The Power of Character in Sustained Success | Paddy Upton | TEDxIIMBangalore
## Speaker Context - The speaker is a speaker sharing insights on achieving and sustaining professional success. - The setting is an event where the speaker is presenting ideas. - The speaker establishes that the talk concerns how "deepening the roots of your character translate to professional success." ## People - Gary Kirsten + coach + joined the Indian cricket team in 2008. - Patty Upton + coach + joined the Indian cricket team in 2008. - Sachin Tendulka (Satch) + iconic player/cricketer + played for India; was in his 21st year of international cricket when the anecdote took place. - Ravi Jadeja + young player + asked Sachin Tendulkar about the most significant moment of his career. - Anil Kumble + iconic player. - Suresh Ganguly + iconic player. - MS Dhoni + iconic player. - Virat Kohli + iconic player. - Lance Armstrong + cyclist + greatest cyclist, cancer survivor, held a cancer champion with his Livstrong campaign, also the ring leader of the world's most sophisticated sports doping program. - Mike Tyson + undisputed heavyweight champion of the world + earned around $300 million in his career; was jailed for three years for sexual assault, jailed for drink driving and drugs. - Kevin Pietersen + England cricketer + was famously dropped from the England cricket team. - Hashim Amla + South African cricketer + was the first South African cricketer in history to score more than 300 runs in a single test match innings, fastest cricketer in international one-day cricket history to reach a total of 2,000 runs, 3,000, 4,000, 5,000, 6,000, and 7,000 runs; captained his country. - Gesh + Indian chess grandmaster + was 17 and then 18 years old, preparing for the chess world championship match. - Dingen + reigning world champion from China + opponent of Gesh in the world championship match. ## Organizations - Indian cricket team + professional sports team + employed Gary Kirsten and the speaker as coaches starting in 2008. - England cricket team + national sporting team + dropped Kevin Pietersen due to his personality. - Nike + company + lost billions of dollars due to the Tiger Woods scandal, and withdrew sponsorship from Lance Armstrong, Kobe Bryant, and Oscar Pistorius. - South African cricket + governing body/context + identified 15 young cricketers in 2003. ## Places - Bangalore + city + where the speaker and team were preparing for the opening match of the 2011 cricket world cup. ## Tools, Tech & Products - King's chair + piece of furniture + where Sachin Tendulkar sat during the Q&A session. - Social media + platform + shone a huge limelight on players' careers. ## Concepts & Definitions - Deepening the roots of character + principle/concept + translates to professional success. - Outcome goals + goals set for the Indian cricket team + two goals the speaker and Gary Kirsten set. - Process goals + goals set for the Indian cricket team + two goals the speaker and Gary Kirsten set; one was kept secret. - Technical flaw + perceived weakness + fundamental flaw in a player's game (mentioned in reference to the South African cricketer). - Pressure gap / anxiety gap / fear gap + concept describing the time gap between present moment and future thoughts. - Ego + psychological drive + wants to look good in the eyes of others and does not want to look bad. ## Numbers & Data - 2008 + year + when Gary Kirsten and the speaker joined the Indian cricket team as coaches. - Three years + duration of tenure (from 2008 until the time of the 2011 World Cup mentioned). - 2011 + year + of the cricket world cup. - 21st year + age/duration marker + of Sachin Tendulkar's international cricket career when the Q&A took place. - 16 years old + age + when Sachin Tendulkar first played cricket for his country. - 23 years + duration marker + for which Tendulkar received hero/demigod status. - 15 + count + of young cricketers identified by the South African cricket in 2003. - 60-minute session + duration + of the session the speaker had with the player in 2003. - 58 minutes + remaining time on the watch during the session in 2003. - 2003 + year + when the South African cricket identified 15 young cricketers. - 300 runs + minimum score + scored by the South African cricketer in a single test match innings. - 2,000, 3,000, 4,000, 5,000, 6,000, and 7,000 runs + milestones + fastest cricketer in international one-day cricket history to reach these totals. - 14 + number + of games in the world championship match Gesh faced. - 18 days + duration + of the world championship match Gesh faced. - 1.4 billion + population size + of India. - 30 hours + estimated time spent + helping Gesh prepare for the world championship match. - 6 and 1/2 + tied score + at the end of the 14th game. ## Claims & Theses - Being a good person directly translates to first achieving and then sustaining success at the highest level. - The process goal kept secret with the Indian team was to "make people better or the cricketers better people for our interventions." - People will love and praise you when you do well, and criticize you when you do badly, but the impact you have on them as a person will last a lifetime. - A fall from grace is a direct result of a rot in the core of one's character, not purely skill-based (exemplified by Lance Armstrong). - A fall from grace is a direct result of flaws in character (exemplified by Mike Tyson). - Sponsors consider character when endorsing athletes, not just prowess. - There is an increasing narrative in the business world to hire for character and teach for skill. - Next to our health, character is one of our single most important assets to set up for a successful experience in life. - The flaw in the game and unathleticism were identified in the South African cricketer, and experts said he probably wasn't going to make it in international cricket. - Making one's being as a person a priority will not compromise the chance of playing for one's country. - The more secure one is within themselves, the less attached they are to results. - Being fully focused on the task at hand in the present moment is what it means to focus on the process and let the results look after themselves. - One's job is to remain fully focused on the chessboard as it was set out in front of him, not worried about what had happened before and not worried about what might happen afterwards. - Separate yourself from your results. - Who you are and what you do and the results of what you do are different. - Deepening the roots of your character give wings to soar to the lofty heights of sustained professional