Super Sunday in Great Britain
the Inches, the Seconds, the Years
-Amlesh Ranjan
Sunday, the 14th of July 2019, in England, was an exceptionally amazing day . The nation hosted three mega sports events, Cricket World Cup Final; British Grand Prix and Wimbledon Men’s Final. Apart from in-stadium/track attendance of almost 200 thousand people, there was a combined global TV viewership of approximately 30 million, not to forget the huge number of digital audience as well. And, what a day, it turned out to be. All the three contests went down to the wire and two of them can be considered the best-ever.
Someone said, “Sports do not build Character, they reveal it”. We had perfect examples of this on this 'Super Sunday’. In Cricket World Cup, England and New Zealand played the best-ever finals with a heart-stopping culmination of the contest. In British Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton and Valterri Bottas had the much anticipated, dog fight, fueling fan frenzy to unprecedented levels. In Wimbledon, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic played out an emotionally surcharged edge of the seat thriller.
For a true sports buff like me, though my nation or, sportsperson, was not participating and even though I was not present there physically, these nerve-wracking but absolutely, brilliant finals provided the ultimate sporting bliss. As the three events luckily culminated one after another, those like me, who could stay tuned in on multiple screens, had the experience of a lifetime.
Still being an active cricketer myself, I truly believe that, Sports transcends the realms of recreation. It not only uplifts and inspires, it also gives immense learning to all of us as individuals and, also for our business and responsibilities. The iconic American Basketball player Kobe Bryant rightly said, “Sports are such a great teacher”. Here, I have tried distilling the learnings from all the three sporting events and present the same through three lenses- the INCHES, the SECONDS, the YEARS.
the INCHES: Accuracy & Grit
While watching the World Cup Cricket finals between England and New Zealand, I was reminded of the famous speech in the movie, ‘Any Given Sunday’, where coach Tony D’Amato, played by the legendary, Al Pacino, says, “The inches, we need, are everywhere around us. They’re in every break of the game, every minute, every second… on this team, we fight for that inch, on this team, we tear ourselves and everyone else around us for that inch…. We claw with our fingernails for that inch because we know, when we add all those inches that’s gonna make the ******* difference between winning and losing, between living and dying”.
And the fight for the INCHES was on display by both England and New Zealand. It was evident not just in the finals but right from the semi-finals where they respectively defeated formidable Australia and India… the Bowlers kept bowling inch perfect deliveries; the fielders that were strategically placed all through the innings, saved runs and scooped up catches just inches off the ground; the direct hits and stumpings ran batsmen out by inches. The intensity of the final match was such that first the scores were tied in regular 50 overs and then in the tie breaker Super over, they miraculously tied the score yet again... compelling a 'rule-book tie breaker’. There was one Winning nation... but both Won.
The INCHES clearly represent ACCURACY & GRIT. It’s about bringing rigor to data/research/analytics for an accurate Strategy formulation and, then ensuring that the Tactical Translation is being accurately done and absolutely, as per the plan. And it’s also about fighting for and winning every single inch, in every sphere to get the deserved place and position for self, the team and the business.
the SECONDS: Urgency & Harmony
Six milli seconds was the margin by which, Valtteri Bottas pipped Lewis Hamilton from the pole position at British Grand Prix 2019. For the home hero, Hamilton, the prized pole was stolen right from under his nose but then, true champions like him possibly thrive on such setbacks. This spurred him, and in the final race, right from the word go, he had a dogfight with Bottas, and won his record 6th championship cup at Silverstone. He attributed his win to his 1-stop strategy vis-à-vis the 2-stop strategy advised to him. Hamilton thought through and implemented his plan to success. Such self-assured approach was possible because he is in complete harmony with his car, the track and his team.
Another significant achievement seen at British Grand Prix 2019, was “the fastest Tyre Change in the history of Formula 1 racing”. The pit crew of Aston Martin Red Bull team set the record for the fastest pit-stop, taking just 1.91 seconds to fit four new tyres to the driver Pierre Gasley’s RB 15 race car. There are 20 team members in the racing pit, who must work in complete coordination and harmony to achieve such stupendous feat in such a short, blink of the eyes time. When it comes to urgency and harmony, I am not sure, we will have a better example than Formula 1 in any other sphere of our world.
The SECONDS are truly indicative of URGENCY & HARMONY. In today’s ever-evolving, over-dynamic world, sense of urgency is so critical. With what speed we re-strategize and how quickly we respond, determines the momentum of success and even profitable survival. This speed or, urgency is possible, if all the components in the organizational eco-system are fully harmonized. The strategic responsiveness of the organization does have contribution from multiple stakeholders and if there is true harmony, the lag time will surely get minimized, enhancing the speed and, also the quality of response.
the YEARS: Maturity & Resilience
4 hours & 57 minutes of sublime tennis, swinging both ways; the final set which lasted an unprecedented 2 hours & 2 minutes; Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic played unarguably the best-ever Wimbledon finals and one of the best-ever grand slam finals. Djokovic defeated Federer, 7-6, 1-6, 7-6, 4-6, 13-12 to lift his fifth Wimbledon title denying Federer his ninth. Way back in 1884, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “The years teach much which the days never know”. Come to think of it, Federer at 37 years of age, after 20 grand slam titles in his kitty, has defeated 5 much younger opponents till quarter final and then defeated Nadal, 33 to finally play a grueling nail-biting final with Djokovic, 32 and almost wins it. It’s beyond incredible, it’s super-human really. These big 3, with an average age of 33 have shared amongst themselves the last 11 major titles now.
Are these long reigning champions in perpetual winning mode, achieving it with strength & stamina? I don’t think so. It’s their maturity which makes them conserve & expend as per the need, accelerate or, decelerate according to the situation and rise or, flow in response to the environment. The YEARS come to the fore when such relatively older high achievers keep the flames burning beyond expectations. And, it’s not just maturity, it’s also resilience. Djokovic was playing amidst the chants of ‘Roger, Roger…’ all through those nerve-wracking hours on the center court and yet he turned this into a fuel for himself. After the match, he said, ‘Hope, someday, they will chant Novak’. And what about Federer. Someone who has a record number of 20 grand slams in his kitty and who has been at the pinnacle for quite some time now, how he must be fighting himself to stay motivated year after year, tournament after tournament. This is supreme resilience.
The YEARS rightly signify MATURITY & RESILIENCE. Be it sports, be it business, as one repeatedly goes through the grind, again and again, one keeps gaining. Each unique situation, handled and every new challenge, tackled adds to your armamentarium. The long experiences do create memory patterns which sub-consciously come into play when you face adversity or, even if the going is good but there is a need to excel. It not just helps cope up, it helps innovate and be creative as well. It is entirely up-to the individuals or, the organizations to truly optimize on the Years by harnessing Maturity and Resilience.
Thanks to the very inspiring British & Kiwi Cricketers; Racing icon Hamilton & team F1 and Tennis legends Federer & Djokovic, we have had a Sunday to remember. Yes, we play or watch sports primarily for fun, excitement and thrill and the same was provided way beyond expectations but at the same time, we got Life lessons for self and for business. Let’s keep the INCHES, the SECONDS & the YEARS in mind, while we drive and strive towards excellence for an even more fulfilling and successful future ahead.
#grit #excellence #accuracy #resilience #harmony #strategy #maturity #CWC2019FINAL #BritishGrandPrix2019 #ICC #Wimbledon2019Final
