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The Winning Way: Learnings from sport for managers
What do sporting champions do, what makes winning teams, who is a good leader, why do only some teams keep winning while others win only for a while and then lose… Two IIMA alumni, Sports commentator and writer Harsha Bhogle and advertising and communication consultant Anita Bhogle dig into examples from sport to see how they can benefit managers. Contrary to popular perception ability is not a major
distinguishing factor in success, especially as the level of competition increases. But if you combine your ability with the right attitude and the passion to excel, you too can become the best that you can be. That is the
universal formula for winning that The Winning Way explores. For Anita and Harsha Bhogle, this book marks the completion of 300 successful corporate workshops of The Winning Way that they run.
distinguishing factor in success, especially as the level of competition increases. But if you combine your ability with the right attitude and the passion to excel, you too can become the best that you can be. That is the
universal formula for winning that The Winning Way explores. For Anita and Harsha Bhogle, this book marks the completion of 300 successful corporate workshops of The Winning Way that they run.
196 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
136 people are currently reading
1125 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 114 reviews
September 23, 2015
Short book but powerful message that summarises the essence of leadership with real life examples predominantly from the field of cricket, understandably so. This is also the summary of the 300 plus corporate workshops that the author couple had conducted over a period of five years. The arresting simplicity and the captivating fluidity of narrative are the key pillars of this wonderful book. Excellent reading with oodles of practical advice for an aspiring leader.
May 25, 2019
The Winning way by the Bhogle couple, is a book about how to win and keep winning. It also talks about how to face the hurdles that come before winning and after winning. They have included relevant anecdotes from business and sports field. Their access to top business leaders and imminent sports people helps us get insights into those winners. The key takeaways for me is that winning is a habit, it is the end of a successful process.
May 2, 2018
I got a lot from this book, and in surprising areas of study.
'Way' is, first, well written and easy to read, with a coherent, straightforward format that is conducive to the content. Likewise, the authors write with a sober intelligence, and provide sound, logical arguments for their assertions (plus many good, illustrative case studies for additional support). Also, the text is pleasing in length (or so I felt), being concise while remaining comprehensive enough to be complete; the authors grabbed my attention from the start, and held it to the end. On the other hand, I did encounter some minor functional issues (some awkward grammar, and constant use of specific cricket terminology, of which I am personally unfamiliar), but these failed to hinder my comprehension.
As for the material itself, 'Way' is, in my opinion, equally substantial, and on multiple levels. From the outset, the book delivers on its premise as a business resource framed in a sports study, and offers much valuable information in this regard alone. However, this same knowledge is applicable far beyond the realms of sports and business, extending, for the most part, to life and conduct at large. Ultimately, the book's concepts, observations, and insights are broad enough to be employed in nearly any enterprise, from the marketplace to the home to romance, all the way to one's personal affairs and innermost psychology. And, besides being a trove of practical wisdom, 'Way' presents a broader study: of the interconnectedness of all things, in which a single, essential Science governs everything, with infinitely variable manifestation yet universal application. This subtext in itself makes for a worthwhile read, while the rest just enhances it further.
All in all, I learned from this book, and enjoyably so.
My sincere thanks goes out to this book's authors, subjects, and publisher. I am grateful for, and have benefited from, your work.
* * *
Some notable quotes from 'The Winning Way':
"[Their opponents' lack of self-belief] meant that Australia would play and produce results in a manner that would allow them to focus on their game while forcing their opponents to concentrate not on their own game, as they should, but instead on Australia." -- p.20
"The strongest weapon a team has on the field is hope. Till such time as hope is alive, they believe they can win. Once hope dies, the end is swift." -- p.22
"Everybody looks good when they are on top of their game but as Martina Navratilova once remarked, 'What matters,' she said, 'isn't how well you play when you're playing well. What matters is how well you play when you're playing badly." -- p.65
"You need to look at the context in which success was achieved. If that has changed, then the probability of the same formula working must necessarily change too. It might still work, but it is not necessary that it will." -- p.76
"It is entirely possible to lose because of external causes, reasons beyond your control." -- p.91, as a textbook example of "Something so obvious, it's easily ignored."
