29th September,2016, Kolkata, India: International Management Institute Kolkata in alliance with Cross Synergy initiative of the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group hosted an evening with the venerable cricketer and coach of the Rising Pune Supergiant Stephen Fleming- “cricketer and leader extraordinaire”. Fleming in his cross talk with Sunil Bhandari, Executive Director- Corporate at RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group candidly shared his learnings on and off the field around cricket and other glorious things.
The conclave inaugurated with the welcoming of Mr. Stephen Paul Fleming the legendary cricketer, recognized as the youngest captain in the history of New Zealand Cricket, an avid quizzer and a golfer too.
The interactive session commenced with Mr. Stephen giving anecdotes from his childhood and what lured him to undertake a career in cricket. The aspiring teacher turned cricketer stressed on the importance of making choices in life. “Make one decision, and just bet yourself on that one, it will turn out to be right…that is how we learn.” He urged the students to make mistakes and learn from it. He gave the unconventional wisdom on leadership and harped on the importance of failure for a leader to be consistent. He emphasized that an extraordinary leader can act as an alchemist and turn the ordinary into special.
The discussion followed with Fleming emphasizing on the measures that need to be taken to retain the fame and glory of the IPL team Rising Pune Supergiant by acquiring talents that other franchise does not want and polish them to make better players. The success of a team would depend on the cocktail of hard work and fortune.
The synergy concluded with a vote of thanks by Dr. Rituparna Basu, addressing the audience and giving an epilogue. The duo on stage were further felicitated by Dr. Arindam Banik, Director of IMI Kolkata. The management students were overwhelmed to come face to face with a cricketing legend and thoroughly cherished the leadership insights given by the cricketer.
