Born in a Rajput family to a middle-
class parents, MSD went on to become the greatest Indian cricket captain in the history and still playing as on the date of writing
this article. Dhoni is great fan of Adam Gilchrist, one of best left-handed wicket-keeper batsmen in the world, Amitabh Bachchan,
Sachin Tendulkar (fellow team mate) and Lata Mangeshkar, the lone Bharat Ratna (highest civilian award in India) awardee as a singer.
He studied in DAV Jawahar Vidya Mandir in Ranchi. MSD was born intelligent. As a boy, he grasped things quickly. He was aware of his
surroundings, receptive of the information he was exposed to and sharp enough to filter out the bad and imbibe the good. In the last seven
years, he has put these natural gifts to optimum use to achieve the level of serenity, sagacity and sanguineness that belies his age.
However, his interest was more in sports than in academics. Initially he excelled in badminton and football, MSD was incidentally sent by his
football coach to play cricket which was completely a new game for him. At the age of 14, he impressed with his wicket-keeping skills in that
M

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match and thereafter he became the regular wicket-keeper at the Commando Cricket Club between 1995 and 1998. In 1997 he was selected
for the Vinoo Mankad Trophy under 16 championship. He focused on cricket thereafter.
He worked as a Train Ticket Examiner (TTE) of Indian Railways at Kharagpur Railway Station from 2001 to 2003. He was known for his honesty
and straight forward way of looking at things. He also had a mischievous side to his personality. He made his debut in Indian cricket team on
23rd
December 2004 vs. Bangladesh and in 2007 he became the captain of Indian cricket team! Under MSD’s leadership India won the cricket
world cup after 28 years in 2011. The previous world cup win for India was in the 60-overs era in 1983.
Within a short span of time MSD went onto create so many records in Indian cricket history like –
1. Most wins by an Indian captain in Tests and One-day internationals (ODIs)
2. Most back-to-back wins by an Indian captain in ODIs
3. First captain to win all formats of cricket world cup – T20 in 2007, 50 overs game in 2011, and Champions Trophy in 2013
4. Under his leadership the Indian cricket team attained the 1st
place ICC test ranking in 2009 (within 2 years of becoming a captain)
MSD is conferred with honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel by the Indian Territorial Army on 1st
November 2011. Time magazine included
MSD in its annual Time 100 list of Most Influential people in the world in 2011. A year later, SportsPro reported MSD as the 16th
most
marketable athlete in the world.
MSD is married to Sakshi Singh Rawat. On 6th
February 2015, MSD’s wife gave birth to a girl child named Ziva. Apart from cricket he loves bikes
and dogs. During his free time he takes long rides on his bikes or spends time at home with his wife and pets.
“MS Dhoni – the untold story” – a biographical film with this title is set to release this year. This film is based on the life of MSD so far. This is
something that was unheard of for a sports personality at least in India.

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Leadership qualities:
Many experts see many leadership qualities in MSD and have extensively written and published the same. An attempt is made here to capture
them in this section.
1. Team Player
Whether it was backing newcomers like Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma early on in their careers or letting teammates bask in the glory of
the 2011 World Cup victory, MS Dhoni believes in giving importance to the team's priorities and space to his players, in turn, empowering
them. "This is an important skill to learn - to be open with the team and to allow others to think through, feel the right and wrong in every
situation and then take solution-based decisions, which enables best results in every task at hand," says Vandana Shah, executive and
leadership coach at The Chrysallis. "The difference between a boss and a leader is that a boss dictates terms, and a leader develops the team
members, such that there is no more a need for a system to follow but where members work in sync on their own. Being flexible to the
development of team members also helps them evolve and build their emotional stability," adds Khyati Birla, executive coach.
2. Go with your gut
Whether it is an odd selection of players, shuffling the batting order or attacking field setups, this skipper goes by his gut instincts on the
field and that has led to many a wins for India. "This requires a lot of belief in oneself and one's abilities. No matter what position you are in,
without self-belief, your steps won't move you to stride ahead. Leaders should keep that faith in what they believe in," says Suri. Birla feels
that after years of experience, a person builds up a sixth sense. "There was once a Formula One driver who was looking at navigating a bend
on the track. But at the last minute, he pulled over. Turns out, there was a pile-up ahead and his instinctive approach saved his life. He said
this was because the audience was looking ahead rather than at him and he sensed something was wrong. This is what experience builds up,"

