#664
Interesting Anecdote:- I use to follow BBC Saturday Sports Special for tracking sports/ Football. (1975) and they used to pronounce "PAARISSHAANJAMAANH". (In one breath!) Took me good 2 years, (1977 IX grade) to infer they reffered to "Paris-St-Germain", the team that is appearing in tonight's final. The Indian newspaper never covered it. (Now also the horror is same, not that, I touch news paper- so no idea!). Still miss BBC radio, Paddy Feeny- Saturday sports Special, 732pm to 11pm. The connections were so near/personal, despite being sure we will never see or reach out to them! World was very different then!
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It’s the final night of the European Champions League. Two clubs—Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan—square off in Munich. Neither has a Messi, a Neymar, Embape, nor even the aura of a Cristiano Ronaldo. What they do have, however, is grit, discipline, and teamwork—those often overlooked ingredients that quietly carry you to the summit. For years, (55 to be precise) PSG banked on star power to deliver glory. With names like Messi and Neymar gracing their roster, expectations soared. But trophies? Not quite. 0. Now, without the marquee names, they’ve reached the finals. That alone says something.
This pattern isn’t confined to football. Consider cricket’s most understated giant—New Zealand. No one screams superstardom there. Yet this small island nation has consistently punched above its weight. They’ve won the World Test Championship and came heartbreakingly close to lifting the One Day World Cup. There’s something almost poetic about their style: quiet execution, shared responsibility, and zero ego. It’s a masterclass in collective over celebrity. This raises an uncomfortable but essential question—are big names becoming a hindrance to peak performance?
Star power can undoubtedly inspire. The aura of a Steve Jobs or a Sachin Tendulkar can energise an organisation or a nation. But it can also cast shadows, breed dependencies, and create performance asymmetries. (Apple is struggling, as is Indian Cricket!) When the focus tilts towards the individual, the system often erodes in silence. The rest of the team stops thinking for themselves. The hero complex begins to override collective accountability. Leadership, then, becomes a bottleneck rather than an enabler.
In organisations, we often wait for a visionary to emerge before we believe success is possible. But must we? Most companies don’t have a George Lucas or a Sundar Pichai. Yet many succeed—not by chasing unicorns, but by aligning the talents of many toward a shared mission. Sometimes, it is the culture that breeds leaders, not the other way around. It’s a sobering reminder: greatness isn't always born, it’s cultivated. And often, it’s invisible until the system demands it.
This brings me to a deeper reflection: does leadership drive success, or does collective success crown someone as a leader? I suspect the truth lies somewhere in between. A good leader certainly uplifts. But a good system allows multiple people to lead in different moments. Leadership, then, becomes more fluid—a rotating role, not a fixed identity. That’s when true potential is unlocked. Not when one person performs magic, but when magic becomes routine across the group.
As we watch tonight’s final unfold, perhaps there’s a lesson waiting beyond the scoreboard. Star-studded line-ups may draw the crowds, but it’s the no-name grinders who often get the job done. Organisations, sports teams, even families—any human system—work best when each part performs without waiting for applause. The real MVP? The system that makes leadership unnecessary because excellence is distributed, not centralised.
Karthik
31/5/25 (Boy! 5 months of the year gone- Summer is over, I guess!).
9am.
1 comment:
Enjoyed reading this post.am in agreement with your views.loved your analysis of the NZ cricket team.
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