I have always enjoyed speaking to senior corporates, for more often than not they bring interesting perspectives to the table. Most, if not all, have told me that they apply learnings from sport in the boardroom. DB Sundara Ramam, Vice President, Corporate Services at Tata Steel, is no different. Insightful and profound, Sundara Ramam was my guest in today’s edition of Leadership Lessons from Sport, and I must say, I felt inspired at the end of the show.
Having played multiple sports while growing up, Sundara Ramam brings a unique perspective to the fore. “Given my background of having played sport, I think I can understand how difficult it is for a sportsperson to make it to the top,” he said. “Maybe we don’t appreciate their efforts as much. Sportspeople need to be celebrated much more than they are in India.”
“What has sport taught you?” I asked. His answer was equally profound. “Sport has taught me team play,” he said in response. “It doesn’t always mean that every team member has to agree on something. But then it doesn’t matter, for you are a team. You need to follow and do what is in the interests of the team, for that’s what team play is all about.
“In corporate life, this is almost always the case. Even if we don’t agree with each other, we know that in the interests of the brand we will follow a certain path. Discipline and loyalty are qualities that sport always leaves you with.”
He will be with us in Kolkata in March to kickstart the fourth edition of the Trailblazers Conclave. And we are all very much looking forward to it. “I haven’t been to the conclave, and this will be my first,” he said. “Having said that, I have heard about it from many of my colleagues, and almost everyone has told me it is one of India’s best sports forums. I am looking forward to experiencing it first-hand this year in March.”
As mentioned above, this is yet another episode that will leave you thinking – asking the right questions, encouraging introspection, and probing deeper. Can sport make a difference in our world? Does playing sport make us a better society? Listen in to Sundara Ramam in today’s episode and decide for yourselves.
