Thursday, February 17, 2011

MSD's masterclass in communication

I simply love this guy's communications...most willing to make him my communication guru.



He might be the only skipper in the history of all cricket to speak exact same things at press meets as well as team meetings - and be respected by all concerned for doing that!!


Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a genuine trailblazer in this field. He has blasted all previously held notions of discreetness by following a simple code of lipwork: what cannot be uttered at one place cannot be uttered anywhere..and the rest will have to be consumed everywhere.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc_cricket_worldcup2011/content/current/story/501317.html

Check the above crystal clear yet impersonal pre-WC communication on an issue that, with any lesser communication skills, would either be kept away from the press or would be shared in a manner that it became a potential source of ambiguity to the key middle order batsmen  of the Indian team. Far from it, the skipper's current communication has made it clear to all concerned the strategy that will be adopted for certain eventualities. No cobwebs...no murmurs...no role confusion - all clear. Get on please.


I have seen corporate houses making loud noises on 'aligning' people across the hierarchy, while deliberately keeping the same people in dark on key issues...MSD can go to such orgs, ask CEO's of such companies to stand up on the bench holding their ears and teach them a lesson or two on alignment! And that being honest, frank and respectful have no disharmony with each other.

To make full use of MSD's unparalleled combo-offer of vision, leadership and communication, we need MSD to be around for the next 30 years to Indian cricket - 7 as a player, 10 as a coach, 5 as a Chief selector and 8 as an administrator (4 in BCCI and 4 in ICC)...and this is IRRESPECTIVE of Indian team's progress in the 2011 world cup.

When he reaches age 60 we can finally release him - he will be free to go and win the Prime Minister's post hands down thereafter.

Update: Here's a cricinfo quote from Dhoni on what he has suggested to Sreesanth to control his temperament:


I told him that he should not cross a few boundaries. If you want to irritate someone that should be the opposition and not your side.
Once more, the Alignment Man of Indian Cricket is direct, clear, precise...but fair considering the guy in question (a still temperamental Sreesanth).

Update 2: I suspect some of the readers may be having furrowed eyebrows while reading this article. It may seem to be a fan post eulogising Dhoni.




To them I warn: You are taking good things for granted; good things like having captains with pride and vision, captains supportive of their players.



India are fortunate to have such skippers for 11 years now.





For anyone having slightest doubts on the value that these leaders have brought to Indian Cricket through good communication, commitment & pride, I recommend this Prem Panicker article hailing from an era where it was missing in the leader of Indian team....an article written with a lot of angst but with fairness ahead of another World Cup campaign 12 years back.
[As always, I still remain an ardent fan of Azharuddin the batsman - the single biggest reason for my getting hooked to cricket]


Update 3: Even the master communicator can have his sloppy days at press meets when made to answer same questions over and over!!

Dhoni offered a rather strange explanation for the fields he has set for Harbhajan so far. "At the group stages, I don't want to have a forward short leg or silly point because I don't want any player to get injured. That is one of the reasons we have been restricted to using a leg slip."

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