'Way' is, first, well written and easy to read, with a coherent, straightforward format that is conducive to the content. Likewise, the authors write with a sober intelligence, and provide sound, logical arguments for their assertions (plus many good, illustrative case studies for additional support). Also, the text is pleasing in length (or so I felt), being concise while remaining comprehensive enough to be complete; the authors grabbed my attention from the start, and held it to the end. On the other hand, I did encounter some minor functional issues (some awkward grammar, and constant use of specific cricket terminology, of which I am personally unfamiliar), but these failed to hinder my comprehension.
As for the material itself, 'Way' is, in my opinion, equally substantial, and on multiple levels. From the outset, the book delivers on its premise as a business resource framed in a sports study, and offers much valuable information in this regard alone. However, this same knowledge is applicable far beyond the realms of sports and business, extending, for the most part, to life and conduct at large. Ultimately, the book's concepts, observations, and insights are broad enough to be employed in nearly any enterprise, from the marketplace to the home to romance, all the way to one's personal affairs and innermost psychology. And, besides being a trove of practical wisdom, 'Way' presents a broader study: of the interconnectedness of all things, in which a single, essential Science governs everything, with infinitely variable manifestation yet universal application. This subtext in itself makes for a worthwhile read, while the rest just enhances it further.
All in all, I learned from this book, and enjoyably so.
My sincere thanks goes out to this book's authors, subjects, and publisher. I am grateful for, and have benefited from, your work.
* * *
Some notable quotes from 'The Winning Way':
"[Their opponents' lack of self-belief] meant that Australia would play and produce results in a manner that would allow them to focus on their game while forcing their opponents to concentrate not on their own game, as they should, but instead on Australia." -- p.20
"The strongest weapon a team has on the field is hope. Till such time as hope is alive, they believe they can win. Once hope dies, the end is swift." -- p.22
"Everybody looks good when they are on top of their game but as Martina Navratilova once remarked, 'What matters,' she said, 'isn't how well you play when you're playing well. What matters is how well you play when you're playing badly." -- p.65
"You need to look at the context in which success was achieved. If that has changed, then the probability of the same formula working must necessarily change too. It might still work, but it is not necessary that it will." -- p.76
"It is entirely possible to lose because of external causes, reasons beyond your control." -- p.91, as a textbook example of "Something so obvious, it's easily ignored."
May 11, 2013
well.... this book is well written. there are lot of examples of how we can learn from sports, which implies that lot of research has been done to write this book. or maybe the author being well versed in this area knew well what to write.
this book is strictly for managers or the management of any organisation to read. thus as i picked up this book thinking only about harsha bhogle and liking the genre to which this book belonged(self help), i didnt find it helpful for me or rather to give it 5 stars. but that does not mean that this book this not worthy of it.
as i said, this book is well written and good amount of work has been done to write this book. but, it is just that i being not a manager or head of anything (!!!) could not find this book fully appealing. but if any1 who is a head of any organisation reads it, i am sure they would find it interesting and appealing to them. then, this book will be getting its deserving 5 stars. but, for now only 3 stars from me.
this book is strictly for managers or the management of any organisation to read. thus as i picked up this book thinking only about harsha bhogle and liking the genre to which this book belonged(self help), i didnt find it helpful for me or rather to give it 5 stars. but that does not mean that this book this not worthy of it.
as i said, this book is well written and good amount of work has been done to write this book. but, it is just that i being not a manager or head of anything (!!!) could not find this book fully appealing. but if any1 who is a head of any organisation reads it, i am sure they would find it interesting and appealing to them. then, this book will be getting its deserving 5 stars. but, for now only 3 stars from me.
September 20, 2015
A deceptively small book that packs a punch! Harsha Bogle is a familiar face for all cricket-lovers and his command over the language is superb. Honestly, I never thought I would enjoy reading this book when I just picked it up! He draws parallels between the business world and the world of cricket. Most importantly, he talks about analyzing successes, not just failures. In the fickle world we live in, a success is celebrated and failures analysed till there is nothing left! The author changes the way we think of success, at the same time reiterating on the time-tested formula of team-work, leadership and change. A superb read.
