Winning Strategies: Management Lessons from Chennai Super Kings(CSK)

Posted on by Karthic Vaidyanathan

The chants of “CSK!! CSK!!CSK!!” and “Thala!! Thala!! Thala!!” is something that the cricketing fraternity is so habituated to wherever IPL is played. This was extra special in 2023 because many of us considered this to be the swansong of Thala Dhoni. That mystery is set to continue at least until November or December 2023. But what is more fascinating about this franchise is how have they gone making winning a habit in their way. From finishing 9th in 2022 to ending up as champions in 2023 with more or less the same squad commands respect. Their habit of winning was developed with a foundation of strong principles which could be a management crash course for many organizations not limited to sports franchises and leaders across the globe. The impact of the franchise is so much so that the coach of Gujarat Titans admitted that he wanted to create an environment similar to CSK. Here is my take on why CSK is a global management guru.

Focus on Process, Not Just Outcomes: I have heard this term not once or twice, but all through their existence, this has been in their DNA. As mentioned in the introduction, they finished 9th in 2022 and still believed in this mantra and stuck to their guns. Their management and leadership emphasize teamwork, discipline and a methodical/ organized approach to every match irrespective of the result of the previous match. This approach created a positive environment among the players who feel empowered to give their best and the outcomes naturally followed. Similarly, in management or business, focusing on the process and knowing that your team is on track to achieve the goal despite some bumps will help the team stay motivated, bring their A-game to the fore and be innovative and creative at work. This will improve the overall efficiency and performance of the teams.

No/Less Noise from Boardroom: Stephen Fleming and Dhoni have been leading with finesse. The team has lost championships and finished outside of the playoff spots but still, there was less or no noise from the boardroom. The management believed in the leadership and continued to support their leaders. Other franchises fired coaches and changed captains at will. Some franchises like the Sunrisers got involved in player selection(The Mystery of Umran Malik) and dented the confidence of the team. In management terms, when the leaders of the team are allowed to lead their teams with minimal external intervention or micro-management, there will be less pressure and more encouragement to deliver.

“People don’t want to listen to their thoughts, so they fill the world with noise.”
― Erin Entrada Kelly

Prioritizing Player Well-being: When you see the CSK team, you would be immediately reminded of their team environment. The players are relaxed, calm and composed at all times. The management ensured there was a perfect balance between cricketing career and personal life. Every player appreciates the way that their family is taken care of by the team. The cricketers especially the ones who play international cricket hardly spend 25% of the year at home, this could break anyone. The CSK management did a world of good for their players by prioritizing their well-being and mental health which in turn reflected in their performance. Similarly, when a business or management takes care of the employee’s well-being and mental health, productivity increases naturally. In my experience, the best product teams have been the ones where our team was not micro-managed and was well taken care of by the management team.

Ensuring Continuity: Player recruitment in IPL is something that I am really fond of. Unlike, the premier league or even the NBA, the franchise goes through auctions and a huge shuffle happens every now and then. Due to this, players who have been a part of a franchise have a higher probability of moving to a different franchise. This causes confusion for the fans and the management. But CSK has been brilliant to ensure that they keep the core group together and go all-out in the auction to bring those players who they think fit their vision and continue to support them. This fosters a supportive culture where individuals feel valued and empowered to perform at their best. Similarly, in the corporate world, this results in an increase in loyalty and employee engagement resulting in better output from the team.

What are your thoughts on why CSK has made winning a habit and what is it that you can take away from their approach?

In Their Own Words: Impactful Statements That Inspire and Empower

Posted on by Karthic Vaidyanathan

For people who know me sports have played a significant role in shaping my thought process and how sports personalities across the world have inspired my day-to-day activities. Sports have had a significant impact on my perspective, and I find inspiration in athletes worldwide. Beyond their skills, style of play and experience, I have always been fascinated by how they answer some questions thrown at them. Their answers to tough questions have been a valuable source of life lessons for many.

Currently, IPL 2023 is in its business end, and Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans have made it to the finals. Chennai Super Kings won in a dramatic match, and this marked their 10th final appearance – more than any other team thus far. During the post-match presentation, my favourite commentator in this generation, Harsha Bhogle, asked Dhoni if playing in the 10th final felt like just another final to him. Dhoni responded quickly and with conviction, stating that every IPL final is significant, and despite it being the team’s 10th final, it still holds immense importance.