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she elaborates. According to Shah, leaders need to read between the lines and see what others may have missed and take the risk that is
required at that moment.
When asked about being an intuitive decision maker MSD says:
“I don’t plan a lot and believe in my gut feel. But what many people don’t understand is that to have that gut feel, you have to have
experienced that thing before. For instance, you don’t know anything about bikes. I open one of my bike engines and keep it in front of you
and ask you ‘which model does your gut feeling say this engine belongs to’, you will be clueless. You won’t have a gut feeling because you
don’t know anything about the object there. My gut feeling comes from my past experiences of all the cricket I’ve played in my life and the
situations I have faced. It’s not something you just feel for a moment without any logic. It is an educated chance you take based on your
past knowledge, and I really believe in that feeling.”
3. Boost team morale
According to the cricket commentator, Charu Sharma, Dhoni's undisputable positive personality results in boosting the morale of the team,
an important skill for leaders to learn from. "His personality rubs off on the team and it is easier for them to be around him, if not follow him.
You find captains who berate their team members in public or give them an angry glare if they lose a catch, but Dhoni never does that. He
smiles, jokes and has the least possible baggage on his shoulders, which is refreshing," observes Sharma. Birla explains, "When in a team, not
every member is evolved at the same level. For example, one person might have difficulty facing a fast delivery while the other might find it
hard to face a spin ball. Reassurance from the leader, to at least try and not worry about the result, helps build the morale of members and
affects the overall result."
As an MBA students we know that managing a team which is full of international talent and from diverse cultures within India, requires more
than just being a captain – the leadership skills, the people skills and the communication skills. On managing people here is what MSD has to
say:

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“Man management is slightly more difficult because you are dealing with human emotions which are complicated. Most times an individual
starts to doubt his talent before the others doubt him. He doesn’t trust his own ability and the self-belief goes missing. When that happens
and you go to talk to that player, you have to wait for the right time and most importantly be very careful in choosing your words. When
you’re in a bad mental space, you can take even the right thing in a negative way. So the communication becomes very critical. To get it
right, you have to know the individual really well – what gets him ticking, what his interests are and how he perceives things. You get most
these things from the way he behaves in the dressing room and with the other players. That doesn’t mean you sit in the change room studying
every individual. It all comes through subconscious observations – the information keeps getting collected in the database and you can pull
out a piece when you need it.”
4. Learn to handle failure
There is no constant in heroism and a person isn't always on the top. Failure is an inevitable part of success and a true leader does a retake
when there is failure. Several sportsmen such as Michael Jordan have seen failure and started again," says Birla.
5. Connect individually
Apart from being a captain, Dhoni has also been a mentor for younger team players. "He connects with each player in the team, providing
them quality time with equal frequency. Leaders who connect with each team member derive more out of them in the long run - their loyalty,
high confidence and zeal to surpass themselves in their performance," says Suri. "A good leader ensures that egos don't develop in the team
and has expectations that are realistic. He talks to people in a way that he reaches out to each member," sums up Birla.

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6. A fit leader matters
Dhoni is known to take keen interest in fitness and this aspect has inspired members of the Indian team to keep up their fitness levels too.
"Anybody who is physically fit is living consciously, hence, is focussed, alert and wise. To lift a 25 kg barbell, one needs to be focussed; hence,
being mentally and physically fit is interconnected. This also affects the person emotionally and the person is an inspiration to the members
of his team and they try and adopt this way of living as in the end, everyone wants to be on the top," says nutrition consultant, Karishma
Chawla.
7. Leading from the front
Dhoni is one of those few captains in sports who have always led from the front, more so, in a situation of crisis. Dhoni has proved to be a
leader who leads by example. The man has depicted remarkable equilibrium in many over-heated situations. His teammates are often heard
saying that he knows how to remain cool and how to inspire others to remain so. Even senior players like Sachin and Dravid are all praise for
him. During Sourav Ganguly's farewell test match, he asked him to captain the team for some time. This was a great gesture which established
Dhoni's leadership and humane qualities.
8. Motivation
When it comes to motivation, Dhoni is the best captain India has ever produced. This behaviour was depicted very well by him during the
semi-final match against Pakistan in the recently concluded World Cup. Amidst all the frenzy and hoopla which was built around the big game
and the kind of pressure the players were under, even a small mistake could have cost them the match and the Cup. Dhoni motivated them
and encouraged them to play naturally but give their 100% at the same time. And, we all know the result of the game.

