Think over these phrases. ‘Hitting the targets’, ‘achieving the goals’, ‘passing the baton’, ‘ knock it out of the park’, ‘ ball in their court’, ‘run the last mile’. All part of the sporting lexicon. Also commonly found in management jargon and vocabulary.

There is a lot that sports can bring to the Management space. Valuable lessons for corporates, institutions, government bodies, colleges and even organisations like political parties. These examples resonate as they connect to hearts and minds and are out there for all to experience.

Institutional culture flows from the top. Coach, Manager, Captain. CEO, CXO, Manager. Take the case of Greg Chappell, Head cricket coach for the Indian team for 2 turbulent years till the ignominious exit at the World Cup 2007. Tendulkar writes in his book, “Greg was like a ringmaster who imposed his ideas on the players without showing any signs of being concerned about whether they felt comfortable or not.” In many entities also, the leader seeks to remould the team in his/her own image. No reaching out. Few consultations. Just top to down orders.  A recipe for disaster.

Let’s turn to Liverpool, the current EPL champions after a 30 year wait. They also won the European Championship last year. Here’s what Mo Salah, their star forward, has to say about the Manager-Jurgen Klopp, ‘He always wants to do his best for the team. To make everyone smile and be happy. Which means every player wants to give 100% for him.’ There it is. A management lesson in a nutshell.

Rewind to the famous Ashes series of 1981. England under Ian Botham had not won even one of the previous 12 Tests. Enter Brearley as captain. An awkward and challenging situation, right! He brings out the best in the players to lift the Urn and Botham owns the series. As Rodney Hogg, the Aussie fast bowler, remarked in admiration, “He (Brearley) has a degree in people.” Do corporate leaders have any time for people skills? Do they listen?  Bond with their team? Cheer wins? Have their backs when things do not work out? A good work environment breeds good results.

Team bonding exercises are a yearly ritual in corporate life. But camaraderie and trust takes time to build. Collaboration does not happen overnight. Where is the patience and vision to invest in team spirit?  Although the dividends will be rich and consistent. To appreciate team spirit log in to the careers of Michael Jordan and Lionel Messi. True team players. Not larger than the team. MJ has averaged an incredible 30 points and 5.3 assists per game over his basketball career. Messi has a 70:30 ratio in his 1000 goals football score card. (Assist is passing the ball to a teammate in a way that leads to a score or goal).

‘The Last Dance’ portrays the Chicago Bulls winning streak in the NBA championships in the 90’s. 1998 was their last hurrah as champions. What happened? The GM, Jerry Krause, had a grouse with the Coach, Phil Jackson. MJ and Phil and the team were getting too much credit. The CB organisation deserved the plaudits. With a compliant owner in his corner, the GM dismantled the team. Players became free agents, were traded or retired like MJ did. Since then the Chicago Bulls have disappeared into the shadows. Sounds familiar? In the corporate world, the work force is often taken for granted. Cost to Company. Dispensable. Not an important stake-holder in the growth and success. Further, how many organisations have suffered because of internal ego clashes and politics. Finally, change for the sake of change is not a good idea, especially when things are going well.

Managers tend to come down hard on failures. Tongue or mail lashing is the norm even if the recipient has had a good track-record. A poor appraisal can derail the career or destroy the morale. One below-par year can even shut down an office. The Brazilian footballer Ronaldo won the Golden Boot at FIFA 1998. But the red hot favourites lost to the hosts France in the final where the star player did little of consequence. This could have haunted him for the rest of his life. An albatross around his neck! But the powers that be in his home nation reposed their faith in him and built a very talented squad around him. This vote of confidence- despite him coming out of injury just months before the gala event- the WC 2002. He repaid that belief in him and how! Two striking goals in the finals against Germany. The Golden Boot award was his again for his 8 goals in the tournament. But this was just the icing on the cake. Brazil were the champions again.

Mentoring is an aspect of management which is largely ignored. S/he becomes the guru for the younger members and the freshers to take them through the paces. All do not need hand-holding or supervision. Some just require the occasional advice and appreciation to keep them going. Acknowledgement of good work is the key. Credit be given where it is due. Even small wins be celebrated to keep the environment humming. P Gopichand is not just a badminton coach but a mentor. He is a task-master but also a pillar of support. Hence, Saina Nahiwal comes back to the Academy after leaving for a year in 2016. PV Sindhu continues to make badminton headlines. Two world beaters trained and nurtured for many years. But Gopi has carved out separate spaces for them to thrive.

