Afraid? Not us!

Afraid? Not us!
Avinash Kalla,TNN

Is conquering fear the key to success? As Dhoni and his boys swept the T20 trophy, they demonstrated amazing teamwork and spirit. Avinash Kalla unravels the success formula

Say 'fearless' and the image of a beaming Mahendra Singh Dhoni, along with his young bunch of enthusiastic cricketers, proudly holding aloft the T20 World Cup strikes the mind.

Dhoni pulled off a victory even as few gave India an outside chance of making it to the finals. So, what did this Jharkhand lad do differently when catapulted to the hot seat that others before him did not? You guessed it. He and his team operated with a mindset of utter fearlessness. "We played without fear. If we play like this, with everyone supporting each other, we're going to win more matches than we lose. We need to enjoy ourselves whenever we go out in the middle. Let euphoria take the place of fear," is the newly-anointed skipper's slogan.

Is losing fear, then, the key to success in both individual and team enterprises? And what is the role of a leader in inculcating this attribute? "There is a tremendous relationship between fear and success," says motivational speaker Shiv Khera. "There are thoughts of fear and defeat and thoughts of victory and happiness. It's these very thoughts that direct or misdirect us," he asserts.

While negative thoughts create an aura of gloom around us, the energy emitted by the positive thoughts is reflected in our actions and body language. Powered by this positive energy, one plays to win in whichever field one chooses to. As Khera puts it, "There is a huge difference between playing to win and playing not to lose. In the former, you play with an inspiration, whereas in the latter, you play out of desperation. And the results are different in both cases."

When you are fearless, you don't hesitate to take on the mighty and powerful. The Indian team demonstrated that match after formidable match against countries ranked favourites to lift the prestigious trophy.

Sabeer Bhatia, then a young entrepreneur, set aside fear when he walked in to negotiate with Bill Gates and co. for a whopping $400 million for his venture Hotmail.com. Microsoft offered him a meagre $160 million; Bhatia didn't give in. He had just one choice 'take it or leave it'. Undeterred, Bhatia who acknowledges that being fearless is certainly one of the qualities required to be successful in business, played it cool. "I'll get back to you," is what he said.

All through the way to clinching the mega deal, he remained firm and fearless. However, he has a word of caution, "You cannot have a weak hand and continue to be fearless. It would be foolish to do so; your spirit has to be justified by a solid platform. In my opinion, being fearless means that one should trust her or his intellect, and not be afraid to go against the norm to try something new."

And defying norms is no mere feat; it takes a lot out of leaders who are able to turn the tide in their favour. Capt. Gopinath, who revolutionised the way people fly today, says, "We had a class barrier to defy when we entered the aviation business. Nobody believed in my project; some went on and said 'Tata-Singapore airline never got the licence; you don't stand a chance to see it through.' But in my mind there was never a question about will I be able to do it? It was always how I can do it, till I actually did it."

Individuals like Dhoni, Bhatia, and Capt. Gopi possess what Khera terms as 'practising mental toughness' -- the mantra he says is, "I play to win but I am not afraid to lose."

His views are echoed by Dhoni who said, "It really didn't matter to me if we didn't win, because we'd given it our best."

Think for a moment, what if Bachendri Pal had allowed herself to get intimidated by the imposing Everest. She would never have scaled the tall heights she did by becoming the first Indian woman to conquer the Everest. Climbing the mountain must have been a daunting task for her, but she exorcised her fears and went single-mindedly about her mission. Again it was the courage of her beliefs that made environmental scientist Sunita Narain lock horns with a Cola giant, and stick to her guns in the face of immense pressure and arm twisting.

It's the leader's attitude and speed that determine the pace with which any team moves and builds the tempo. In Khera's opinion 'a bunch of sheep led by a lion is better than a bunch of lions led by a sheep.'

So are leaders born or do they learn to lead? And what is it that the leader needs to do differently to come out tops? "Some are born leaders whereas others acquire leadership skills over time," says Bhatia. Capt. Gopi adds, "Courage is the most important aspect of leadership; it comes from deep conviction and belief. Second, a leader needs the ability to judge people and manoeuver them ensuring their potential is optimised."

A formula Dhoni practised to perfection. When Harbhajan Singh showed signs of buckling under pressure, Dhoni decided to give the ball to Joginder Sharma, a player who, the captain felt, had fire in his belly and 'wanted to make a mark at the international level.' It was a gamble that paid off.

A leader does not hesitate to take gambles. Capt. Gopi says, "If you can't create more leaders within your team, you are not a leader worth your salt. Give your people challenges and they respond. They thrive on these challenges and you in turn create leaders who will carry the show on."

But not everything is always hunky dory for these fearless souls; they too have their lows and face defeats. "In business, you are only as good as your last quarter. It's not every time that your courage will lead to success. You lose some, but then you need to analyse various aspects and act fast," says Capt. Gopi. In these defeats there is glory as you go down fighting.

With Chak De being our current war cry, it's time you believed in yourself and went for your dreams. Remember, fear surrounds us like a cage, break it, and the world is your playground. Now that we are in the game, who are we playing next?