March 27, 2014
" An amazing piece for aspiring leaders and managers "
" An sports lover can easily understand how author has explained leadership skills through sports "
" 90% of the book is management through Cricket "
" An sports lover can easily understand how author has explained leadership skills through sports "
" 90% of the book is management through Cricket "
October 27, 2015
It's good in terms where there is an analogy between sports and real life problems. Some interesting incidents in the world of sports did grab my attention. Overall a satisfactory read.
March 24, 2019
A must read for a sports enthusiasts, a parent of a budding sportsperson and a coach. It's also relevant to middle and senior level management.
This book tries to draw a parallel between sports and corporates issues - the common thing being human resources, their behaviours under different circumstances and leadership qualities.
The book starts with talking about Individual skill development focus areas i.e. setting up performance goals vs result goals, things required for winning (talent, attitude and passion) and learnings from winning and loosing.
• Performance improvement is in our hands, results are out of our control : hence individuals should have time bound performance goals.
• Talent is important but without the right attitude and discipline, it may go waste (ex Vinod Kambli)
• Winning and loosing is part of the journey. Post a win or loss, do a quick analysis, understand what needs to improve and move on. Don't keep on thinking about it especially if you are on the loosing side. There is always another day. Ensure that tomorrow you are your better version of yourself than yesterday and your time will come.
The book then moves on to the next level where the authors talk about effective Leadership skills, Team building, importance of constant change, innovation and agility.
• Team Work : Team goals should always be higher than personal goals. Preference should be to "We" rather than "Me".
• Leadership : Understand each player and Ensure proper atmosphere in the team. Leader needs to ensure that each player is empowered and knows his/her specific role. Ground rules should be set with no exceptions even for the leader or star players. "Trust" plays a very important role in bonding the team with each other and the leader.
• Change is the only constant. As an individual or a team, make sure to keep on learning new skills to ensure that you do not become obsolete (ex: Indian hockey team).
This book tries to draw a parallel between sports and corporates issues - the common thing being human resources, their behaviours under different circumstances and leadership qualities.
The book starts with talking about Individual skill development focus areas i.e. setting up performance goals vs result goals, things required for winning (talent, attitude and passion) and learnings from winning and loosing.
• Performance improvement is in our hands, results are out of our control : hence individuals should have time bound performance goals.
• Talent is important but without the right attitude and discipline, it may go waste (ex Vinod Kambli)
• Winning and loosing is part of the journey. Post a win or loss, do a quick analysis, understand what needs to improve and move on. Don't keep on thinking about it especially if you are on the loosing side. There is always another day. Ensure that tomorrow you are your better version of yourself than yesterday and your time will come.
The book then moves on to the next level where the authors talk about effective Leadership skills, Team building, importance of constant change, innovation and agility.
• Team Work : Team goals should always be higher than personal goals. Preference should be to "We" rather than "Me".
• Leadership : Understand each player and Ensure proper atmosphere in the team. Leader needs to ensure that each player is empowered and knows his/her specific role. Ground rules should be set with no exceptions even for the leader or star players. "Trust" plays a very important role in bonding the team with each other and the leader.
• Change is the only constant. As an individual or a team, make sure to keep on learning new skills to ensure that you do not become obsolete (ex: Indian hockey team).
September 9, 2018
"For the strength of the Pack is the wolf and strength of the wolf if the Pack"
With the concluding words of Rahul Dravid quoting Phil Jackson, The Winning Way I guess remains relevant regardless of the times you pick this book up.
The winning way beautifully blends the learnings from sports and business and serves beautiful management recipe. If you're an ardent cricket fan and also love succeeding at work, each single day, you would read this masterpiece with no break whatsoever.
It does lack research and picks up very focussed group of people across chapters. Authors could have covered apt sportsperson or businessperson depending on nature of premise they would want to capture.
I loved how have authors simplified the whole content and made it lucid to keep you focus on the agenda that they're driving through the book.
I enjoyed it thoroughly for my inclination towards cricket. Folks with varied sports interest might find it difficult to hold onto this book for long.
