PERSONALITY SPECIAL ..........................Ten management and entrepreneurship lessons from Virender Sehwag

Ten management and entrepreneurship lessons from Virender Sehwag

NEW DELHI: Son of a grain merchant, Virender Sehwag, 35 is now known nicknamed as the Nawab of Najafgarh with several cricket world records under his belt. At a TieCon 2014 event held in the capital,, MakeMyTrip founder Deep Kalra interviewed star cricketer Virender Sehwag on his journey from the bylanes of Najafgarh to the Indian cricket team. Here are 10 management and entrepreneurship lessons from Virender Sehwag, 35, drawn from his cricket career and beyond.

Excerpts from the talk:

1. On managing tough people:

"If there are people who can't be managed its best to leave them alone. They can work wonders for your company or team if not managed. There are people who don't like to be micro-managed. I think am one of them."

2. On lean patches and failures in life:

"In hard times and lean patches of life, run the company if not for yourself but for your loved ones. That's what I did in my lean patch. After return from a match in Bangladesh, when I was going through a lean form, I would run daily from about 11 am-2 pm for two months. I lost weight and also spent time with my wife. Do what you really love to do and things would definitely fall back in place."
3. On his journey to the Indian team:

"My father would ask me why do I travel 45 km every day to Ferozshah Kotla from Najafgarh in Delhi heat with that big cricket kit. I would tell him give me some time and I will show you what I can achieve. When I started playing for India, people would say see its Sehwag's father walking. He felt real proud."

4. On his entrepreneurial venture - Sehwag International School -

"I am playing cricket as I can invest back in my school when I can and am able. My father told me once to build a school where poor kids can study for free. Am working towards that. I am speaking at this event also to get marketing mileage for that venture."

5. On how to handle a negative person:

"...Just walk away. I prefer not to stay around such people. I stay away from negativity as far as I can."

6. On his best captain:

"Anil Kumble," "Because he let me be - just me. And showed full confidence in me. One evening he came to my room and told me and (Gautam) Gambhir, play freely as I am with you and nobody can touch you for the next few test matches. It was a big thing for a captain to come to my room and tell me that. "

7. On Playing with Sachin.

"I felt I was playing with a 'lion'. Opening with him instilled confidence in me. It also helped me score as the bowlers would only focus on getting Sachin out. Nobody would focus on me!"

8. On sledging:

"Once Michael Clarke start sledging Sachin on an Australia tour calling things like he is getting old and should return back. I sledged him back telling him that Sachin had so many test hundreds under his belt that he hadn't played matches. I sledged back asking him the breed of pup he was. Sometimes it works. Though it doesn't work on older and matured people."

9. On hiring for a company:

"It's not necessary that a person with more experience and higher salary will work more or give more benefit to your company than a person who is drawing one-fifth and has less experience."

10. On team building:

"I would rather chose a team with 4 star players than all stars who may not work with each other due to ego issues."

By Harsimran Julka, ET 18 Oct, 2014