Dhoni’s selection as the India team captain despite the presence of senior stalwarts has raised a few eyebrows. Malay Desai speaks with young guns who have taken up the daunting task of leading teams
Great necessities call forth great leaders. - Abigail Adams, writer
The buzz of young India gets louder by the day. From the corridors of power, to corporate bigwigs and now sports, young guns are blazing their way to success. But it's not all hunky dory at the top. We get some young guns to tell us about the view from top, about managing seniors ‘junior’ to them and the pressures of wearing the crown.
Mohammad Azharuddin
Became captain of the Indian cricket team at 27
Cricketing folklore has it that Azhar was pleasantly surprised when he was asked to be the captain of a team which had five senior players who were eligible for the post. But at the age of 27 back in 1990, he didn't think twice before taking up the challenge, and went on to become one of India's most successful captains. "I didn't lose sleep over interacting with the likes of Kapil (Dev) and (Dilip) Vengsarkar. In fact, I would modestly ask them for advice on various counts. Having a good rapport with all of them helped me become a better captain," he tells us. Not to be bogged down managing world-cup winners under him, the right-hander confidently took his own decisions. It was not easy for him. "There were numerous press conferences, players to be spoken to, decisions to be taken — which will be the case with Dhoni too," Azhar says. "Humility and an open mind will make the difference.”
(Inputs from Ashish Magotra)
Shishir Joshi
Became: Bureau Chief, Aaj Tak and Headlines Today at 33
"Delegation is critical," the now former bureau chief says. "The decisions I made regarding delegation of duties proved to be the catalyst in our team." After all, these decisions made by young bosses make or break the work environment at office. "Maintaining a healthy working atmosphere is important when experienced people are working under you. As their leader, you should inspire them enough to make their work enjoyable without any ego-related hassles," Shishir says. Man management is crucial in our age of high burnouts and low shelf-lives; and it assumes all the more importance in the media-related professions. "Being young myself, my team connected with me better. I don't think I would have done justice to the same post had it come my way several years later," Joshi adds.
Rohit Sharma
Became: COO, Zapak at 35
"We are living in a knowledge economy," believes Rohit. "Irrespective of age, people respect talent." So, what formulae of man-management did he learn when he took over as COO? "There are no set rules of becoming a successful leader. I tried to, and continue to give my team an energetic environment where seniors align with their colleagues and age assumes no relevance," he replies. This proved to be quite the successful thing to do, since his portal was an innovation in itself, and dealt with the youth. "On the contrary, I doubt if my team and I would have been this successful if we had a chief who was 50 plus,” he admits. Because, in the end, success depends on how well the boss connects with his juniors.
Navin Shah
Became CEO, P9 Integrated at 33
What would a youngish CEO do when more than a quarter of his team is senior to him? Navin Shah was in this position a couple of years ago when he assumed leadership of P9, a movie marketing company. "Respect is all the senior-players-of-the-game want. I gave them that, entertained their views and opinions and this solved most of my problems," he tells us. "It is important to have young chiefs in companies like ours where the youth is a major target audience. A fresh perspective is always valued," Shah adds. "It is also important that the team understands that a young achiever has been entrusted with the post not because of 'superiority' but because he/ she's more apt for the position."
Prasoon Joshi
Became Executive Chairman and Regional Creative Director of McCann Ericcson India at 34
The word 'chairman' and 'age 34' were incongruent but being in a creative, youth-friendly profession helped Prasoon Joshi. "Like the Indian cricket team where team effort culminates in a good performance, the same can be said of all workplaces. In my field, people respect talent more than age or experience. As a leader, it’s important to respect them back," he says. Moreover, he feels that all the members of the team should get the vibe that whoever is the leader of a team means business. "Clarity in communication goes a long way. If I am able to establish a rapport with all those under me, our output as a team will obviously improve," the ad-man offers.
http://www.mumbaimirror.com/net/mmp...9&contentid=2007092220070922030042859d5a325af
The buzz of young India gets louder by the day. From the corridors of power, to corporate bigwigs and now sports, young guns are blazing their way to success. But it's not all hunky dory at the top. We get some young guns to tell us about the view from top, about managing seniors ‘junior’ to them and the pressures of wearing the crown.
Mohammad Azharuddin
Became captain of the Indian cricket team at 27
(Inputs from Ashish Magotra)
Shishir Joshi
Became: Bureau Chief, Aaj Tak and Headlines Today at 33
Rohit Sharma
Became: COO, Zapak at 35
Navin Shah
Became CEO, P9 Integrated at 33
Prasoon Joshi
Became Executive Chairman and Regional Creative Director of McCann Ericcson India at 34
http://www.mumbaimirror.com/net/mmp...9&contentid=2007092220070922030042859d5a325af