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9. Taking risks
Whether it is tampering with the batting order or choosing the bowlers, many of Dhoni's decisions have been under scrutiny. But on most
occasions, his spot decisions have paid-off very well. Dhoni uses his best discretion to weigh a situation real time. All cricket fans would
remember clearly, in T20 world cup final (2007) the situation was Pakistan needed just 13 runs from last over and MSD had the option to give
the ball to the most experienced bowler in the team – Harbhajan Singh as it could have been a wise thing to do. But MSD trusted his gut feeling
and called upon Joginder Sharma (a new comer) to bowl the final over. It could have just cost the world cup but given what MSD is all about
the result of that action is a history for every cricket lover to cherish.
10.Accepting mistakes
There have been instances when his decisions have backfired. Dhoni has always been graceful enough to accept his follies and doesn't pass
the buck to his other teammates. This has helped to build him the required trust within the team and mutual trust betters the performance.
Like cricket, running a business too is a team effort. Mutual trust between the team members is of paramount importance and it's the leader's
responsibility to build that
11.Learn to take criticism
Overall, Dhoni has been lucky enough to have drawn considerably less flak as compared to other Indian cricket captains. But he does have a
fair share of criticism. Many times, his decisions like shuffling the batting order abruptly or giving the over to someone unexpectedly. Mostly,
his decisions pay off well and he is not let down by them. It's actually the critics who are made to eat the humble pie. If in case, his decisions
boomerang, he is humble enough to candidly admit his mistakes. His handling of criticism is in great sync with his persona of 'Captain Cool.'

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Entrepreneurs and managers are bound to attract criticism throughout their endeavours. Learning from Dhoni, they should not be deterred
unnecessarily and let criticism make them go off the track. Criticism, in fact, can be healthy, if taken in the right way and right spirit.
12.Less me and more us
At the end of a match which has been won, Dhoni picks up a stump and walks away, without much celebration. In the case of receiving a
trophy, Dhoni immediately hands it over to his teammates.
Humility is a very important character that a leader must possess. No matter how good you might be as a captain, you are only a leader when
your team accepts you to be one. And with most companies, it is the success of the whole team that brings home the winning trophy.
13.Being aware of yourself
Apart from being many millions of dollars better off, the way Dhoni has carried himself hasn’t changed much over the years. The same goes
for his cricket itself. Despite critiques talking ill about his peculiar batting style, he still bats the same way, to devastating effectiveness.
The way he has stuck to his fundamentals is admirable, on and off the game. It is a sign of a leader who is a well aware of his strengths and
weaknesses. It is very important for entrepreneurs to know their core strengths and shortcomings.
While you might have shortcomings that may come in the way of emulating the aforementioned qualities, but being aware of it, is in itself a
win.

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14.The life-long student
In a recent interview, Dhoni was giving his views on how the journey of Indian cricket has been for him. Here’s what he says:
“Cricket teaches you a lot in life, especially during the difficult times. It enriches your character in terms of how you behave when you’re
down and not only try to improve yourself but help your team mates as well. You make sure that your team doesn’t feel that extra pressure
by avoiding whatever can be avoided. As the leader you have to protect your team from any negativity that creeps in during these times.
These have been very educational seven years of my life.”
15.Uninhibited style
Hailing from a humble background, Dhoni never let this aspect hinder his style or behaviour. In fact, he managed to channelize this raw rustic
energy to his on-field performances.
He was never shy of expressing himself in any given situation. In a competitive corporate world, you are often judged by your past or
stereotyped and it is important to maintain a positive ego at all times.
16.Managing success
Dhoni dealt with his early success with a lot of maturity with his feet firmly on the ground, which eventually led to his elevation. It requires
a great degree of level headedness and humility to handle fame and money at an early age.
In a corporate context, early success need not lead to brash behaviour towards colleagues and customers. We have seen that, at times, young
managers who see success early lose their balance and face early career burnouts.

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17.Withstanding pressure
Ability to stay calm and keep his cool with a seemingly uncluttered mind is Dhoni's greatest gift as a leader. This soothes the nerves of the
rest of the team and ensures that they stay focused and continue to believe in themselves.
Dhoni is a lesson for all leaders in terms of their ability to manage extremely stressful work environments. Managing periods of high stress
without losing your composure is the key to long-term success and good health.
18.Invoking respect in the rivals
By his mere presence, calmness and body language Dhoni invokes great respect and fear in the opposition camp.
In a work environment, it takes a great deal to be respected by competition who would be itching to have you on the other side of the fence.
This comes through sheer performance and acknowledgement from your internal and external stakeholders.
19.Versatile
Dhoni is hands on, is versatile and can adapt to any situation. He plays all the three formats of the game, can bat in any position, keep wickets
and can roll his arm over if required. Versatility and adaptability is the key for long-term success for executives.
As a leader Dhoni is aware that the spotlight is on him but he never hogs the limelight. He keeps a check on his emotions all the time both in
victory and defeat. He still has lot of cricket left in him and perhaps, for us, there are more lessons to learn from him.
On his chemistry with the senior players like Sachin Tendulkar, MSD says:

