Mahendra Singh Dhoni is widely considered India's best captain, known for his remarkable leadership and excellent handling of players in cricket. Under Dhoni's captaincy, India achieved significant victories, including the 2007 T20 World Cup, the 2011 ODI World Cup, and a Champions Trophy. They also reached the top of the ICC Test rankings for the first time.
Speaking at an event by Single.ID, Dhoni emphasized that earning respect and loyalty is crucial for leadership. He stressed that respect is gained through actions, not just words, and it's essential to understand and respect every player in the dressing room.
'Loyalty has a lot to do with the respect factor. When you talk about the dressing room, unless the support staff or players respect you, it is difficult to get that loyalty,' MS Dhoni said.
'It is actually about what you are doing and not about what you are speaking. You may not actually speak anything but your conduct can earn that respect,' Dhoni added.
Dhoni added that respect for a leader comes from his deeds rather than words.
'I always felt that earning respect (as a leader) is important as it does not come with the chair or rank. It comes with your conduct. People are insecure at times. Sometimes, even if the team believes in you, you are actually the first person who will not believe in you.'
'To sum it up, don’t try to command respect but earn it, as it is very organic. Once you have that loyalty then the performance too will follow,' he said.
According to Dhoni, the first step towards winning the respect and loyalty of your teammates is to properly understand each player in the dressing room, including their strengths and shortcomings.
'Some people love pressure and some people don't like pressure. What is important is to understand the strength of the individual and the weakness of the individual. Once you have done that, you will start working on the weakness of a player without actually telling him that this is a weakness. So, it keeps a player confident and keeps the player from doubting himself. They like to see how it works and that is the job of a captain or coach to figure out what works for who,' he added.
MSD also said as a leader one has to keep things simple to get the best results out of a team.'In that process, the simpler you keep things, the easier it will become for you. I always felt that the team (that he captained) had character because all of us were different.'
