Leadership

History is a reference point, not a life sentence

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Despite an early morning commitment, I could not help but stay awake (with benefit of hingsight no regrets) to watch my Favourite Brand in Action – “Royal Challengers Bengaluru” Be it men or women team, the brand has a loyal fan following, the largest one for any club in the league. Nothing to do with playing on Home ground which they did not in WPL2026. The icing on the cake was the result that I always pray for. When RCB (WPL) won the title in 2024, it ended a 17 year wait for the franchise (including both men and women) to lift the 1st cup and immediately following this RCB men’s team lifted the maiden title too.

But this post is not about the earlier victories but what happened last night and the lessons we can learn from it.

With 5 consecutive victories and 1st team to make the play-off’s, Eee Sala Cup Namdu wasn’t just a slogan this time. It was an inevitability. And then a minor blip losing 2 matches when just a victory would have ensured direct entry into finals. Neverthless it happened when it mattered the most. A convincing victory over UPW with Captain leading the way.

Twelve months ago, the jokes were the only thing louder than the cheers. We all know the narrative: “Great on paper, heartbreak on grass.” For seventeen years, that was the script. That was exorcised in the previous season when Smriti Mandhana’s side lifted the trophy and took that victory lap. But last night, as the RCB Women lifted their second consecutive WPL trophy, they didn’t just win a tournament; they permanently killed a ghost – erasing the narrative on being Paper Tigers and Popularity only off the field.

For years, the joke was that RCB lived on vibes and hope, but as Smriti Mandhana walked out to the middle last night after an early loss of Grace Harris, you could see something had shifted. This wasn’t the Smriti of the old, nor was it RCB of old. She simply dismantled the bowling hitting a crisp 87 (2nd time she missed out on a definite maiden century) while navigating the weight of huge expectations of largest fanbase, and her game screamed that resilience isn’t loud. It’s the quiet confidence of someone who has spent the last year refining their craft in the shadows. Smriti didn’t just play for the Orange Cap (which eventually she won with 377 runs added to her kitty) – she played like a leader who knew that winning once is a feat, but winning twice is a statement.

The real magic, however, happened in those middle overs. When the required rate climbed, Georgia Voll didn’t flinch. She proved to me that success is a relay race. A leader can set the pace, but you need a team that trusts the process enough to carry the baton through the exhaustion. They didn’t panic, they put on 165 runs in quick time, as if they had a blueprint (I doubt, if they had any other than the mental blueprint that said WIN).

Partnership that did it for RCB

They had turned their 2024 win from a lucky break into a repeatable system of excellence proven by the fact that RCB(WPL) became the first Team in the history of WPL, where that Table Topper lifted the Championship trophy.

Not to forget, friendly and affable looking Lauren Bell – who conceded below 20 runs in her quota of overs, when over 400 runs were scored in the match. She bowled like a champion throughout. Heartening feature was 5 different Players won the Player of the Match awards for RCB, which is a testimony to this victory being a truly team effort. Each match threw up a new star who put their hands up to perform.

Lauren Bell who bowled 128 Dot Balls in WPL2026

Watching them celebrate under the stadium lights, I realized that their back-to-back dominance isn’t just about talent. It’s a masterclass in shifting a losing culture and making Victory, their second nature. In the first season, the pressure of the brand seemed to weigh them down. Every mistake felt like a confirmation of the old curse. But something changed in the way Smriti and the team approached the game this season. The team stopped playing “not to lose” and started playing like they owned the ground. They traded the desperation for a calm, clinical edge that looked more like an elite machine than a struggling underdog.

When success, especially the one that repeats, isn’t a fluke. It’s what happens when you stop listening to the noise of the past and start focusing on the discipline of the present. They proved that the “Choker” label is only permanent if you choose to wear it. When the winning runs via a boundary was hit (even that was filled with drama, a suspected hit-wicket, replays confirmed it was Keeper Lee’s gloves tipping the bails inadvertently) it wasn’t just about a trophy. It was a masterclass in proving that character is built in the comeback. From being the league’s underdogs to becoming its first true dynasty, the RCB Women showed us that if you fix your culture, the results eventually take care of themselves. If you want to change the result, you have to change the identity first. RCB Girls did exactly that.

Bails coming off at the striker’s end as Radha Yadav hit the winning boundary. To everyone’s relief it was DC wicketkeeper Lizelle Lee had dislodged the bails with her gloves.

Finally, tipping my hat to Leader par excellence, Smriti Mandhana. She entered this tournament facing immense personal challenges and scrutiny. Instead of letting it derail her, she channeled it into her best-ever season, bagging the Orange Cap. Salutes, Smriti – You just lived up to what True leadership is about – showing up when it’s hardest. Your team drew strength from your persistence, not from your perfection.

Ee Sala Cup Namde-2

Footnote
What I still don’t appreciate is 2nd class treatment of WPL which is equally a money spinner for BCCI. What else explains a final played bang in the middle of a week whereas the whole International schedule is drawn out contingent on IPL Schedule – Finals definitely is on a Sunday. Hope this is remedied soon and the WPL gets its rightful recognition at par with IPL.

