India’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur touches feet of coach Amol Muzumdar as they celebrate after winning the match during the ICC Women’s World Cup Final match India vs South Africa at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai | Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI

“Amol Muzumdar finally walks in—and wins,” read a headline in The Hindu businessline on November 4, 2025.

Who is Amol Muzumdar? For decades, he was one of Indian cricket’s most talented batsmen — yet he never played for the national team. Despite scoring a brilliant 260 not out on his Ranji Trophy debut, he was repeatedly overlooked. Still, he never gave up. He kept waiting, learning, and believing.

And finally, on November 2, 2025, his moment came — not as a player, but as the coach of the Indian women’s cricket team that lifted it’s first-ever ICC Women’s ODI World Cup. His quiet resilience had found its reward.

The story of Jemimah Rodrigues, the star of the semi-final against Australia in the same tournament, echoes a similar truth. Her journey has been one of faith, grit, and an unbreakable spirit.

Business leaders like TT Jagannathan, the late Chairman of the TTK Group (makers of Prestige pressure cookers), and Harsh Mariwala, the visionary behind Parachute coconut oil, share that same spirit. Each faced setbacks and self-doubt, yet chose persistence over despair.

All of them fought inner battles, braved uncertainty, and held on to hope when it would have been easier to give up. That’s what true leadership looks like.

Leadership isn’t just about strategy or authority. It’s about character — about staying steady when life throws curveballs, and adapting when plans collapse.

It’s about:

Staying calm in chaos and finding new paths when old ones fail.

Understanding your own emotions and those of others to build trust and connection.

Adjusting your style and approach through change and uncertainty.

Earning trust not through words, but through actions.

The real test of leadership comes in times of crisis — when resources are limited, stakes are high, and answers are unclear.

Even the strongest leaders face fear and self-doubt. Those inner destructive voices can be loud. But leadership shines when we quiet them, hold our ground, and move forward — just as Amol, Jemimah, Jagannathan, and Mariwala did.

As the timeless song “The Impossible Dream” reminds us:

To dream the impossible dream,

To fight the unbeatable foe,

To bear the unbearable sorrow,

To run where the brave dare not go...

That is the quest of every true leader — to hope, to endure, and to rise again.

(The writer is a visiting professor at the Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai and is an organisational and behavioural consultant. He can be contacted at ttsrinath@gmail.com)

Published on November 7, 2025