Business of winning

by

“An Athlete cannot run with money in his pocket. He must run with hope in his heart and dreams in his head” - Emil Zapotek

Why do some teams win more often than others?

Why are some teams more mercurial, capable of

astonishing performances one day and appalling ones the

next?

Is it out therefore for everybody to follow but only

some are inclined to reach out for it?

What attracts a good player??

A winning Team !!

It creates a climate where talent is allowed to flourish

Similar Organizations !!

1. Hindustan Lever (Mid Eighties)

2. IBM (Nineties)

3. Infosys

4. WiproWestern India Vegetable Products Ltd

What creates this Aura??

Company seeks to be employers of choice

If you create a right environment talents will flourish

Organization rarely have to tell talented, driven players to perform

Employer of choice !!!

Teams which created an Aura!!

Nitin ParanjpeMD and CEOHUL Elaborated

“ First and foremost is the capacity to demonstrate that you can win consistently . Bu that is not enough. You could win and still not have that aura. And that is because how you go about it. But winning today is not enough, you need to win today and tomorrow “

What causes winning cycle to

break….?!?

1. Discord produced by players

1.Put individual goals ahead of what is in the interest of the team

2.The forward who looks for the dramatic goal from impossible angle

3.The batsman who slowdown in a quest for hundred

2. If there is no room for fresh talent

1.Team can stagnate in their performance and in thought

2.Players need to be challenged all the time

3.It keeps them hungry and excited

3. Communication

1.Communication is the hallmark of winning teams

2.Organization’s culture depends on whether it promotes open communication

3.Getting people express their views leads to greater accountability

4. Shift in technology / Government policy / Demographics

1.Great test team could look out of place in Twenty20 environment

2.When T20 Started players had not played yet. Coaches hadn’t experienced it either.

3.So their traditional role, imparting knowledge from their own experience was under threat.

5. Loosing the focus

1.Winning for granted. Let the arrogance remain and let the work ethic dwindle.

2.Example: West Indies in late Seventies and England in early nineties.

3.Colgate-Palmolive fell in this trap in the late nineties when they let HUL outflank them.

5. Loosing the focus..FMCG

Causes of Winning…..?!?

1. Organization must have mechanism not only nurturing, but also culling –

Example – Australia remained strong because they had a very rigorous , almost brutal exit policy.

- Ian Healy wanted to finish in front of home crowd, but he was told he couldn’t because Adam Gilchrist was ready

- Steve Waugh wanted to play and finish with a win in India in 2004, but he was told he was not going to play.

2. Know how to win –

• To know how to win • you must win frequently

“ We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is not an act, but a habit “ – Aristotil

• Team that would win Soccer World Cup Would be the team that knew how to.

Why some teams cant keep up the

winning cycle…..?!?

1. Teams that don’t win very often don’t know what to do when they are placed in winning position –

Example –

South Africa’s misadventures in the world cup. Team with outstanding percentage on bilateral series, continued to choke in Mega world events

Younger player growing up in SA side, would have inherited the

tension associated with winning in a big day.

“ Fear of winning can some times be greater than fear of

loosing “

Equally talented young man, growing up in a losing environment could never have learned the discipline of winning. Example – Mohd. Ashraful of Bangladesh

What makes a champion??

To be a Champion, you need big match temperament because , good teams are able to put the past behind them and focus on the present.

Shane Warne (captain Rajasthan Royal)Said “How can we win from here”

Sachin Tendulkar (The little Master)“ Winners take Away hope from the opposition!! ”

The winning AURA…!!

• Teams that wins consistently, begin acquiring an aura around them. People write about them, opponents read and watch.

• Hence, when the time comes to compete, their rivals lack self-belief

• Losing becomes self-fulfilling prophecy for such teams.

• This is how a lot of matches are won and lost even before the match begins.

’Eventually, every team has to learn that excellence isn’t a destination. It’s a process that must be continually improved’ - Pat Riley, NBA Hall of Fame coach

Muhammed Ali…winning aura!!

Example – Australia, 2003 WC final

(Even Though the match was postponed to the next day due to rain after scoring a huge 300+ runs, Australia scored 359 runs the next day also and won with a huge 125 run lead)

West Indies in late seventies and mid-eighties. (Seeing their line up, created a sense of hopelessness in the opponent team and the match was already half lost)

Bombay Ranji Team in Nineties were considered the winners even before the match started 40 times Ranji Winners

The strongest weapon these teams have

on the field is hope, once Hope dies, end is swift

West Indies line up

Organizational Comparison

• Organization that are consistently successful have strong system and a framework to enforce those systems

• Champion force to divert attention from your games to their games. You don’t look at your strengths, you look at theirs

Example – When HUL introduces new product in the market, (eighties) they made life virtually impossible for the opponent.

Reliance Intimidated people with the sheer magnitude of their imagination and ability to convert that into reality

HUL Products

The look of a winner – body Language

Champions make their intensions known in which they carry themselves

Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards known as Viv, Richards

Swagger as he

walked

His body language conveys, ‘yes I’m here, let’s see if you can get me.

Eyes bit blood shot, few pearls of sweat

He looked like a boxer entering the ring

Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar used this type of body language.

Organizational Body Language

Big, Brash and Scale of operation is marvelous

Firm, understated, Classy

Honest and Open

The Winners Mind

• For all their ruthlessness, sportsmen and indeed all winners need to have a demeanor of a Monk.

• Sports is all about calm mind and violent bodies. But it is difficult to stay calm amidst the pressure

• Embrace the present and address the needs for the present : Buddhist Teaching

• Indian hockey players couldn’t relate to some of their coaches, because they talked about the players and styles they had never seen

Revive the winners in them

• Teams that has history of loosing, will take a tentative steps when a giant stride might make big difference

• Teams that are locked into the past need a fresh leadership who have not yet been by the brush of defeat.

Gream Smith – SA. He was 22 when appointed as captain for SA

• Winners visualize the rewards of success, losers visualize the penalties of failure

Wasim Akram, former Pakistan Captain

admitted the reason of failure at WC

1999, that, ‘lot of people were worried

about what would have happened if

they lost, rather than thinking of

winning.’

Symptoms of a Winning team

Happy and relaxed atmosphere

A ‘can do’ approach

Bringing in new people and ideas to prevent staleness

Living the present, planning for future

Ability to pass the balls

Strong personal goals yet subordinate to team goals

Common shared vision Nurturing at the right moment

Hunger, Passion, Energy

Non-negotiable work ethics

Focusing on competition and not internal differences

Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery. Good teams win, move on and get ready for the next day’ - Bob Wolmer