Courtesy: ESPNcricinfo. Dhoni the leader letting the team cherish the moment and finding happiness in them having fun.

Another important interview that I loved in the past week was that of Erik Ten Hag, Manager of Manchester United Men’s football team. Victory against Chelsea secured Manchester United the top 4 spot which is something that is minimum for a club of such a big stature. In the post-match talk, he was asked now that the top 4 spot is secure, does he feel accomplished? He was quick to remind the interviewer that there is one more game to go and there is pride and 3rd place to play for.

These statements speak about how Dhoni and Erik treat each and every game seriously. They exude confidence both on and off the field that rubs on the players. Despite their significant achievements on the field, they still take every game seriously. Their statements ensure that their teams stay alert and level despite their achievements. This is a phenomenal lesson for not only their teams but also many leaders across the world. You might have a wealth of knowledge and have an abundance of experience in your domain but it is still important for you to be humble and respect every action and milestone in your team. It is important to stay in the moment, treat every step as an important one and be a team player despite being a leader.

Indeed, leaders like Dhoni and Erik continue to inspire and teach us life lessons that extend beyond the realm of sports itself. Leaders like them remind us of the values of staying humble, dedicated, determined, being a team player, and hard work – traits that will help us achieve continuing success.

Up next on vyasonkeys, CSK’s victory this season is a great template for many organizations across the industries. Look forward to the next blog on What some organizations can get right to sustain success in the long run.

The Sunk Cost Fallacy: Why Letting Go Can Be a Good Thing

Posted on by Karthic Vaidyanathan

Have you ever wondered if it is worth standing in the queue for buying tickets or investing a lot of time or more resources (money or human) in something that suffered losses or did not go according to plan? This is a common phenomenon called the “Sunk Cost Fallacy”. Here, one continues to invest in the project or the decision irrespective of the outcome.

Sunk Cost in economics means a cost that has already been incurred and that cannot be recovered. For example, if you invested $100 for a concert, whether you can make it to the concert or not, the $100 is a cost that you cannot recover. The $100 spent on the concert is a sunk cost. Fallacy means a mistaken belief or a misconception that renders one’s argument null.

This is a cognitive bias where you continue to invest in a project, idea or plan despite it going down just because you have invested a significant amount of resources into it. This phenomenon happens as we value the resource we have invested higher than the resource we have on hand. The resource could be anything time, money or effort. We do this as many of us tend to show an aversion to loss and we do not want to admit loss. We also tend to develop emotional attachments to the resources we have invested in.

Let me give some examples of sunk cost fallacy I have experienced personally. We were A-list members of AMC theatres which allows us to watch 3 movies a week and enjoy further discounts on popcorn and other condiments. The cost of the membership was 20-odd dollars. I felt that we should watch a minimum of 3 movies a month to make up for the cost of the membership. Sometimes we ended up watching worthless movies. What I did not realize was that I could have put that time to better use and ended up spending more on condiments which I could have avoided. The realization of opportunity cost in something else and the sunk cost of membership would have helped me make a better decision. Now as a family, we are trying to make better decisions and trying our best to not fall into this trap of the “Sunk cost Fallacy”. Professionally, we have seen many companies like Nokia, Blockbuster and many others continued to invest in what they believed is the best rather than being realistic and futuristic causing their downfall.

How could one avoid this phenomenon?

Recognize the phenomenon: The first step in avoiding the trap is to recognize and acknowledge this phenomenon. Be aware of the resources you have already invested in and objectively check if further investments in the current failing project would prove fruitful or not.

Do not get too attached: Think practical and act rational. Just because you invested your resources in something it does not mean that you have to hold on to that forever. Businesses are meant to grow and investments are supposed to make you feel happy. If you know that the investment is not yielding the desired results, pause, think and validate if further investment is worth it rather than making an emotional decision.

Focus on What’s next? If you are not sure if future investments of resources on the previously made investments can make your idea/plan/relationship better, it is better to move on. Rather than brooding over the past, move on and look for benefits in other options by cutting the losses.

Seek an external input: Seeking an external input might help bring a different perspective. It might bring more clarity when your assumptions are challenged. Their thoughts and ideas can help you make a more objective and rational decision.