success. ## Mechanisms & Processes - The process of achieving outcomes involved setting two "outcome goals" and two "process goals" for the Indian cricket team. - The process by which the speaker and Gary Kirsten kept one process goal secret was until after their tenure. - The mechanism of pressure and fear arising from the mind dwelling on a future result (success or failure). - Pressure increases in direct proportion to how much value is placed on winning or a future result. - Fear arises from how scared one is of things going wrong in the future (fear of injury, fear of making mistake, etc.). - Ego drives the need to look good in the eyes of others, and if failing to look good, it drives the need to not look bad. - When the self-esteem is lower, the need to win increases, which increases pressure. - When one is more secure and has higher self-esteem, one is less attached to results. - The process of remaining fully focused on the present moment task frees the mind from worrying about the past or future. ## Timeline & Events - 2008 + year + Gary Kirsten and the speaker joined the Indian cricket team as coaches. - Time period before the end of the tenure + process goal was kept secret. - End of tenure + the team achieved becoming the number one test team in the world for their first time and winning the 2011 World Cup. - Three years later + time elapsed before the Bangalore session. - Opening match of the 2011 cricket world cup + event taking place in Bangalore. - 2003 + year + the South African cricket identified 15 young cricketers. - Over the offseason + when the speaker conducted one-on-one sessions with the 15 cricketers. - At the last session in 2003 + the individual asked the question about prioritizing self vs. country. - 18 days + duration of the world championship match Gesh faced. - 14th and final game + specific game in the world championship match Gesh faced. ## Examples & Cases - The Indian cricket team + case study + achieved becoming the number one test team in the world for their first time and winning the 2011 World Cup after the coach intervention. - The speaker recounting the conversation with Sachin Tendulkar's friend + anecdote detailing realization about separating cricketer from person. - Lance Armstrong + case study + fall from grace due to a rot in the core of his character (doping, cheating, etc.). - Mike Tyson + case study + fall from grace due to flaws in character (sexual assault, drinking, drugs). - Kevin Pietersen + case study + dropped from the England cricket team due to his personality flaws despite being a top batsman. - Tiger Woods + case study + scandal leading Nike to lose money and withdraw sponsorships. - Kobe Bryant + case study + scandal leading Nike to withdraw sponsorship for alleged sexual assault. - Oscar Pistorius + case study + scandal leading Nike to withdraw sponsorship for murder. - The South African cricketer in 2003 + case study + technical flaw and unathleticism, but later scoring 300 runs and achieving records. - Hashim Amla + case study + successfully maintained high performance by making self a higher priority than playing for his country. - Gesh + case study + maintained focus on the chessboard over 14 games, leading to becoming the youngest world chess champion. ## Trade-offs & Alternatives - The trade-off of focusing on external wins/results vs. focusing on internal character development. - Trade-off: The desire for the player to look good vs. the risk of appearing arrogant (related to Tendulkar anecdote). - Trade-off: Being the best cricketer vs. being the best person. - Trade-off: Being a high-performing superstar with flaws vs. being selected/retained by coaches/sponsors (Pietersen example). - Trade-off: Focusing on process vs. getting results (implied throughout). - Trade-off: Winning/doing well (results) vs. being a good person (character). ## Counterarguments & Caveats - The speaker initially believed the goal was only to "make them win cricket matches" (caveat regarding the team's initial understanding). - The Q&A setting for Tendulkar had "no recording devices" (condition set for candid discussion). - The expert assessment of the young South African cricketer suggested he probably wasn't going to make it due to flaws. - The speaker admitting, "I don't know," when answering the player's question in 2003. ## Methodology - Conducting one-on-one sessions with 15 young cricketers over the offseason (South African cricket, 2003). - Using Q&A sessions (Tendulkar, Gesh). - Analyzing career declines following character lapses (Armstrong, Tyson). - Identifying core psychological drivers (ego, fear, pressure). ## References Cited - The speaker's own work/philosophy (presented through anecdotes and observations). - Cricket records and events related to the Indian, English, and South African teams. - The Chess World Championship matches involving Gesh and Dingen. ## Conclusions & Recommendations - Deepening the roots of your character give wings to soar to the lofty heights of sustained professional success. - Separate yourself from your results. - Work on being the best person you can be, alongside developing professional attributes. ## Implications & Consequences - Ignoring character leads to career and legacy being "cut abruptly and unnecessarily short" (Armstrong). - A focus only on skill without character leads to negative consequences (banned, de-sponsored, dropped). - In business, character is a highly important asset to set up for a successful experience in life, second only to health. - Failing to focus on the process means the mind dwells on results, which causes performance compromise. ## Open Questions - How does one practically develop the "roots of character" to sustain success? - What is the specific measurable process for maintaining "the best person" status over decades? ## Verbatim Moments - "My friend told me that we all recognize you're a better cricketer than us, but since you've been picked for India, you're behaving as if you're a more important person than us, and we don't like it." - "That was the first time I realized what I'm doing as a cricketer and who I am as a person are different, and I need to work on being the best cricketer I can be, but I also need to work on being the best person I can be." - "The impact you have on them as a person will last a lifetime." - "My whole life has been a waste. I have been a failure." - "separate yourself from your results." - "Who you are and what you do and the results of what you do are different." - "deepening the roots of your character give wings to soar to the lofty heights of sustained professional success."