Sports also guides us on how and where to scout for the right talent. In India, the long ostracised Bhil tribals are now major hopes for an Olympic gold medal in archery. Small town cricketers have shown that they have what it takes to reach the top. Corporate chiefs should pay heed. They should also look beyond the prime college campuses. Look out for ‘the fire in the belly’ candidates albeit with modest qualifications. They will bring value to the Boardroom table.

They can also take a leaf out of Paralympic Sports. Multi-sports events for athletes with physical disabilities and intellectual impairments. Surely, some workstations can be found to give the blind and the deaf and the physically handicapped a start in their work-life.

At many companies, there is a generalised approach to training and orientation. Everyone goes through the same stuff at some stage. Let’s bring in Usain Bolt, the 100/200 metres champion. He has never run a mile in his life, even in training. The sprinters’ focus is all about speed and muscle. The 90 mins daily gym workout, the nutrition and diet regimes and the speed dashes are carefully calibrated to achieve this. Endurance tests are for the long distance runners. L&D (learning & development) can experiment with need-to-know basis modules. Plus Upskilling courses to meet market expectations and needs. Specialised sessions to keep the line experts sharp. Most of all organise more workshops to develop soft skills and leadership proficiency.

Federer and Nadal. The fiercest rivalry ever in tennis. The Grand Slam encounters were virtually battlegrounds. But out of court, their respect for each other is heart-warming. Their aura as role-models goes well beyond their sport. What makes a Company an enduring brand? When all the bases are covered. There is respect and trust from the customers, vendors, employees, share-holders and the market at large.

Some cricketing nuggets for the Managers to chew on. Clive Lloyd’s team were humiliated by the Aussies on the 74-75 tour at the hands of Lillee and Thompson. The Captain resolved to fight pace with more pace, fire-power with greater fire-power. Thus started the assembly line of great fast bowlers. The Windies dominated the turf from the late 70’s till the early 90’s. Like Lloyd, companies can chose to do what major competition is doing. Only do it much better.

Sri Lanka were the proverbial minnows in cricket. Till they won the 1996 World Cup. The openers Jayasuriya and Kaluwitharana attacked from the word go taking advantage of the fielding restrictions in the first 15 overs. Cricket logic had been turned on its head. This success formula soon had other successful imitators. The disruptive strategy of the Lankan captain, Ranatunga, also has its takers in the corporate world. Technological innovation which upends the game in say customer service deliverables. Or Product positioning. FMCG companies discovered the brisk uptake in small-town India when their prime shampoos were marketed in affordable sachets and pouches.

HR becoming a part of business strategy. Horses for courses. The right people in the right places. Consider reading the pitch to decide the team composition. Whether to play with 4 quicks or 2 spinners or with 6 batsmen, or else, different players for different formats- T 20 or Tests?

The Fosbury flop which won the American athlete Dick Fosbury the high –jump gold at the 1968 Olympics revolutionised the technique. A straight approach, twisting on take-off, going over heads first with the back to the bar. Not the scissors cut or straddle or the western roll. “The physics of the FLOP allowed the athlete to bend the back around the bar at the peak and clearing the bar whist the centre of mass travelled under the bar ‘’ says a Stanford Education study. All the elite jumpers now use this innovative backward style. Corporates have to innovate to stay relevant and ahead of the relentless competition. They are finding ways of raising the bar and clearing it.

Analytics.  E-Commerce firms are already putting it to great use for customer profiling and figuring out buying patterns.  Others are playing catch-up for cross-sell and up-sell opportunities and understanding the market dynamics better. At top level sports, analytics is a must and pros travel with the teams. They have to keep a tab on rival teams. Check-out tactics, evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the opponents. Focus on neutralising the key players. In hockey, the goal keeper studies the kinematics (the ball movements) of the penalty corner conversions of the other team. The batter in baseball pores over videos on how to decode the curveball or slider from the pitcher. In business, analytics helps to stay a step ahead of the competition and have more clarity on the way forward. Additionally, the company can reinforce its position by adopting the good practices of other peer companies.

Sports offers both inspiration and guidance to the management fraternity. Our work lives would be much better if those in a position of power and influence imbibe the lessons from the Sports fields.