A short video on sunk cost fallacy

In a nutshell, the sunk cost fallacy is a bias that can make us stick to a losing cause and continue to invest in that as we are emotionally connected to the previously invested resources. There are ways to avoid falling prey to this phenomenon by recognizing, seeking external input and focusing on what’s next.

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Tips for Writing an Effective Resume

Posted on by Karthic Vaidyanathan

Over the past few years, I have had the opportunity to work with fresh candidates out of school, friends, relatives and new immigrants on their resumes. Some of the common phrases that I have heard from them are “This is an Indian model Resume“, “Oh! my friend in marketing shared this format“, and “my job agency prepared this resume“. What puzzled me was that most of these resumes despite being typically long did not give a sense of who one was really. In this blog, I am trying to sum up, what I have learnt so far in my professional journey and the inputs that I have received from my peer groups to help others in the search for their dream job.

Be the STAR

Most resumes that I have come across reads

Partnered with engineers, data scientists, designers, customer agents, biz dev teams to define product specs and launch new features

The above statement is one of your responsibility as a product manager. Instead, review the sentence below

Collaborated with a cross-functional team consisting of engineers, designers and biz dev team to launch new features to increase the user registration conversion by 30%.

The statement above is constructed using the STAR expands to Situation, Task, Action, and Result. This is usually suggested for interviews but I have found the method helpful in constructing my resume.

Situation: Describe the situation that you were trying to solve.

Task: What was the problem you are trying to solve or the goal you are trying to achieve?

Action: What was the action that you performed or were you asked to perform? I would prefer it to be about that task you and your team perform with more focus on your part.

Result: What did your action result in? Show something qualitative or quantitative to show that you learnt something or helped achieve a significant goal for the team or the company.

Recruiter Speaks: “Be Result Oriented as opposed to Task Oriented.”

  • Recruiters or Hiring Managers to shortlist for a Marketing Manager role, already have an idea about the roles and responsibilities of candidates for the Marketing Manager role. What they want to see is what difference the candidate made in their previous role! The best way to do that is through results(KPIs, Numbers, ROI etc.).
  • Include a summary of the What, How, Outcome and Underlying theme in each statement
– Chetan Choudhary

Consistent Formatting

Whether you use a functional format, chronological format or a combination of both, make sure that you are consistent in the style, language and timelines across your resumes. Some parts of the resume cannot be in ascending order of timelines while others in descending order. I would prefer the latest relevant work experience first over the others and go backwards. Regarding the length of the resume, I would prefer to stick it to 1 or a maximum of 2 pages. Use professional font and font size between 10 and 12 and make it aesthetically pleasing.

Use Good Action Verbs

Strong action verbs help you describe your skills and accomplishments. It helps you to express what you have done or accomplished and as stated it enables you to create impactful sentences that make it easier for recruiters to understand what makes you stand out. Some examples of action verbs are listed below.

For example, compare the 2 sentences below

Understood strategic and competitive position in the market to develop a product strategy and roadmap.

Spearheaded product strategy and developed long-term product roadmap through detailed analysis of the competitive landscape in the market to improve customer acquisition by X%.

The first one simply states what you did, but the second one highlights how you achieved something using your skills rather than the achievement. What makes it stand out is the action word which adds punch to your resume.

Recruiter Speaks: Include 3-5 key action items per experience

  • Wordy resumes are not always the best resumes
  • As far as possible, avoid action verbs like managed, worked with, coordinated, and assisted. Instead use action verbs like achieved, spearheaded, led, accomplished, enhanced etc.
– Chetan Choudhary

Include Skillset

Dedicate a section on your resume to include a bullet list of your unique skill set. The list should be a combination of both hard skills (ex: Design, Accounting, Risk Management) and soft skills(ex: Adaptability, problem-solving, communication). This helps you showcase to the hiring manager that you are well-rounded. If you are switching careers, highlight those transferable skills you possess to execute your role.

Win over the ATS

ATS or Applicant tracking system is designed to help recruiters screen applicants suited to the role from a pool of many aspirants. But not applications are scanned by the ATS, there is a real human who is reading your resume in the first cut. Recruiters/hiring managers scan your resumes to understand your skill set and select 5-10 resumes for screening for a job.

