Chapter Twenty Nine

Taming Brat packs. Creating Champions

On the 13th of July 2002, an upbeat English cricket team piled up a total of 325 runs against India at Lords, with back to back centuries from ME Trescothick and skipper, Naseer Hussain.. The Indian side, being led by their new captain, Saurav Ganguly ( in early days of recuperation and reconstruction after being hit by a match fixing bomb that had led to the ouster of some prominent seniors, including the prolific Md. Azharuddin), comprised mostly of a bunch of new players from different small towns of India – a heterogeneous ensemble of youngsters high on talent and low on self- confidence.

The Indian innings was opened by Ganguly himself alongside one of his early protégées, a rustic bloke from Najafgarh known as Virender Sehwag. Sehwag went ahead to score a 49- ball- 45 and the skipper himself smashed a gutsy 43- ball- 60, sending out a clear message that India was not getting into this final match as the underdog team. And then, despite easy dismissals of the two other stalwarts, Tendulkar and Dravid for 14 and 5, the Indian innings did not fall apart. Two gawky youngsters named Md Kaif and Yuvraj Singh went ahead to score 87 (75b) and 69(63b) to take India to a historic victory .

On the stands, a jubilant and ecstatic Ganguly took off his shirt at the winning run and waved it in the air. While many purists scoffed at this rather ungentlemanly gesture in the gentleman’s game ( especially at the Mecca of cricket – Lords ), that single visual of a belligerent leader of a winning brat pack went ahead to transform Indian cricket for ever – Ganguly’s band of boys who went ahead to become world beaters and who made it to the final of the cricket world cup in 2003 and many of who scripted India’s world cup victory in 2011, especially Yuvraj Singh who took home the Man of the tournament trophy, despite (unknown to him then) carrying a germ cell cancer in his chest. By now, Ganguly’s job was done. As he (now retired) sat like a proud dad in the commentary box, his unruly pack had become a cohesive and a successful team of world champions.

There are times in our leadership journey when we do not get the perfect team or the perfect circumstances to lead a copybook unit. Factors such as sudden attrition spikes, organisational politics, management changes and baggage of the past do not allow us the luxury of going by the book and to lead as per defined rules of the game. Quite early in my career (while in my late 20s), I changed industries and went to the Financial services sector for 3 years. My first assignment was to head a few branches in Western India which (not known to me when I took the role), were languishing at the bottom of the company charts. My job was to make those teams come up – quite a daunting task if I reason now, considering that it was a group of 60 unruly youngsters ( most of them less than thirty) who had little sense of direction, aspiration or even a simple desire to come up. As their new boss willing to make an instant impact , I went after them with all the tools taught to me during a 10 week pre-job training, barking orders and setting regulations to ‘discipline’ them into performing. And after all my efforts, the performance of my region actually went further DOWN in the first month. It took a lot of introspection from me to think my way through the crisis and it was then that I decided to throw away the rule book and get into my natural self. The moment I discarded my boss’s cap and went ahead being myself, I could instantly identify with my boys and gauge them at levels they never anticipated. Something clicked, and a few months down the line my gang was topping the charts and among the best branches of the country. It was not that I had suddenly become a great manager all of a sudden. But by some stroke of luck, I managed to do certain things that worked.

As I grow older and look back, I realize that maybe there are some universal rules for taming brat packs and making them deliver. These are very different from conventional leadership methods. Let me try and summarize them as per my wisdom.

1. Understand â€“ The first step is to understand how the mind of a rowdy person functions. All of us know how mischievous and headstrong kids behave, don’t we ? Either we would have been so ourselves, or we would have seen one of those among our siblings or friends when we grew up. Do you remember what would happen when grownups tried to tell them what to do ? Yes, they would do just the OPPOSITE ! Their behavior is not governed by logic or love for their own actions, but rather to rebel against authority. Most sensible parents avoid ‘disciplining’ their naughtiest kid or asking him / her to emulate them because they understand that these kids HATE that. Rather, they make these kids feel like adults, have a one-on-one chat with them on matters and lay things out in front of them. Also, if you have observed – the rowdiest kids are also often the most intelligent ones and their disobedience is mostly a channel to vent out their overflowing energy. The same goes for an errant new team. One needs to understand that you cannot hover over them and hurl gospels at them. Any form of sermon is a classic red flag for an unruly group of people as they feel compelled to revolt against it. You need to identify and harness the surplus energy & convert it into productivity.