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“I was extremely lucky to have a very good bunch of senior players around me to inculcate things from. What they taught me cannot be
restricted to the captaincy box because it was much more than that. What I learnt from them was how to be humble, how to conduct yourself
when you’re successful and how to figure your way out of tough times. Captaincy is a very small aspect of my life as a cricketer and their
impact on me as a person has been much bigger.”
On his captaincy he opines:
“I took captaincy as a job responsibility. I was given a certain role in the team and whatever I had to do to fulfil that role, I did. If anything,
their presence made things easy for me initially because you don’t need to tell Sachin, Dravid, Laxman or Dada what needs to be done. Even
during the fag end of their careers, they helped me as a captain by setting an example for the younger guys coming in. The young boys learnt
from them what it takes to succeed at international cricket and they were groomed under them. At the same time they understood how
important it is to maintain their own individuality because of which they were in the team. It’s the individual characters that shape the
character of the team.”
On managing team members, especially the bowlers and their plan of attack, MSD holds a different view:
“If I give them a plan, they will take it and keep bowling in the same way without thinking. And tomorrow when they’re on their own, they
won’t know what to do. So, I let them execute their plan and when it doesn’t work, I step in with alternate suggestions. That way they
understand why their plan didn’t work, they discover what works for them, and their overall knowledge about their game improves.”

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On being compared with captains of Australia, MSD comes with a different approach:
“Our culture is very different to theirs and that makes our challenges as captains different as well. I feel being part of Indian cricket or
managing cricket in India is not a 100 per cent professional and pragmatic job. We Indians are much more emotional as compared to people
from some of the other countries. We run on emotions. There are better ways for me to get the best out of an individual than going up to
him and telling him this is what needs to be done in a stern tone.”
Qualities that I admire in MS Dhoni:
Well, to be honest it’s not possible to just pick up only two qualities that I admire in MSD as a leader. Having said that the task has to be done
at the end of the day. So here I go:
1. Belief
The life of MSD teaches me to “believe in yourself”. If you believe you can do it, you can. It doesn’t matter where you come from, what is
your family background and what people think of you, if you have the belief in yourself to achieve something in life, you just have to go after
it. Breaking the metropolitan monopoly was perhaps not on the agenda of this man from Ranchi, but it just happened in the process of being
your best in whatever you can do. Since I come from a very humble background myself I can relate to what it takes to leave the inhibitions
behind. I’m also reminded of an adage which goes something like – “everything in this world is made twice, first in your mind and then it
comes alive in this material world”. So for me self-belief that MSD has displayed in his life time has been amazing and something that I always
look up to.

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2. Sincerity
I believe it takes sincerity of purpose to be calm under pressure, to take criticism and to deal with failure. MSD’s life epitomizes that. He’s
calm under any pressure game, some decisions might turn out to be bad but he takes criticism and he’s dealt with failures by drawing strength
from his self-belief time and again. He’s always behind the scenes for celebrations, leaving it to team members to take the limelight.
Immediately after the World Cup win in 2011, he shaved his head. This signifies his values about life, the simplicity and sincerity of purpose.
During the tour of Australia in February 2015, he became a father. He could have easily travelled back to India to have a first glimpse of his
daughter but he stayed on the national duty of being Indian captain and led India till the semi-final stage in the 2015 world cup. He got to
see his daughter for the first time after almost 50 days she was born!
Conclusion:
Be it sports or business or any walk of life, MSD is the leader who can inspire not just millions but the billions around the world. In 2004 when
he first made his debut in Indian cricket with long hair and unorthodox batting style, no one could believe (perhaps even he) that this small-
town guy would go on to become the greatest captain of India and give India the world cup win after 28 years in waiting by this country of
cricket lovers. How can I forget my greatest birthday gift ever – 2nd
April 2011, this man MSD, gives the gift of World Cup to me and the whole
nation? It has been the greatest birthday celebration of my life so far.
From leadership point of view, as we come to this assignment there are many lessons to be drawn from the life of MSD, the man who inspires
me and billion others.

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References:
1. Wikipedia.org
2. The Times of India – Leadership lessons
3. Cricbuzz.com (Dec 30, 2014)
4. NTDV Sports – featured article on Leadership skills from MS Dhoni
5. BCCI.tv – News – the Art of Leadership by MS Dhoni
6. Indiatimes.com – published blog on 7 traits that MS Dhoni a special leader
7. Mensxp.com – work life section – Leadership
8. Yourstory.com