Recruiter Speaks: Win over ATS with key words and customized resume for each application

  • Highlight your key skills matching the role you have applied for. This helps catch the recruiter’s attention in the initial 10 seconds.
  • Highlight KPIs: Include numbers, percentages, process improvements in days/percentages, dollar value, and market share wherever applicable. This is a key differentiator.
  • Optimizing tools suggested: Jobscan.co, resumeworded.com, ChatGPT(Use this one carefully and optimize your resume manually)
– Chetan Choudhary

Other Considerations:

  • Customize the resume for each unique role that you apply for. Do not apply with a general resume for all jobs.
  • Write a cover letter which adds a personal touch on why you suit the role.
  • Certifications from credible institution that is relevant to the position and the experience adds a lot of value.
  • Add links to your linkedin profile, blogs, portfolios, publications. Make sure that these are clickable.
  • Do not add Date of Birth, Complete Address, Head shot(unless required), additional email address and phone numbers.
  • Write an introduction and a share why you fit this role to the recruiter for them to get some context.
  • Maintain a database of all the resume along with your master resume to help you prepare for the interview.

To review your resume feel free to reach out on instagram @vyasonkeys or via comments here.

What The Creators of Kim’s Convenience Taught Me About Product Management

Posted on by Karthic Vaidyanathan

Disclaimer: This post is not related to my employment with CBC and I am not paid to write this post. This post is a true reflection of my views on why Kim’s convenience is a runaway hit. I still hope the creators can come back together and give this show a closure that all the fans are longing for.

There are many shows that my wife and I start watching but there are only a select few that catch our attention and we manage to complete. One such show that we watched was Kim’s Convenience. As per me, an episode of this hit sitcom can give you energy on a draining day. There are various aspects of why this show is a success and I was able to see parallels and learning for product managers which can help them succeed. Here are my takeaways as a Product Manager from Kim’s Convenience.

Keep It Simple: The primary reason for the success of this show was the creators of the show kept the show simple enough that the users had no trouble connecting with the show. The seamless flow of story helped the audience understand the value of the show without the need for re-emphasizing. In the digital world, a product is a success when the user can understand the flow without the intervention of a specialist. Keeping it simple is a not an herculean task. Think of a product from a customer’s perspective, users should not require hand-holding to understand your product and the value it brings to them.

Building Strong Persona(s): The show had a father, mother, son, daughter, friend(s), and a boss and each one of them had a strong character. Some key tips for a strong character includes Building characters by describing their attributes and what they do with those attributes, focus on why those attributes are important, Show their motivation and also include their strengths and weaknesses. This ensured that the audience were able to relate with the show and consume the content with joy. Similarly, when a persona is built in the following sequence it will help stakeholders an opportunity to discuss critical features, develop a common understanding of the audience, build an informed design and creating more empathy and understanding of the product’s users.

Example of a good persona

Key Steps in building a Persona:

  1. Give them a fictional name
  2. Give them title and build core responsibilities
  3. Define their core characteristics
  4. Provide more information around their demographics: Gender, Ethnicity, Age, and Education.
  5. Their background and dependencies/constraints
  6. What is the motivation behind them using our product, What is their objective?
  7. What is stopping them from taking it a level up? Frustrations and pain-points

Binge watching shows can sometimes leave a lasting impact on us and some shows give us a valuable lesson that changes our perspective. Feel free to comment if there was a show that had a similar impact on you.

Money or Customer Service: Why Uber/Ola Drivers Cancel Your Rides

Posted on by Karthic Vaidyanathan

“Ola!” and “Uber” do not mean Hello and Outstanding anymore in Indian vocabulary. These words have become synonymous with ride-hailing services or app taxis. For audiences outside of India, Ola is much similar to Lyft and competes with Uber (and many others) in the ride-hailing service space. Besides cab rides, these companies have also turned their attention to offering 2-wheeler rides to delivery services similar to dabbawala. You can also avail tuk-tuk or auto rickshaw as it is locally called using these services.

Unlike in the Americas(at least most of the USA and Canada), ride-hailing services in India cannot employ everyone who owns a car. It is highly regulated in India and requires you to have a commercial license to operate with Uber and Ola. The cars should be registered with RTO otherwise known as the Regional transport office and in some cases the state government to be a part of the ride-hailing ecosystem. Tuk-Tuk locally referred to as auto, is a very popular option among riders.