2.Never play the teacher â€“ Rowdy people don’t like to hear criticism, especially when it comes in a condescending tone from someone sitting inside a cabin and who is forever pointing out their faults. Even the unruliest of kids inherently KNOW their shortcomings without being reminded. Either they are trapped in a public image they love to project, or they lack the will power to make incremental changes in their personalities. Under such circumstances, the last thing they need from you is a lecture and a load of criticism. The moment you remain mum on their defects and behave well with them in spite of their shortcomings, they get a little confused, and also a tad embarrassed. You automatically accumulate some credit points here which they keep in mind. In their own little ways, they start repaying you. Keep an eye and you shall see subtle changes – someone coming to work on time, or someone else spending an extra hour making out a detailed deal proposal etc. Just don’t talk about these changes to them and embarrass them. Let them continue their small acts of ‘repayment’ till their old habits slowly die and new habits are born.

3. Never lose your humor â€“ An unruly group dislikes order of any kind by nature. Overdone display of seriousness or frequent flashes of protocol turns them off. If you observe them closely enough, you can sense a very healthy self- depreciative fun that they engage in. Join that fun. Always remember that the amount of work you can get done with a dose of humor, is way more than what you can manage by following the rule book of protocols. Laughter is contagious and positive. Human beings inherently love to laugh. We often forget exact events, but we remember our pleasant emotions linked to past events. Noisier a dressing room is with sounds of laughter, you can be sure that it is slowly growing into a place where the team is bonding and loving to be a part of. Most importantly, make fun of yourself too. Always keep in mind that the route to gain love from a disciplined team is to win their respect first. With a brat pack, it is just the reverse. You need them to love you first before they can respect you.

4. Lead by example â€“ I mentioned Ganguly’s gutsy opening batting and then his show of indiscipline by waving his shirt while celebrating his team’s win . Brats love heroes, and their heroes are generally people who are bigger brats than themselves. When a rowdy team sees that their leader is leading from the front towards a common cause that they are a part of, they get charged and want to jump in to contribute. No wonder, Kaif and Yuvraj didn’t let the match slip away, lest they are branded sissies when compared to their bold leader. Brats always want to out-do their leader, provided the leader doesn’t ask them to do so himself. When I took over this assignment of mine , while my team started bonding well with me when I tossed away the formalities ( I started sharing cigarettes and beer bottle swigs with them – something they have never seen a boss do before), but I think that they really started liking me when I accompanied one of my sales managers on a call and made the tough sale MYSELF. By evening, the word had spread that this new guy can sell as good as us, perhaps better. And that soon made me a hit among my boys who would thereafter insist that I go with them on all complicated sales calls.

5. Have balls â€“ Brats hate sissies because they need to find a certain comfort with the person they work for. A spineless leader makes them insecure because they fear that such a guy could throw them to the dogs any day, especially given the fact that they are aware their personal lack of discipline might lead to their performance to falter at times, and they need a solid boss to stand behind them during those periods . A lack of this trust makes them wary and ineffective. When Ganguly was creating his team, he would go to any lengths to fight for them. There were so many instances when he would be at loggerheads with the cricket board of India to back some of his boys who would be battling a temporary loss of form. From Yuvraj to Sehwag to even someone like Parthiv Patel, Ganguly would mostly bulldoze his way and keep them in the team. The equity he gained as a leader from this was priceless. Later in 2006 when Ganguly was sidelined more for political than cricketing reasons, these were the boys who loyally rallied behind their mentor, never missing an opportunity to tell the world that their boss is a hero and Chappel is the villain. When Ganguly made an almost Bollywood-ish comeback in both formats of the game after that , his team went mad with joy, their faith restored that they were led by a guy who was brattier than them. And grittier too.