With the concluding words of Rahul Dravid quoting Phil Jackson, The Winning Way I guess remains relevant regardless of the times you pick this book up.
The winning way beautifully blends the learnings from sports and business and serves beautiful management recipe. If you're an ardent cricket fan and also love succeeding at work, each single day, you would read this masterpiece with no break whatsoever.
It does lack research and picks up very focussed group of people across chapters. Authors could have covered apt sportsperson or businessperson depending on nature of premise they would want to capture.
I loved how have authors simplified the whole content and made it lucid to keep you focus on the agenda that they're driving through the book.
I enjoyed it thoroughly for my inclination towards cricket. Folks with varied sports interest might find it difficult to hold onto this book for long.
July 17, 2019
This book was the first one in my journey to connect cricket with professional life. After Tony Craig, he was my favourite commentator on radio. It starts with peeking into some of the talents like Sachin, Dravid etc. followed by teams like Australia(during their golden era). Talent begets talent is one of the main lessons to look forward to. It points out how talents like Shakib-al-Hasan could have been more nourished had they been into teams like Australia. It's the mindset of the team, the surrounding, the culture which grows an individual. Michael clarke was a lucky bloke to learn from golden Australian era and still produce a worldcup winning team in 2015.
A quote which has stuck by me after reading the book - "Hard work and patience can get you anything not everything!"
#WinningWay #AnitaBhogle #HarshaBhogle #Positivity #Success #Teamwork #Attitude #Ability #Passion #Completed #Book_No_4
A quote which has stuck by me after reading the book - "Hard work and patience can get you anything not everything!"
#WinningWay #AnitaBhogle #HarshaBhogle #Positivity #Success #Teamwork #Attitude #Ability #Passion #Completed #Book_No_4
September 6, 2018
Quite a nice book on winning and successful teams and what makes a champion team. The book geatly draws from cricket records and champions and champion cricket teams to analyse the ingredients that go into winning. References and examples of cricketing world are actually too many with only a brief reference to the world of business, politics or other sports.
Drawing too much from cricket for application to other fields may be an overgeneralisation but the running theme of the book, i.e. the pursuit of excellence is common to all fields. The book does not break any new grounds but is a breezy read on the various keys to success, handling diversity, retaining good talent, team work, how to stay at the top, leadership etc. Overall the book concludes that handling people is the key to all success of all teams, a fact that is perhaps well known to all already.
Drawing too much from cricket for application to other fields may be an overgeneralisation but the running theme of the book, i.e. the pursuit of excellence is common to all fields. The book does not break any new grounds but is a breezy read on the various keys to success, handling diversity, retaining good talent, team work, how to stay at the top, leadership etc. Overall the book concludes that handling people is the key to all success of all teams, a fact that is perhaps well known to all already.
August 13, 2017
This book really benefits from the background of its authors. The eloquence with which Harsha speaks comes out in the written word as well.
While many of the sports examples will be well known to the readers, the way it is weaved into an overall narrative for business world is really commendable.
For me, the place where the book lacks is that it stops short of providing actionable points which a reader can start pondering over and apply in their workplace. The book is not able to go beyond the first level of setting the direction in which to think about building a winning team. It is a great start for the process nonetheless.
The second area where the book lags is that the ideas start sounding repetitive in the later chapters.
While many of the sports examples will be well known to the readers, the way it is weaved into an overall narrative for business world is really commendable.
For me, the place where the book lacks is that it stops short of providing actionable points which a reader can start pondering over and apply in their workplace. The book is not able to go beyond the first level of setting the direction in which to think about building a winning team. It is a great start for the process nonetheless.
The second area where the book lags is that the ideas start sounding repetitive in the later chapters.
March 5, 2021
The Winning Way by Anita Bhogle and Harsha Bhogle was just a pleasure to read. I’m a massive fan of cricket and of Harsha Bhogle’s commentary. I believe there’s no cricket pundit in the world who understands and analyzes the game better than him. So it was really interesting to see him combine his knowledge of cricket with business and leadership, and reveal ways in which we can achieve success in a competitive business environment.
