MS Dhoni, past skipper of India, is famed as one of cricket’s top commanders. He won the T20, ODI World Cups, and the Champions Trophy under his leadership. This legend also secured five IPL championship titles helming the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
While he is well recognized in the cricketing community, MS Dhoni has remarked about how vital it is for any leader to win the respect of his colleagues and guarantee that they fully trust the captain.
According to PTI, MS Dhoni said the following regarding leadership during a promotional event in Mumbai:
“I always felt that earning respect (as a leader) is important as it does not come with the chair or rank. It comes with your conduct. People are insecure at times. Sometimes, even if the team believes in you, you are actually the first person who will not believe in you.”
MS Dhoni
Dhoni said that if the leader was successful in winning his colleagues’ respect, they would naturally give their all for the team, and success would follow.
“To sum it up, don’t try to command respect but earn it, as it is very organic. Once you have that loyalty then the performance too will follow.”
MS Dhoni
MS Dhoni on the importance of knowing your players inside out
MS Dhoni’s remarkable success as a captain may be attributed in large part to his exceptional managerial abilities. He recognizes that each player have unique strengths and shortcomings.
On attempting to discover players’ areas for growth, Dhoni stated:
“Some people love pressure and some people don’t like pressure. What is important is to understand the strength of the individual and the weakness of the individual. Once you have done that, you will start working on the weakness of a player without actually telling him that this is a weakness.”
MS Dhoni
He added:
“So, it keeps a player confident and keeps the player from doubting himself. They like to see how it works and that is the job of a captain or coach to figure out what works for who.”
MS Dhoni
After winning a record-tying fifth IPL title with CSK in 2023, Dhoni will return to head the defending champions in the 2024 season in a few months.