What happened to the Mighty Windies: Unravelling the Decline

Posted on by Karthic Vaidyanathan

Once a dominant force in world cricket, a team that won 2 consecutive cricket One-Day International World Cups and almost won the 3rd one, has failed to qualify for the ODI World Cup in 2023. The 2 time Twenty20 World Cup champions only recently failed to qualify for the T20 world cup as well. I have always been a big fan of the Caribbean way of playing cricket and the swag they bring to the sport. Their steady decline is a shocker and a disheartening one not only the Caribbean cricket fans but every cricketing fan in general. The team once showcased a formidable combination of talent, flair, and dominated world cricket with their intimidating attitude. They have struggled to maintain its past glory in the last couple of decades. The fall of the mighty Windies is inexplicable.

My first memory of the great cricketing team was watching them play, dominate and win the 1975 and 1979 World Cup on my Peripa’s (uncle) VCR tapes. Viv Richards, Greendige, Gomes, Haynes, Lloyd, Walsh, Ambrose, Lara and so many greats entertained the fans in the 70s, 80s and 90s. Ask any cricketer in that era, they would dread facing the pace bowling of the mighty Windies. Those pulls and hooks of Lara and the resilience of Chanderpaul are still fresh in my memory. I would stay up all night in India to watch India tour of Caribbean. Such was the excitement but there is hardly any now. So what could be the reason behind this steep decline?

Statistically, Windies have won only ~30% of their test matches in the past 25 years. In the last couple of decades their ODI win percentage has dropped below 50%. To make things worse their stock in T20 has also dropped alarmingly. According to me, there are many reasons behind this fall in quality. Some of them are

  • Awful Management: Cricket West Indies have to take a huge blame for this sharp decline. They have been at loggerheads with current and former players many times. They have faced criticism for not being transparent, poor governance and lack of stability. The board once even threatened to pullout the players from the World Cup if they do not agree with their terms. Different board presidents had different agenda but I am sure Cricket Windies was not in their plans.
  • Player Exodus: Since the advent of franchise cricket, global cricket travellers have increased especially from Caribbean cricket. Players like Russell, Naraine, Pollard started prioritizing franchise cricket that offered lucrative deals over international cricket. The best players did not play regional cricket or international cricket thereby causing a dip in quality. A recent press article reveals that Nicolas Pooran earns 8 times his International fee in just 2 months at IPL.
  • Poor Infrastructure and Lack of Development : There has been hardly any investment in developing cricket at grassroot level and run academies efficiently to keep the talent flowing. There has been hardly any talent that is worthy of a discussion in the recent past.
  • Impact of T20: Too much T20 has also impacted West Indian Cricket a lot. There is no patience for the players to build the innings especially in test and ODI cricket. The cricketers are either undercooked or know only one way of playing their game. There needs to be aggression but you also need to know when to slow down.
cricket players wearing gear

It is important to preserve the heritage of cricket and West Indies are a big part of the history. They need to find a way to reinvent the wheel and make a comeback. Rome was not built in a day and the same should be applied to West Indian Cricket. To change their fortunes, they should think long term and focus on nurturing young talent. Provide them with opportunities and resources to develop their skills. Arrange A-team tours and back the talent to come good. They must help their cricketers to find a balance between franchise cricket and International Cricket. Create a transparent system for the players and the administration to have an open conversation.

Only through proper strategic planning and a phased execution can help them regain their past glories and become a formidable force again. They should now focus on 2024 T20 which they are the hosts and build a team for 2027 starting with the India series. Comment on your favorite moment associated with West Indian Cricket or post your thoughts on the article in the comments section.

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?

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.

Follow our Instagram page to know more about travel destinations, Vegetarian food options, and career development. @vyasonkeys

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.

Together Everyone Acquires More

Posted on by Karthic Vaidyanathan

There was a student appearing for their examination. The student flunked so bad in the tests and thus began the root cause analysis for his/her performance. The parents pointed to the teachers, the teachers pointed to the tutors and the tutors to the parents. Setting their arguments aside, they decide to go in for a combined effort. The student comes out with flying colours and scores a very high grade. Again, the parents pointed to the teachers, the teachers pointed to the tutors and the tutors to the parents. But this time it was about praising each other and their contribution to the success of the student.

““The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.”

— Phil Jackson

In a more relatable example, we have seen many like Ronaldo, who have put themselves above the team and we could see the impact it had on the team. Though Ronaldo scored 24 goals in the 2021-22 season, the team played with no identity and lost track of their target. Although it has been up and down this season, Manchester United has been playing like a team. Working for their teammates and fighting as a team is reflecting in the way in which the team plays. Manchester United’s goal is to be the ultimate joy to their supporters, aka their customers, and seeing my beloved side play as a team has given us hope to dream bigger again.

What is the relevance of about the above mentioned stories and how can this help us? I have encountered so many obstacles in my corporate journey so far and one tough nut that is always tough to crack is making people realize the benefits of working as a TEAM. The word TEAM itself expands to give a very good motivating phrase “Together Everyone Acquires More“. Only when the Designer, the manufacturer and the salesperson are in sync the profits of the Car industry can be multiplied. In the case of the IT industry also only when the Product Manager, Project Manager, Developers and Quality Assurance Engineer are in good sync the product shapes up well to satisfy the customer. No one is lesser than the other and no one is bigger than the other. But yeah the man who finances the thing has to take the top spot. All that matters at the end of the day are delivering a good product to the customer that they would use and help us learn from their interactions with the product. That can be achieved only when we think and work as a “TEAM“.