EXCELLENCE IS TEAMWORK| CHINESE WHISPERS CAN RUIN GREAT PARTNERSHIPS|

Great Partnerships and Team work result in long lasting excellence. Championship in any domain is result of people staying together when the going gets tough and the ecosystem conspires.

A heart warming true story behind Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi’s partnership breakup. Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, two of India’s most famous tennis players, have set out to tell their narrative of grit and drive that gave them world titles in tennis platforms. Break Point follows their meteoric rise to fame and the eventual decline from their celebrated victories and laurels.  The duo happened to have won eight Grand Slam doubles titles, dominating world tennis for quite some time and inspiring upcoming young budding tennis stars. The Indian legends, tennis maestros have valuable lessons of how to practice excellence and also things to avoid to keep the stellar partnership strong.

However the underlying tension, the dynamics of myriad of relationships, the coaches-managers-press and its impact on their craft; the outcomes is something that we can all take lessons from.

The bromance to breakup story truly reveals how a successful partnerships can go haywire. Every achievement whether in sports ground, corporate boardrooms, family milestones is a background story of FOCUS OF A TEAM or PARTNERSHIP. This team configuration needs to have grounded values and trust between each other. Very often with success or failures a lot of noise and Chinese Whispers creep into the otherwise beautiful chemistry. The lack of communication can further damage and distance the team members.

6 Lessons to be learnt from the INDIAN EXPRESS DUO OF LEE & HESH

1. Communication – Healthy communication dealing with any misunderstandings at its onset rather than waiting for it to snowball into larger barriers for times to come. Transparency in communication and discussing issues threadbare can sometimes give the best perspectives. Communication gap is the biggest reason for Lee and Hesh relationship falling apart. The catalyst which initiated all negative assumptions, was lack of addressing issues with a dialogue rather than postponing the same.
2. Accepting each other as equals -No matter what you do for the team mates, assuming a dominators role alienates the others. Thus accepting the need for others to be recognised and playing on equal footing can go a long way in keeping the team mutualism as a priority. Lee gave a lot to the relationship and the vision for the duo, however trying to be best at all times was something that put a lot of pressure in the relationship. Appreciating the difference and accepting each other as equals…realising the diversity is what makes the partnership shine is something that needs to be recognised.
3. Celebrating Accomplishments Together -Ability to celebrate each other’s feat of achievement is key to staying strong at all times. The moment one team member’s achievement is not cherished by the other, it becomes a burden and bad blood. Hesh’s mixed doubles Grand Slam was first for India and that won him a lot of media attention which kept Lee lonely …Eventually became a bone of contention to both.
4. Too much Proximity -While proximity helps a relationship flourish, too much of it can also be a problem sometimes. As too much of it, doesn’t leave any room for personal space and thinking. Thus managing the proximity without hurting each other, and keeping the balance is an important aspect. Lee and Hesh’s confession that being into each other’s lives, even away from the tennis court and training areas, was counter-productive, also offers a suggestion that every relationship needs the right amount of stress; not enough can lead to a slackening and too much can possibly lead to avoidable breakage. That respect for one’s partner and team-mates comes from acceptance rather than a desire to change them.
5. Keeping other Relationships out of the Equation -Sometimes too many people in the relationship can also adversely impact the understanding. Murmuring of network and other relationships shouldn’t cast a shadow on the otherwise successful team. India Express performed inspite of all stresses, however without the advisory and interventions of other relations they would have thrived better.
6. Getting a Neutral Guide – Great talent needs great management. With due respect to the amazing fathers, supervisors, it is important for teams with their respective coaches – to be managed by seasoned veterans or consultants. In Breakpoint the magical intervention by coach Bob Carmichael during a rain-break in the 1999 Wimbledon Championships when the sight of the winners’ trophies rekindled the fire in them is perhaps the closest they went to having one person in that role.

How often are you influenced by Chinese whispers or grapevine? How do you keep your team members together? How often do you communicate with your partners/team? Are you an equal player or do you thrive on being the lead runner in the team? Do share your thoughts on how a great team or partnership can be kept together.