At school I was fortunate to witness a revolutionary coach who created a winning hockey team in the era where football and cricket were the go-to sports.
Just before our first practice match, Mr. MP Sharma, our coach, said,
"This is your first match. You know the rules. But one more thing before you start..."
We waited
"Don't come back to me complaining the other player hit you with a stick. Because I have provided you with a stick too."
I didn't make the hockey team at school, or for that matter, any team. But I always remembered those words.
As I joined the corporate world, I told one of my mentors these words, he said he wanted to add something,
"Very soon you will become somebody's Boss. Which means you have a bigger and more powerful stick than your subordinates. They know it. You don't have to show it all the time."
And immediately I was able to understand why this illustrious, highly qualified man never raised his voice or highlighted my faults.
