Ranji Trophy: Mind over money: How reading books and playing cricket keep this Ranji Trophy player mentally fit

Playing team sports has taught me invaluable lessons like teamwork, quick decision making, informality, passion, never taking success to your head and failure to your heart, says Vighnesh Shahane, MD and CEO, Ageas Federal Life Insurance.

In an interview with ETMarkets, Shahane said: These lessons have stood me in good stead over the years, and when I started as CEO about 10 years ago, I told people that I would run an organization like a sports team. Edited excerpts:

Q) How do you keep yourself mentally fit with over 25 years of experience in the insurance and banking industry?
A) I am a voracious reader and one of the genres I really like are autobiographies. I like to read autobiographies of different people musicians, businessmen, politicians and especially athletes.

When I read an autobiography, it shows me the challenges a person has faced and how they have overcome them. For me, it’s not about the person making so much money or glamour, but rather the hard work and adversity that went into their success.

The reason they are successful and where they are is because they have overcome the challenges life has thrown at them.

I especially like cricketer Nasser Hussains autobiography called Playing with Fire where he talks about the adversities of his journey.

He was born in India before his family moved to England, where he took up cricket and eventually became the captain of the England cricket team. It’s a very interesting story.

I also like GE Chairman Jack Welch’s inspirational story of cyclist Lance Armstrong in Its Not About the Bike and many others.

I read two books a week, and at any given time I’m usually reading 2-3 books at the same time. I can’t read a single novel from start to finish. I read 50 pages of one and 70 pages of the other.

Besides reading, I also like playing Sudoku and listening to music. I find them to be great stress relievers and help give me a sense of calm and peace.

Q) Tell us about your experience of the time you played Ranji Trophy in Mumbai for three years?
I played professional cricket for 3 years from 1991 to 1993 as a member of the Mumbai team in the Ranji Trophy. I had the privilege of playing alongside the great and great captains of cricket like Ravi Shastri, Sandeep Patil, Zubin Bharucha, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly.

My debut game was against Madhya Pradesh in the quarter finals. I got 4 cards and my first visit was my mentor and hero Sandeep Patil.

What are your most important learnings about adopting sports culture in your life and organization?
What I learned on the cricket field during my playing days is probably much more than what I learned in the classroom or boardroom.

I have worked in great organizations and completed my MBA from a leading institute, but whenever I face a crisis or situation at work, I don’t think about what I learned in business school.

Rather, I think about how the captain handles a difficult situation on the field and that helps me make difficult decisions and overcome a crisis.
Playing team sports has taught me invaluable lessons such as teamwork, making quick decisions, informality, passion, never taking success to your head and failure to your heart.

These lessons have sustained me over the years, and when I started as a CEO about 10 years ago, I told people that I would run an organization like a sports team.

We’ve heard you’re a people person. How did it help you relate to your team members?
When I started as CEO, I wanted to foster a culture of informality. An open, non-political environment where people can express their opinions freely, honestly and without fear of judgement.

I believe that informality helps break down communication barriers and enables faster communication and greater information sharing.

When the ecosystem is formal and bureaucratic, you can have any communication, but you won’t get the required knowledge or trust.

Tell us a little about yourself, your background and your education?
Before entering the business world, I played Ranji level cricket for 3 years as part of the Mumbai team. One of my early dreams was to play cricket in my home country.

But injuries cut short my cricket career, forcing me to step back and think about what I want to do with my life. At this point, I realized that when one door closes, another opens.

I decided to pursue an MBA from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS), which ultimately led me to banking and insurance and shaped the course of my career.

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