Analysis Of The Leadership Style Of Virat Kohli

A definition of leadership is known as collecting relevant concepts are strongly linked with how direction could be generated, offered, accepted and resisted within groups and companies.

Virat Kohli is an Indian cricket team's captain and was selected as a leader is because he is being a responsible player by showing the team how to leave certain deliveries and making sure he stays till the end to be the victorious team. The second reason is that he gives the credit to the team for the success, where it motivates the players and taking the blames for losing matches. The third point is that he supports his players by following their own techniques, so they can win games. The fourth point is when the opposition teams are exchanging words with him, then it does not affect his performance and ignores everything happening around him and also have an ability to diffuse tension.

This essay will be using two concepts for Virat Kohli which are leadership traits and authentic leadership. Leadership traits means that leaders will have personal qualities and characteristics compared to non-leaders. The reason for using leadership traits for Virat Kohli is because we will know about his personal qualities and characteristics that makes him an successful Indian cricket captain through his actions, for example, what he did. A negative about this concept is that one will not know what he will be doing to keep these skills or develop it by going coaching classes as they cannot apply all their personal qualities in a situation as every situation is different. It does not tell whether Virat Kohli's current qualities and characteristics will be successful in the long-term. 

Self confidence is about having a confidence on your abilities such as skills that will make a difference within a team or an organisation. An example is that Virat has an imposing personality that he always playing attacking cricket and expecting his team to follow this strategy. It is good that Virat is being confident to play attacking cricket and expect same from his team mates and this will help the team to have a chance of winning matches and can help other players to develop their skills with Virat's strategy. This can help players alongside Virat to overcome their weaknesses by playing in this style. There are some negatives with this approach such as the team can lose matches as this is very high risk approach in cricket and some players will be de-motivated as they are forced to play attacking cricket, but they like to follow their own techniques/strategies. In this context Virat is a bad captain because he is failing to understand his players and the ones who follow this strategy gets drop from the team, so it is clearly a bad strategy. 

Determination in pursuit of goals is about completing jobs and will have traits such as persistence and dominance. An example is that Virat always play cricket for winning matches rather than for a draw. It is good that Virat has good goal that he likes to achieve and it shows his positive attitude towards the game of cricket and will help him to become a successful captain by doing well in all departments. It is a good strategy for encouraging players to win matches as this will push their limits and will prepare them for difficult challenges and develop them as a player. Virat is focusing on one area and his team mates know their job roles within the team, so having a clear vision is a good attribute. On the other hand, if Virat does not lose matches, then his team will not be able to make further improvements on their performances as this can be costly for the team's future. 

Drive is about responsibility and task completion, where it is the leader's responsibility to achieve goals. An example is that Virat does not give more chances to the new players as he wants to win matches. It is good for Virat to be in this mindset is because he is not a risk taker, which is a good attribute and shows that he has a good faith in his current players as they have distributed roles within the team, so they can win matches. Virat and the current team mates have a good understanding, so they have a clear vision and how they are going to achieve this goal. With the new players they can bring in new ideas for Virat and can benefit team's success, but it will take some time to understand new players. Also, new players will bring in new skills set, where the current players are lacking. Virat is a good leader, but he is failing to be innovative and this can make an adverse effect upon the team. 

Integrity and willingness to take responsibility is linked with honesty and trustworthiness and for responsibility could be taking own decisions. An example is that Virat leads by example as he scores more hundreds as a captain and has an ability to take the pressure. It is showing Virat is trustworthy as he takes his role seriously and scoring more runs means that the team will win more matches and they will be less pressure for the rest of the players. He is a good leader is because he is showing his players how to perform in crucial matches, so they can follow his footsteps and will benefit the team as they learn more from Virat. On the other hand, it can demotivate players if Virat is always winning matches is because other plays like to contribute to the team's success and also like to improve on their performances by also handling pressure. Virat has to give opportunities to the other players to score runs for the team or the team will lose faith in Virat. 

Authentic leadership is defined as 'people of the highest integrity, committed to building enduring organisations... who have a deep sense of purpose and are true to their core values, who have the courage to build their companies to meet the needs of all their stakeholders and who recognise the importance of their service to society'. The reason for using authentic leadership for Virat is because we will know whether his leadership style has been effective. On the other hand, it can take time for Virat to come up with new strategies to win matches or motivate players and implement it. 

Authentic leadership is about not taking the leadership role for gaining personal benefits such as status, honour or rewards, but they make a difference within a team or an organisation. An example is that Virat changed the rules of the game by introducing the yo-yo test for measuring players fitness levels. Virat is being a good leader is because he wants his players to be physical fit, so they can raised their game and exceed their expectations by fielding well or bowling with a great pace to trouble the opponents to win the games. If a player is performing well, but his results on yo-yo test is low, then their place in the team will be at high risk, but it will disadvantage the team as they are leading run scorers or wicket takers. Virat has to make a good decision on yo-yo test, so he can attain good players in the team, but he can focus on weaker players, so they can work on their fitness. This is how Virat making a difference to the team by raising the fitness level. 

Authentic leadership is about leaders who are not faking their leadership, but they are being themselves. An example is that Virat Kohli to have a good team, so he takes the burden of the team on his shoulder and sometimes dragging the team with him. In this case Virat is proving to be a good and bad captain as he takes more responsibility of the team, but he can force players to change their game plans, where it can break up the team. It is good to keep the players discipline, so they can stay focus on their overall goals, which is to win matches at home or overseas, so Virat will be a successful leader. It will be difficult for players to share their concerns with Virat under this leadership style. 

References

• Carol Sherriff (2018), Leadership as leader perspective, Block 2: Developing leadership, Milton Keynes, The Open University.
• Owain Smolovic Jones (2018), Leadership and development, Block 1: Developing leadership, Milton Keynes, The Open University.
• Shaw, A., Test, T., Test, G. and Test, G. (2018). 5 leadership qualities that we all can learn from Virat Kohli. [online] CricWizz. Available at: https://www.cricwizz.com/blog/2016/12/12/5-leadership-qualities-can-learn-virat-kohli-india-vs-england-test-series/ [Accessed 12 Dec. 2018].
• Sportskeeda.com. (2018). 4 Primary characteristics of Virat Kohli's leadership. [online] Available at: https://www.sportskeeda.com/cricket/4-primary-characteristics-of-virat-kohli-s-leadership [Accessed 12 Dec. 2018].
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