2 weeks
back we saw the end of the biggest sport festival RIO Olympic 2016. We saw
great legends like Micheal Phel, Usain Bolt perform and win various medals, saw
records getting broken, saw sportsmen getting emotional after winning first
medal for their country, saw various sportsmen just losing by less than a milli
second. Above all these, we observed traits of true sportsmanship in each and
every participant. To highlight a few, when American Abbey D’Agostino convinced
and helped New Zealand runner Nikki Hamblin to complete 5KM race after she got
hurt in her leg and fell down. Another example, of Chinese player Sun
Yanan who played against the Vinesh Phogat in 48kg freestyle wrestling where
Vinesh got hurt badly and the match was stopped in middle. Sun Yanan did not
celebrate her victory and also carried Vinesh’s bag when she was taken on
stretcher out of the stadium. There are various such examples which can be
observed in the history of Olympic or for that matter any sport event. Other
than the 3 medal awarded for the best 3 performers, there is a 4th type
of medal awarded for showcasing true sportsmanship that was awarded
to Abbey D’Agostino and Nikki Hamblin.
In the
corporate world too, various traits of the sportsmanship can be inculcated to
improve the culture and over all team work. I have few things which comes to
top of my mind
1. Be a team player:
In any team sports, team goal is what’s there in each player’s mind. They keep
their personal goals behind that of the team. Similarly, while working in the
team, each one should collaborate, respect each other, put personal goals
behind and work for the team.
2. Give your
best shot: In any sport, everyone gives their 200% so as to respect each
other’s effort and together reach their goal of winning. Similarly, in a team
one should give their best possible effort, else it would be disrespecting the
others. In various sport, person compete with themselves only, they try to do
better than they did last time. If similar traits are shown by each in
improving their quality of work better than yesterday, it will make the team
progress faster.
3. Discipline: Sports
require person to be very disciplined with respect to the exercise routine,
rules and regulations of the game, respecting each other’s time. In corporate
life too such discipline is must. One should not take each other’s time for
granted and respect each day’s work.
4.
Celebrate the accomplishments: Sports team celebrate victory in different ways.
Each milestone achieved at work place should also be celebrated. This helps to
keep a check on the moral of the team. Another important aspect to remember in
winning times is to never lose the humility because winning does not mean one
is the best, there is always a scope for improvement.
5. Learn
from the loss: Team when loses in any sport, they do not sit back and get
depressed about it. But they take loss, ponder upon their mistake and come back
in a new improved version. Similarly, in corporate world when team loses, they
should look back on where they went wrong, what could have been done better.
There is no time to get demotivated and waste but to come back with more
experience and motivation.
Thus playing a sport does not only tell us about the sport and its
rules, but it teaches us far more important lessons of life. As a kid we
indulge in various sports, but as kids grow up, not many of them continue with
those sports. They get trapped in the vicious circle of study->result->study.
I don’t think studies in any way can be compromised, but playing some sport
will not only help in keeping fit mentally and physically but also make them
fit to face other races of life.
Play sport not only to make a
career out of it but to inculcate it in one’s career of life.