Innovation is taking two things that exist and putting them together in a new way.

In 2017, my mom who was never comfortable with e-commerce or apps in general was at ease in using Ola and Uber. This was the inspiration to write this blog. Switch to 2022, booking a cab/auto on uber and ola was a nightmare. The rides were regularly cancelled for varying reasons. Some scenarios that I encountered were

  1. Drivers would call ask for the destination and cancel.
  2. Drivers would not answer the call of the riders
  3. Drivers demanded more money than what was shown in the app.
  4. Drivers sometimes had a callous attitude towards the customers.

The customer or the product manager in me wanted to get to know a little bit more and understand why the rides were cancelled. The ride cancellations did not burn my pockets but also resulted in losing valuable time that I could have enjoyed. I would have probably taken close to 50+ rides during my 3-week stay and used this as an opportunity to understand the problem of the drivers (Not a great sample size given India’s population but still significant in my view). The Ola/ Uber drivers were pretty vocal in showing their displeasure with the services.

  1. Too high a commission: Uber and Ola charge the drivers a commission based on the type of car and the rides. The drivers in India claimed that the charges of 30% commission are unfair. Some drivers were honest enough to share the amount they received for the ride and their claims were not incorrect. Transparency in how the commissions are charged could help the drivers understand it better.
  2. No Incentives: Each company goes through different phases of development in their journey. During their acquisition phase, Ola and Uber showered their customers and drivers with various incentives. I remember there was a time in which drivers received INR 1000 for 5 or so rides. These days the drivers complain that they do not receive any such good incentive that motivates them to ride.
  3. Not fairly compensated: Some drivers would cancel my ride saying that the fare for the ride is too low. I would then negotiate with the rider and tell him/her that i would pay a part extra in cash. Even then some rides were cancelled. Some of friends took it to the other extreme, they would ask the driver the to cancel the ride but would still request the driver to pick up them and pay them in cash. The drivers also complained that the inflation and the volatile gasoline rates are not taken into consideration. Ever fluctuating price of petrol is also another major concern.
  4. Delay in settlement: One puzzling question that most drivers asked me was “Are you paying me by cash or Ola/Uber money?”. The moment we mention wallet money, there is a frown amongst the drivers. The drivers will either request me to pay by cash or cancel without any notice. The issue that the drivers had with the ola money or uber money was the turnaround time was sometimes 2+weeks which for a daily wager is a bummer. Most drivers need to spend a part of their daily earnings on petrol(gas).

Uber and Ola have been pioneers in ride-hailing services and have been a step ahead in innovations and acquisitions. But this trend according to me is a serious concern and a product gap that the services need to address sooner. So how do you think they can arrest this decline? Feel free to drop in your comments and in 2 weeks let us discuss some solutions in my next blog.

The Ultimate Rockstar

Posted on by Karthic Vaidyanathan

March 4, 2022, I felt a part of my childhood was taken away from me when the news of the passing away of the World’s best spinner, Shane Warne. People might argue with me on the title of best spinner ever, but I agree to disagree with them. When Healy or Gilly yell “bowling Shane” you know some magic is happening and more to come. Warne was a special cricketer and great analyst of the game who played the game with great pride and passion second to none. There is a lot to learn from Warne’s career and personality and here is my take on how he has left a lasting impression on the youngsters and professionals across the globe.

The Fan Moment: Though Warne made a huge mark on the cricketing circles with the Ball of the century to Mike Gatting, I started following Warne with more curiosity during the 1998 Australia tour of India. Sachin Tendulkar, the batting genius, whom I thought could play anyone on any given day made special preparations to face Warne speaks volumes of this wizard. I remember the first time I saw him live he dismissed Sachin cheaply for 4 and I cursed him for spoiling the day. Every time Warne bowled I used to bite my nails or hold my heart, because this genius could cause serious damage. Cut to 2004 Chepauk(MA Chidambaram Stadium) erupted in joy when he dismissed Irfan Pathan to move past Muralidharan to become the then world record holder. This shows the kind of respect and adulation that spectators and rival teams had for Warne.

Gone too soon, Warney…

A leader without the title, Shane Warne was easily the best leader who never captained Australia. It might have been partly because of his off-field antics but he never shied away from taking up the leadership role and speaking his mind to his captains. His captains speak so high of the inputs and ideas he brought to the table. For him, the title did not matter, winning as a team mattered which brought joy to millions of Australians. Every professional should think about what contribution do they bring to the team and the value they help deliver to the customer/users and not worry much about the title. By doing this, the title and the rewards will find their way to you.