6. Give them a common cause to fight â€“ Brats have rebellion in their bloodstream by default. They love to resist and oppose. A good leader should find out the right cause to throw at them so that they can channelize their energies to fight it. Also, once an unruly gang of guys has a common adversary , they forget their own differences and huddle up as a unit to slay the goliath ( Remember Oliver Stone’s “Any given Sunday” and Al Pacino’s speech ?) . As their boss, you need to find them their goliath. It could be a loose comment by a competitor, or it could be another region or branch that is doing better than them. If you can effectively sell them the right rebellion, your job is half done. With the right ‘Why’ in place, they shall figure out the ‘what’ and the ‘how’.

7. Give them a common cause to love â€“ While they shall never admit it, people inside unruly outfits (especially who are under uncertain times), are extremely fond of each other. They are aware of each other’s challenges and would always go long ways to support one another. Never ever try to get them to compete with each other by infusing external envy or bad blood. Brats can be competitive even by staying collaborative at the same time. Encourage their bonding. Let them cover up for each other if they do. You shall only make your unit stronger. There used to be instances when the entire group of my sales managers would disappear in the afternoons on the pretext of making sales calls and later I came to know that they were actually catching up a matinee show at a nearby multiplex . In fact, one of them once came to me & spilled the beans himself. I found this so hilarious that I burst out laughing & I could not reprimand them for it somehow. When they saw that I did not try to ‘tame’ them, they automatically stopped playing truant. Once they know that something is not taboo or forbidden anymore , brats lose their interest in doing it.

8. The personal touch â€“ One day we had to go for my daughter’s school admission interview during my second month in that job. Since I had a morning meeting, I asked my wife to come over to my office so that we could go together from there. When she came and waited at the reception, there was a surprised murmur that spread through the cubicles because they had never seen any of their past bosses get his family come to this unruly bin. They were even more flustered when I took my wife around and introduced her to the whole team. Little by little, they started opening up about their own lives after that. We started having informal family dinners where the spouses and kids started bonding with each other and they started to all feel like one big family instead of a group of young men who go to a cold place to work where his co-workers were his rivals and his boss was some kind of a Hitler . In fact, one of my guys who was in an interracial relationship, actually requested me to accompany him when he went to convince his parents and his would-be in laws for his marriage . When you get that close with your pack, the loyalty you get is lifelong. The guy is still in touch with me and never fails to tag me to the pictures of his kids’ birthdays and his marriage anniversaries.

9. Be Inclusive â€“ As I mentioned earlier, rowdy people are generally also very sharp people. Tap into the enormous reservoir of grey matter at your disposal whenever you can. Invite suggestions at problem solving and you shall be astonished at some of the brilliant insights your receive. Great leaders always outline the larger objective, but leave the strategy formation to the team. Yes, you might need to hand hold and course correct if needed, but never spoon feed. Brat packs love to feel trusted for their capabilities. Also, once you throw the responsibility on their shoulders, they shall be more driven to deliver because the onus would then shift to them and their reputation would be at stake . Nothing embarrasses a brat more than public acknowledgment of ineptitude. They somehow find a way out of that always.

10. Create heroes, and celebrate â€“ Since those were pre-social media days, we did not have the tools to spread good news on Twitter or Facebook. So we devised this old fashioned way of hanging two large framed photographs at the office reception of the top two performers from the previous month. During the first month of this practice, when the first two photographs were up and the remaining 58 guys realized that these are the faces who shall be heroes for the entire month ahead (and showcased to anyone who walked into the branch including prospective clients as well as their own family members), there was this mad competitive scramble that started between them for the top two slots . As I said, brats can be fiercely competitive, especially when it comes to recognition. I think that fame drives them more than money does. And when I once lightheartedly spread a rumor that I was considering putting up a ‘Wall of Shame’ as well – pictures of the bottom two performers, the whole office lined up outside my room , imploring me not to do so ( I would never have done it anyway ! Another cardinal rule - NEVER humiliate a laggard in a brat pack and invite a mutiny). But yes, it worked. Likewise, always celebrate victories without delay as you go along. A stale victory celebration is as good as no celebration because the tempo gets punctured by then. When Ganguly took off his shirt and risked his whole career / reputation , all he was doing was celebrating Kaif’s and Yuvraj’s feat – THEN AND THERE, instead of waiting for some boring press conference a week later, by when mercurial players like these two would have lost their whole steam and would have dismissed their leader to be a sissy.

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