Filled with amusing anecdotes and sports analogies (mostly cricket), The Winning Way is a compelling read.
Filled with amusing anecdotes and sports analogies (mostly cricket), The Winning Way is a compelling read.
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March 8, 2021
Anitha and Harsha Bhogle don't preach. They share stories from sports and business. They reinforce certain important points. The book reads like a training session. Language is simple and lucid. It entertains cricket lovers and informs eager business junkies. You wish that you can read a few pages every day. It's a huge bonus that you get insights of the best in business and sport. Read the book to be on the winning way in business, sports and life...
October 18, 2017
Surprisingly good. I was skeptical while picking this up, given the number of reviews it had. But the way the authors' POVs were linked to sport made the message easy to understand.
There are a few sections which felt lengthy or repetitive, but at the end, you can have a lot of take aways from the book, especially if you are reading it in Kindle - thanks to highlights.
There are a few sections which felt lengthy or repetitive, but at the end, you can have a lot of take aways from the book, especially if you are reading it in Kindle - thanks to highlights.
December 8, 2017
I am a huge fan of Harsha Bhogle and I was really excited when I got my hands on this book. I expected so much from it. But sadly, I'd much rather prefer watching Harsha Bhogle as a commentator than read his book. As lively and fulfilled are his conversations while presenting on TV, this book is that much dull, dry, uninteresting and boring.
January 24, 2018
Bhogle has done a fair comparison between sports and management and has brought about the traits essential for success in a lucid manner. A chapter or two could have been devoted in a case study style to explore in depth on what made a particular sports team/player tick- eg: The Australian Cricket Team of the 2000s or the Rajasthan Royals in the first season.
April 25, 2020
Loved it how Harsha Bhogle has correlated sports (basically cricket) with our real day to day (basically corporate) life. This book taught me how actually we can learn so many things from sports. This book also made me nostalgic with some great cricketing moments. Absolutely loved Harsha's writing style.
June 4, 2021
Takeaway: Have a Winners Mindset and Attitude.
Great book marrying the winning strategies from the world of cricket and business. As the name, so is the book, carving out way for winners. It tells us real examples from cricket and business and outline the winning strategies, mindset and attitudes. Must one time read.
Great book marrying the winning strategies from the world of cricket and business. As the name, so is the book, carving out way for winners. It tells us real examples from cricket and business and outline the winning strategies, mindset and attitudes. Must one time read.
February 5, 2019
Not the greatest book you will read, but did have some good anecdotes and impression points. The constant comparison of the lessons from Indian businesses and cricket made this an engaging and fun read
February 10, 2019
Sports & business management a heavenly cocktail & that’s what this book is all about. This book is the answer for every parent every friend every relative who asks what do you learn by watching sport? Go read winning way and get a life.
August 16, 2019
A lot to learn from sports. I admire almost pristine meritocracy of sports. Management and administration can learn a lot to learn from sports. The agility, swiftness, responsiveness, proactiveness required in order to excel in sports is of the highest orde. A good book to read.
August 17, 2022
As someone who likes to take lessons from sport, it's an interesting read. I recommend taking your time with it to let the points set in. You can gain as much as you let yourself, on a personal level in addition to a managerial perspective. Useful.
November 16, 2016
Good book read about how to handle situations which come across our professional life and how to manage teams.
June 18, 2017
This book is packed with so many real life situations of sports and business. The pace is good and each chapter is witten meticulously and intimidate you to read it in one go.
August 26, 2018
It's a fairly interesting read. I really apprecaited (and agreed with) the point on Indian behavior.
April 6, 2019
Exceptionally Excellent Detailed
October 1, 2019
I had always been a great fan of Harsha Bhogle. This book highlights some great insights from cricketing legends and some great companies.
October 4, 2019
If you are cricket or team sports fan and if you are in middle management of corporate culture with aim for leadership role, this is fun read. There are no breakthrough insights though. Some of the cricket world's unknown stories kept me engaged. The writing style is dull and boring.. I would rather enjoy listening to him in interviews or lectures..
Displaying 1 - 30 of 114 reviews