“Part of the art of bowling spin is to make the batsman think something special is happening when it isn’t“

Shane Warne The planner and the executioner…
Courtesy: Cricket Australia. Not indented for copyright infringement.

Planning and Execution go hand in hand. Good planning should be backed up by an equally good execution to get the right results. Warne was good at planning and great at the execution of his trade. This video is a sample of how much he analyzes his opponents and plans his moves. The clarity of thought and the way he went about his execution were phenomenal. As professionals, we plan, create roadmaps but we also need to ensure that the execution and performers are empowered to perform the tasks. Execution should not be tied to the success or failure of the product. It is what you learn from the success or failure and how you build on top of it, which Warne did throughout his career.

Warne’s farewell test

KISS & Repeat – Keeping it simple, straightforward and repeat. Such was his bowling action. I might be right to assume that anyone who started bowling leg-spin mimicked his action. The reason, it was simple, straightforward and repeatable. When your actions adhere to this principle, it is easily understood and allows us to sense how people react to them. When we keep things simple, they tend to be robust, the probability of getting things right is high and there are fewer moving parts. In totality, simplicity leads to high accuracy, increased reliability, and higher productivity.

“Work hard, have fun and make history“

attributed to Jeff Bezos

Hard work was his mantra. Warne worked hard, in fact, he had to work so hard that he had to fight and take most of his wickets on pitches that did not suit spin bowling. Add to that he had to tussle with legends of the game like Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee, Merv Hughes, Jason Gillespie to name a few. More than 500 wickets on not so helpful conditions required hard and smart work. Warne had fun going about his job. He cherished every moment he played and loved entertaining the crowd. In the process, he ended up making history.

A champion is remembered. A legend is never forgotten. Warne will never be forgotten. Rest in peace Rockstar.

Impressions: India’s Tour of Australia – Part 2 – Leadership Case Study

Posted on by Karthic Vaidyanathan

In the words of former India coach John Wright “You know coaching is tough and you make this team or that team, you are sometimes judged by the results. This is a tough assignment.” Coaching a high-profile team like Indian Cricket Team, Real Madrid, Manchester United, and Brazilian Football(soccer) team can take its toll. If you have second thoughts, ask the managers who were fired by Real Madrid or Chelsea to know how results have had an impact on their job. I thought coaching in cricket was all about only man-management but all of that changed post the impact that the Indian coaching team on their recent series victory over the Aussies.

Great Coaching is the GOLDEN KEY to improve and manage employee engagement

Know your opponents and do your homework: It is extremely important for the leadership to understand the opponents, know their strengths and weaknesses beforehand, and do their homework long before the game starts. You train by simulating situations and try to replicate your plans. This is exactly what the Indian team did, the coaching team analyzed the opponents and set the vision for the team to remove the off-side for the strongest batsmen of the Australians. The plan was well executed and the team won. This Laissez-Faire Leadership style has inspired great organizations. The leaders in the team set the vision and goals and trusted the team to execute their plans. The responsibilities were delegated and well defined with very little interference.

“Coaching is unlocking a person’s potential to maximize their growth.” – John Whitmore

What to do when the chips are down: 36 all out, match ended in one session, and to top it captain is on paternity leave. In these tough times, it is very difficult to maintain a positive and pleasant environment. The leadership team was in prime focus and the pressure was on. The team management believed in their team, their skillset, and their values despite the presence of many inexperienced players in the team. The management team identified what was needed and worked on those gaps efficiently. They went on an attacking mode rather than going too defensive. Drawing parallels in the business world, a Coaching Style Leadership will ensure that the youngsters in the receive the much important confidence to work efficiently. It is also possible that some employees might feel micro-managed and the leaders need to know when to stop.

