A lesson or two from Rajasthan Royals

A very interesting article.

By Sudheesh Venkatesh (The author is Head - Human Resources, Tesco)
Apr 10, 2008, Jaipur:
Neeraj Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Salunkhe, Mahesh Rawat, Siddharth Trivedi and a few others come for practice & trial matches for the Rajasthan Royals.
Shane Warne gets to lead a rag-tag team of cricketers labeled no-hopers and more disparagingly as the "mosquito squadron". Their skill is unknown, but the will seems to be there.
Apr 11-17, 2008, Jaipur:
Darren Berry, Jeremy Snape & Shane Warne, the think tank of Rajasthan Royals pick the team with clear roles for everyone. Darren tells the team
"Don't get away from your role. If you perform your role & I perform mine, we win".

Did I hear someone talk of the benefits of "keeping it simple"?
Warne does not know the opposition players, particularly the new Indian faces. Zubin Barucha is tasked to draw up an analysis of the strengths & weaknesses of each player of the rival teams.
He refreshes this before every match.

Did someone say "if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail"?
Warne meets every member of the team on a 1:1. He does a profiling of each one (almost like an MBTI or a 16PF!) and gets a firsthand assessment of their strengths & motivations.
He reportedly tells each one "We have nothing to lose. This is our moment under the sun. Let us go out there, play good cricket & enjoy."

In a Human Resources MBA course 101, do we read about the importance of "painting the vision & communication" ?
Manoj Badale the owner of Rajasthan Royals tells Warne "You sort out the cricket. I will sort out the business. Our lines will not cross".

Can there be a better demonstration of "role clarity - between ownership & management"?
Apr 19, Feroze Shah Kotla, Delhi:
The first match. The Royals lose to Delhi Daredevils. Warne keeps the faith that his side can bounce back.
While every team is doing elaborate video and computer analysis of the matches, Shane Warne plays inspirational videos for the team. He is understood to have told them "Do not worry about lengthy competition
analysis. In the end, you are only competing with yourself. Matches are won on the ground.

Use common sense. You play the ball, not the bowler".
Apr 21, Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur:
The underdogs, Rajasthan Royals beat Kings XI Punjab. Shane Watson, the senior Australian cricketer scores 76 but praises the young Ravindra Jadeja for his 36.

Did someone say "share the credit?"
Apr 24, Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad:
Warne and Graeme Smith, sworn rivals from earlier are now on the same side. The think tank, like with most teams, has differences of opinion on match strategy & team composition. They reportedly agree to a simple principle "We will honestly debate every issue. Our differences will remain within the four walls. When we meet the team we speak in one voice".

United we stand, divided we fall, don't we?
14 required of 4 deliveries. Andrew Symonds the bowler. Warne, the batsman. Warne smashes 4, 6, and 6 and sets up an unbelievable victory for the Royals.

Can there be a better demonstration of "leading by example". Warne practiced what he preached - he played the ball, not the bowler.
May 7, Dr. D.Y. Patil Stadium, Mumbai:
Away game against Mumbai. The Royals lose by 7 wickets, a big defeat.
Warne calls the team for a serious post-match chat. He is understood to have said "You slogged across the line. Was that part of the role we agreed? Sorry. If you breach the script, no place here". He makes it
amply clear that it is not reputation that matters - performance and performance alone matters.
May 9, Sawai Mansigh Stadium, Jaipur:
Warne plays Yusuf Pathan, a strong middle-order batsman, as an opener. Deccan Chargers, the rival team, is flummoxed. Pathan smashes 68 off 37 and wins the match off his bat.

Did someone say "true leaders, surprise the opposition, they are flexible and play horses for courses".
Mid May, mini- break, Goa:
The foreign players take a break from the busy IPL schedule and are off to Goa. Swapnil Asnodkar, the young promising lad from Goa invites Graeme Smith, Shane Warne & others home for dinner.
Warne and the foreign players jump into a car and head to the Asnodkar home. Grand-dad Asnodkar walks up to Warne with tears in his eyes and says in Hindi "I can die a happy man.
Shane Warne sitting in my lounge room...."

Can there be anything more inspirational for a modest young cricketer than to have the world's greatest bowler come home? Warne had gone beyond the cricket field & made his players, foreign & Indian alike, feel they were one big family. He had won Asnodkar's heart. After this, would Asnodkar do anything but the best, for his Captain?
Zahir, the bag man, lost his mother during the tournament, but stayed on. Why?
May 26, Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur:
Needing 15 runs of the last over, Ravindra Jadeja & Neeraj Patel are at the crease; young rookies, with little big-match experience. They are facing Dilhara Fernando the Sri Lankan seamer, before a sellout crowd and a TV audience running into many millions. Jadeja & Patel script an incredible victory, leaving the rival captain Sachin Tendulkar speechless.

The young guns snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Did a wise man once say "A diamond is only a piece of charcoal that was lucky to be under pressure"?
June 1, Dr. D.Y. Patil Stadium, Mumbai : :
In a cliff-hanger, the "Mosquito squadron “wins the IPL. Warne holds aloft the trophy and tells Dinesh Salunkhe, Mahesh Rawat, Siddharth Trivedi and the others
"It was great to be in the same team. Boys, we don't know if this entire group will be together again. Let us make sure tonight is one of the best nights of our life".

Did I study somewhere that great leaders celebrate success with their teams?
While the more fancied teams (e.g., Mumbai Indians, Bangalore Royal Challengers) and their cricketers went for astronomical bids, Warne and his team got the lowest bid.
In fact Warne did not go for a dollar more than his Reserve price of $450,000.

The Rajasthan Royals proved that great teams just do things "Better, Simpler & Cheaper"
At Tesco, the world's third largest retailer and a very successful business it is often said "A leader is one who can take you to a place, much further than what you imagined".

Shane Warne did exactly that for Rajasthan Royals. He got ordinary cricketers to do extra-ordinary things. He reminded the world that to win, what we need is performance, not icons!

Thanks for reading. Do post your comments.