Ladder or Ceiling – ₹7 Crore Ego

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Uneasy Lies the Head…

Rise of Anjali

Anjali Sharma was a phenomenon at Stratagem Global, a high-flying tech consultancy in Bengaluru. She was an intrapreneur, a coding genius with the strategic mind of a CEO. After she single-handedly secured and executed the multi-crore “Project Phoenix”—a massive digital transformation for a major bank—she was the clear front-runner for the Head of Digital Innovation role.
But the role went to Indraneel Varma. Indraneel was a sharp, articulate man with a decade of seniority, but his confidence was a fragile shell. He had always been the golden boy, but Anjali’s meteoric rise was a threat he couldn’t rationalize. He saw her brilliance not as an asset to Stratagem, but as a countdown to his own obsolescence.

Insecurity Trap

Indraneel’s insecurity manifested immediately. Instead of empowering Anjali, he began to subtly clip her wings. He began hoarding information, kept her out of critical meetings with the Executive Board, claiming they were “high-level strategic discussions” where her “technical focus” wasn’t needed. This starved Anjali of the context she needed to align her innovative projects with the company’s true direction.
When Anjali hired Rohan, a brilliant but maverick data scientist, Indraneel insisted on approving every single algorithm Rohan wrote. He wasn’t checking for quality; he was establishing dominance. This micromanagement had Rohan, feeling stifled and distrusted, started looking for opportunities elsewhere.
Anjali’s team developed a cost-saving AI tool called “Shakti.” When presenting it to the Board, Indraneel downplayed and undermined her contribution, saying, “Anjali’s team provided the framework, but the strategic integration that makes it valuable was my directive.” He took credit to reassure himself, confusing the Board about who was truly driving innovation.

The Crisis: The Gulf Acquisition

Stratagem was preparing a major bid to acquire a smaller, cutting-edge AI firm in the Gulf. This required a seamless, high-trust collaboration between Indraneel (Strategy & Finance) and Anjali (Technology & Integration). Anjali, based on her team’s deep analysis, knew the target company’s primary platform was running on an outdated, proprietary framework that would be a nightmare to integrate. She prepared a detailed, two-page analysis proposing a Phase II rebuild plan that would cost an extra ₹50 lakhs but save Stratagem ₹5 crores in the long run.
She sent the analysis to Indraneel, stressing its importance. Indraneel saw the comprehensive report and felt a familiar, cold prickle of inadequacy. How dare she be so certain? How dare she make me look like I missed this detail? In a moment of pure, blinding insecurity, he did the unthinkable: He deleted the two-page attachment from the bid presentation he was preparing for the CEO, believing it would complicate his narrative and make Anjali seem too essential.

The Fallout

Stratagem won the bid. The celebration was short-lived. Within three months, the integration hit the wall Anjali had predicted. The outdated framework was incompatible, causing massive system failures in both companies. The CEO, Mr. Kamath, demanded an explanation. In the ensuing investigation, the emails came to light. Mr. Kamath saw Anjali’s original, ignored warning and, more damningly, saw Indraneel’s deliberate suppression of information. The acquisition—which should have been a triumph—turned into an integration disaster that cost Stratagem months of delay and over ₹7 crores to fix. Rohan, the data scientist Indraneel had stifled, had already quit. Anjali, though vindicated, was deeply demoralized.

Despondent Boardroom

The Lesson

Indraneel Varma was not fired for incompetence; he was fired for insecurity. In his exit interview, Mr. Kamath was direct: “Indraneel, you didn’t fail because Anjali was better. You failed because you were so afraid of her being better that you prioritized your ego over Stratagem’s success. You mistook the strength of your team for a threat to your position. A true leader is a multiplier; you were a divider.”

Anjali is now the Head of Digital Innovation.

Take Away

Insecurity kills collaboration, It turns high-potential colleagues into perceived rivals. Insecurity also suppresses excellence, leader’s insecurity stifles the very talent they hired to succeed and prioritizes ego over results: Indraneel let a temporary feeling of superiority override a permanent business saving. A leader needs to be a ladder for the team and not a ceiling.

In the modern corporate world, confidence is trusting your team; insecurity is being afraid of them.

Stubborn Rock-A Lesson in True Strength

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A story that I often use to make a point on using all the resources available at one’s disposal to achieve an objective

I watched my son struggle. He was trying to move a massive, stubborn rock in the yard. He pushed, he strained, he even used a crowbar—his face was a mask of determination and frustration.

The rock wouldn’t budge.

Pic Courtesy: Google Gemini

I walked over and asked him, “Son, are you sure you are using all your strength?”

He pushed one last time, even harder than before. Nothing.

Exasperated, he looked up at me. “Yes, Dad! I’ve used everything I have!”

I smiled.

“No,” I replied. “You haven’t asked me to help you.”

The Takeaway

In business, we often face those “stubborn rocks”—the overwhelming projects, the complex challenges, or the seemingly impossible deadlines. We pour our individual effort, time, and stress into the problem, believing success is purely a matter of personal grit.

  • Your team is part of your strength. True strength isn’t just your individual capacity; it’s the collective power of your network, your colleagues, your mentors, and your support system.
  • Asking for help is a sign of wisdom, not weakness. Great leaders don’t go it alone. They recognize when they’ve hit the limit of their personal resources and strategically leverage the experience and capabilities of others.
  • The most efficient path often requires collaboration. Don’t spend hours trying to do something solo that a quick conversation or request for assistance could solve in minutes.

If you’re facing a stubborn rock today, remember this: You haven’t used all your strength until you’ve utilized the resources and people standing right beside you.