“A manager is a title, it does not guarantee success. Coaching is an action, not a title and actions will result in successes!” Catherine Pulsifer

Tough times demand tough talk: Fourth innings of the 3rd Test, India down, and mostly out. India managed to pull out a draw thanks to Ravi Ashwin(Sore back), Hanuma Vihari(Hamstring/loss of form), and Rishabh Pant(Place under scanner). 4th test was even worse considering the leaders of the attack were injured. It was seen as a battle between 1000+ wickets versus 13 wickets and add the threat of the much-hyped Gabba. The leaders played a key role in instilling belief and self-confidence among the members. The coaching staff should be appreciated for their strong Transformational Leadership that helped communicate a clear vision and strategy to the team. Ashwin and Bumrah despite being injured, helped the team from the sidelines. In organizations, transformational leaders pull their team of their comfort zone and push them to perform above and beyond. Ravi and his team were charismatic and transformational as they are skilled communicators, verbally eloquent, but also able to communicate to the team on a deep, emotional level.

The video explains why this victory means a lot to India and world cricket

There is not a set type of leadership style that works always. Good leaders know when and how to adapt their styles according to the situation. Though there are other forms of leadership styles, the above-mentioned styles of leadership is something I have seen exhibited by my mentors and leaders that have worked wonders for the organizations that I have been a part of. Sports has also seen autocratic leadership style in Greg Chappel, John Buchanan, who disturb the equilibrium and harmony of the side resulting in bad performances and results. It is a style that is highly detested and leaders need to have control of the organization but also ensure that they consult the right lieutenants to take a good decision.

Next Up: An immigrant family who are a smashing hit across the horizon.

Impressions: Australia 20-21 A Leadership Crash Course – Part 1

Posted on by Karthic Vaidyanathan

Some people you meet or some events in life leave an ever-lasting impact on your journey. This series is a collection of events or meetings that happened in my life that helped shape not only my career but helped me develop a personality as well. Let us start with the most recent event, that had stunned the cricketing world – India’s victory over Australia in Gabba. It is by no means is a small achievement, given the team was in dungeons and highly inexperienced.

I was shown the picture of the Indian team celebrating with the trophy and was asked what do I see in this picture. My responses were grit, hard work, determination, and so on. But in retrospection, my response should have been a calm and composed leader who is composed by the side and led the side with distinction and determination.

To put the situation in perspective, the team had lost the match in one of the most humiliating fashion and a stand-in captain whose own form has been patchy comes in. The team fights back in a resilient way to win the Melbourne Test. It was written as off as a flash on the pan. The team was down and almost out in the Sydney test, 2 players with a torn hamstring and sore back fought 2 sessions to save the match for the team. Gabba was hyped up so much that the Aussie captain tried playing mind games with the batsmen to unsettle them warning them what’s awaiting them at Gabba. Indians lost 2 key bowlers for the Gabba test and the comparison of wickets were 1033 wickets(Aussies) Vs 13(Indians – 2 Debuts). A resounding victory on Day 5 surprised and shocked many around the world.

All praises were deservedly reserved forplayers like Jadeja, the 3-D player, Ashwin and Vihari for that fighting match-saving defensive masterclass, Pujara for all those body blows and patience, Pant for his fearlessness, Siraj for his maturity and bowling, and debutants in Gabba who showed to signs of nervousness. Amidst, all this one man was not much in the limelight much like his character I believe, Rahane. Remember, Ajinkya Rahane, the stand-in captain, who not so long ago was sacked as the captain of an IPL team and was traded to a different team. His place on the side was in question as well. His leadership skills went a little unnoticed and in my view, it is in fact a leadership crash course that had a lasting impact on me.

His leadership left the following impression on me which I believe is key for any leader of an organization looking to build a successful organization.

Humility: Across the series, one aspect that was on display consistently was that there were many leaders in the team. Captain sought out others who could help and his words own words ‘Take responsibility but enjoy it without pressure’ brought confidence amongst players like Pujara and Ashwin. Despite being injured seniors were ever-present in the dugout and sending out tips and enjoyed their role leading to the success of the team. Identifying leaders, giving them responsibility, and allowing them to execute without pressure makes a world of difference in their output. It gives them the license to fail and learn rather than being scrutinized on a regular basis.

There is no respect for others without humility in one’s self. – Henri Frederic Amiel

Emotional Intelligence and Control: I am a big fan of Ajinkya’s style of leadership (much in Dhoni’s style). Many catches were dropped by either side especially Indian fielders who dropped a few dollies. It is true that catches win matches but getting over your mistakes and backing of the leader could galvanize the side. The leader of the pack sets the tone for the team and it does reflect on their performance. The leader of the group should be emotionally intelligent to understand and manage not only their emotions but that of others around them as well. It is said that Ajinkya asked Ashwin to be less bothered about his batting failures and focus on his bowling when Ashwin was hard on himself for his failures. This reflected not only on his bowling but also on his batting in Sydney.

