The pride of India - Mahendra Singh Dhoni aka Mahi

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the Indian cricket team captain, is such a personality who has made a place in the heart of every cricket lover, be it young or old. He is a right handed batsman and also a wicket keeper. His first match was One Day International (ODI) which he played against Bangladesh in December 2004 and a year later he played a Test match against Sri Lanka, which was the first Test match of his life.

Dhoni was born on 7th July 1981 to Pan Singh, his father, and Devki Devi, his mother. His father used to work in MECON and earlier used to stay in Almora, Uttarakhand but later moved to Ranchi, Jharkhand. When he was in school, he used to be a goalkeeper for the football team of DAV School, Ranchi. Along with that, he also used to play badminton and for both the games he was a district level and a club level player. However, once his football coach K R Banerjee asked him to play cricket for the local club. Although Dhoni had never played cricket earlier, still he proved to be a good wicket keeper which made him a regular player for the cricket team of Commando Cricket Club from 1995 to 1998. As he proved to be a skilled player, he was selected for the under 16 championship of Vinoo Mankad Trophy 1997-98. After his wonderful performance in this championship, he got selected for Bihar Ranji Trophy in 1999-2000.

Dhoni as a leader

He is the most successful captain of Indian cricket team under whose captaincy India won three world titles. Dhoni very well knows how to use the skills of his players in the game and make the best out of it. This quality in him was clearly seen when in the 2007 twenty-twenty match he sent Joginder Sharma to play the final over. Even though he comes from a small place, Dhoni has proved that it doesn't matter from where a person belongs, what matters is the way one performs and changes the view of the world. He is such a player who has always lead his team from front. He is strong enough to share all the credits of success with his team players and at the same time accept his failures. Under his captaincy India won the world cup after 28 years. In this match because of his wonderful captaincy skills he promoted himself on the batting order and remained at 91 not out. He had to deal with the players who were veterans as well as newcomers. Dhoni very calmly managed the ego of all the players and at the same time made sure to keep the team's spirit high. Dhoni's ability of staying calm even in adverse situation has made him succeed.

Dhoni's leadership style

After analysing Dhoni's leadership style one can say that the way he chooses to stay cool and calm even at a time of crisis is a trademark of Dhoni's leadership. One reason that he stays unruffled is that Dhoni has the ability of keeping him away from any irrelevant influences. So, he does not care what the media or the press is saying about him. He believes in what he is doing and not in what others are talking about him as few of the Indian captains used to do in the past. This actually helps him have his team's focus on the game. He is also known to back his players with full support and even the players know that Dhoni will not judge them without understanding the situation. So, he is a captain who doesn't like to control his team but likes to give everybody their own space. Dhoni is empowering; however, at the same time when a situation comes when an important strategic decision is to be taken, he is on his own who seldom seeks advice from others.

Dhoni's communication style

Dhoni has a very good command over his communication skills and due to that he has received much respect throughout the world. His communication style is crystal clear and is very impersonal. He knows how to talk to the people including his fans as well as the press. He is a very respectful person who shows respect in each and every word that he is saying. At the same time he is very frank as well as honest.

Ethics for Dhoni

Dhoni is very respectful to his team members and his colleagues. He has never been in news where he has misbehaved with his team players. He is always known to have respected his peers and also motivated the new comers. And his team players can look up to him at any time. This is one of the reason why he became a captain only after few years of joining the Indian team and still maintains the position with respect. Due to his behaviour people have even said that when he retires from the Indian cricket, he will be selected for the Prime Ministerial role.

Respect towards Dhoni

Dhoni is respected throughout the world and is considered one of the eminent player in the world of cricket. He never shows any disrespect or any unethical behavior towards anyone and is always known to back his team members. He is not only respected in India but is respected throughout the world. So, he not only gives importance to others but even respects each country. So, he is also given the same importance in return. I individually respect Dhoni a lot due to his calm and cool behavior and also because of his respectful behaviour towards others.

Dhoni effective style of leadership

It is said that a leader is good when he knows how to manage his team along with taking the responsibility of the team. A leader should also be able to stand for his team players and give credit to his players when success comes and accordingly take the responsibility when the team sees failure. He should be able to command his team very well. All these characteristics are very well seen in Dhoni. So, his way of leadership is considered to be very effective.

Overview

People become great leaders by the way they think, the way they behave with others and also by the way they bring themselves up from all the odds of life and still show calm and still behaviour towards others. They respect and treat others without any discrimination and with due respect. Not only that they show genuine concern in others problems and on the contrary feel genuinely happy when others are happy. Without anybody's help, they have the capability to stand for people who are suffering. These along with other qualities make people rise above all and become leaders. People throughout the world respect these leaders and want to follow their footpath. When one talks about Mahatma Gandhi, the first thing that comes in our mind is 'feeling for others'. He is one of the most ethical as well as compassionate person on the earth as he single handedly went on to change the world. He is one such leader who could very easily stand on others place and see the situation they are into. This made him understand the real situation that an individual is going through and made him much admired and respectful leaders throughout the world. Even Margaret Thatcher, the British Prime Minister, went through lot of controversies through her entire career. However, this never laid her down. She rose from all the problems and without even worrying about these controversies she went on to see the success. Her personality was very much reflected in the way she lead the country. It is a well-known fact that in the path of success there are lots of challenges that come. Margaret Thatcher was a very strong and tough woman, who, without worrying about the challenges always stayed by her thoughts. Thatcher is one of the biggest example of a person who showed resilience even during the times when everything went against her. That is why she was also famously called The Iron Lady. Along with these two leaders even MS Dhoni, who is the captain of the Indian cricket team, has showed that even he has the characteristics of being a much respected leader. His leadership style is also very different of what we have normally seen in most of the Indian captains. Dhoni is not only admired by his team members but the aura of his goodness has spread around the world and people even want to become like him, in the same way as one would like to become Gandhi or Margaret Thatcher. Every leader teaches some good lessons and a right leadership style to others. They have a willingness to help others. Along with that they are also known for aspiring and striving to achieve the high goals in their lives. They very well know how beneficial resilience is and chose not to overreact on things which are not relevant to their work or performance. They have a very good understanding of showing compassion as a leader. These characteristics make a person regarded as a leader and reflect good understanding of the individual towards others which can be a source of learning for the new generation.