MANAGEMENT SPECIAL .................Leadership lessons to unlearn from Dhoni

Leadership lessons to unlearn from Dhoni

The predicament of the Indian cricket captain is a textbook example of what not to do as a leader

A cloud of uncertainty hangs over Indian cricket team captain MS Dhoni. The man who has a huge fan following and has captained India to memorable victories now has to live with the knowledge that he has been publicly accused of lying to save his Chennai Super Kings boss N Srinivasan. It is a difficult place for any person to be in, and we are here to tell you how to avoid being in this precarious situation.
Keeping it all together

 Dhoni has given the impression of wanting to hold on to as much as possible of whatever has been put on his plate. From captaining the Indian cricket team across all three formats, captaining Chennai Super Kings in the IPL to managing his fellow cricketers' accounts through his firm. The smart manager knows how to delegate rather than try to run a tight ship by keeping everything for himself.
Big jobs mean high stress

Managers often underestimate the damage their decisions do to themselves. Thinking themselves invincible, they take on as much as possible and try to deliver results as soon as they can. The result?

Quick burnout due to physical and mental stress. The higher one grows, the more important it is to take care of yourself first since your actions have a direct impact on those below you.
Not checking conflict of interest

Conflict of interest was a sticking factor in landing Dhoni's CSK boss N Srinivasan in hot water with the Supreme Court. The same applies to Dhoni who has turned out to be an unwitting protégé by now standing accused of lying during the match-fixing probe of last year's IPL.
Signs of dishonesty

Dhoni's biggest failure so far has been his complete silence over the furore surrounding him.
Silence can be construed as resilience ­ but only up to a point. After that, it turns into suspicion and a sign of lying. A real leader must be open to speaking up when his credibility is called into question. Apart from restoring faith, it also sends a signal of being open and credible.
Covering up for others' mistakes

Srinivasan's belligerence of holding on as BCCI president invited the Supreme Court's wrath and scarred Dhoni's reputation. A smart manager might indulge his bosses' mistakes but he will never cover them up from the right authorities. The smart thing is to hold on to your moral ground and argue your case from that vantage point.

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