“Sometimes one creates a dynamic impression by saying something, and sometimes one creates as significant an impression by remaining silent.” ~ Dalai Lama. Thus has been Rahane’s impression on me in handling an inexperienced team to instill confidence amongst the teammates and to achieve the unimaginable. His captaincy is a good leadership lesson for any budding leader to be successful.

Up Next: Management lessons from India’s victory in Australia.

The UBER Experience

Posted on by Karthic Vaidyanathan

I “UBER”ED IN

This is not about the experience that I had with an app or service. This is about the experience of using Uber itself. People do not search these days they “GOOGLE”. Similarly, we don’t catch a cab these days, we “UBER”. This has been the level of impact created by the company. The company as such has overcome a lot of challenges and obstacles over the past few months ranging from a poor performance at the IPO to lawsuits by other cab services. Let us not forget the fact that it is not so easy to get a Uber license in cities like New York and San Francisco. The switching cost is so low that the drivers and riders do not even take a second to change to their rivals. Like many others, I also pick only that service that gives me the lowest price. But there is something about this company that amazes me.

There are 3 factors that I would like to consider why this company has been able to achieve what they have been able to are

  1. Innovation
  2. Usefulness
  3. Can the users figure out how to use?

Innovation

Uber has been the epicenter of innovation in the field of transportation. As my title reads, people do not say I booked a taxi, People say they Uber. This according to me is a sign of success. They have been making awesome progress despite various struggles. Some recent examples include added information on drivers like the languages known to them, their ride history and if there are any challenges they have. Knowing the languages known to the driver would like you strike the right cord with them. Many drivers also are specially-abled, knowing it ahead of time, help us give them instructions to them accordingly if needed. The most recent improvement that I am a big fan of is their addition of Uber Pets. This is a welcome addition to their existing line of services. Given the number of pet owners across the states, this addition could have a significant impact on the users. Besides, all the use cases mentioned above states the inclusive nature of their business.

Uber has revolutionized the transit industry. I remember the first travel to US had multiple challenges in booking myself a cab. I was clueless if I was paying the right price for my commute. Today I have multiple options to choose from and all options are available at the click of a button. Uber invariably is the first option that I look for. I can now commute across different locations at the click of a button, manage payments, book it for someone, manage emergency alerts, ride with my pet(hopefully), and what not. Besides, this they have also expanded their portfolio into Uber eats bringing in an aspect of food delivery. The Uber rewards which has been active for close to 2 years now has also helped users save some small portion of their spend on travels and ordering.

Yes I got it

According to me, a product can be considered a success if the users can figure out how to use the product with minimal or no intervention from the developers of the product. It should be intuitive, communicate the right message, and enable and empower the users to make the right decision. Uber’s UI/UX is simple and straight forward. Users can easily figure out most of what they want to do. The product is structured in a simple, stright forward manner. The UI is intuitive and easy for the users to figure out. As they say in Avatar, make the right contact and once chosen the first ride seals the deal. Uber’s simple UX has resulted in a linear Pirate Metrics: Acquisition, Activation, Retention, Referral and Revenue (AARRR). Acquisition to Activation happens within minutes, retention has has been a matter for concern given the competition on-hand, referral through existing clients and partnerships are working fine as of now.

It is not the end of the road

The success today is not guaranteed tomorrow. You got to be on top of your game every day. With low switchover costs and high competition from others like Ola, Lyft, Waze ride share, and the old timers in Yellow Taxi and city taxi, Uber cannot take success for granted. There are also mounting pressure from high commission rates, drivers switching over to competitors, law suits and protests against Ride sharing apps. There have also been cases of security breaches for the drivers and riders. With great challenges come great opportunities. If Uber cotinues to do what Uber is known to for, these challenges are good headaches that disruptive companies would prefer to have rather than sit idle. Besides, there are also other aspects in which Uber can expand their portfolio.

P.S: This is not a paid review. Uber has not given me any coupons or even promotional offers to write this. May be something else that they should work on 😉