One of the best pieces of advice I have ever got was from an unlikely cricketing hero, many years ago. They weren’t words of wisdom from a Sunny Gavaskar or a Kapil Dev. They came from a Test umpire of the1970s: a gentleman named Swaroop Kishen.
Swaroop Kishen was a star in his own right. He was a portly man who looked like the jovial Hardy from the American comedy duo of Laurel and Hardy. A lawyer by training and a wicketkeeper in his college days, he found a way to indulge his passion even while his considerable duties at the auditor-general’s office kept him busy. The oversized white coat and his hard-to-miss girth made him instantly recognizable and quite lovable as well.
I have vivid memories of a Test match against Pakistan that was being played in Bangalore. There was a sudden attack by a swarm of bees. The players and the umpires threw themselves on the ground to avoid being in their line of fire. The sight of Swaroop Kishen lying on the ground—literally belly up—elicited a chuckle all around and also made it to the front pages of most newspapers the following day.
As a cricket-crazy kid growing up in Mumbai, I remember getting Swaroop Kishen’s autograph during a break at a first-class game. While most fans were clamouring for the players’ autographs, I was keen to get the umpire to sign in my book. And he did—prefacing his signature with three words: ‘Pause and decide!’ Those three words were for me not just an articulation of an umpire’s philosophy, but also a pithy masterclass in effective decision-making. It has stayed in my mind ever since. Every time I need to respond to something or take a decision, the umpire’s words flash into my mind—pause and decide.
Driven by impulsive responses, we often take decisions in haste. Someone says something to us—and we immediately react with words and actions that come back to haunt us later. If only we’d make it a habit to heed the late umpire’s advice.
The next time you are angry or hurt, or need to make a decision, take a deep breath—before saying a word or moving a finger. The next time something goes wrong and you feel like reacting—just hold it. After the moment has passed, you will find the turmoil settling down. The mind gets clearer. And the decision that follows is usually a lot better than what you might have taken in haste.
Very often, our decisions are more like a negative vote than a positive choice. We change jobs not because a great offer comes our way but because of one tough appraisal feedback session, or a promotion that we lost out on. We make career choices, break relationships, commit to investments—all in the heat of the moment. And the evidence we conjure up in our heads tends to be hugely biased. It’s almost as if, having decided to react in a particular way, we only look at all the evidence that supports our case! In an era of increasing download speeds, we seem to be in a hurry to take decisions. In most cases, a cooler head brought about by the passage of time would have made for far better, more reasoned decisions. A thin line separates haste from speed—but it’s a critical difference. Whoever said, ‘Decide in haste, repent at leisure’ was right. He may have said it a long time ago, but we clearly haven’t learned our lesson.
There’s an interesting story about a spiritual master who went on a pilgrimage with his disciples. The wise old man felt thirsty and wanted some water. A disciple quickly walked over to a nearby stream, jar in hand, to fetch some water. The stream was crystal clear and he could see the sun’s rays dancing on the water. Just as he was about to fill the jar, a bullock cart crossed the stream. As the wheels churned the soil of the bed of the stream, the water turned muddy. It didn’t look clean enough to drink, so the disciple went back to the master empty-handed, and explained what had happened. The master asked him to wait a while to allow the mud to settle, and then fill the jar. When the disciple went back a little while later, he was delighted to find the water was crystal clear again.
As the master took a sip of the water, he exclaimed: ‘Our minds are like that stream. An external event or stimulus—like that bullock cart—can cause our minds to get muddled up. When that happens, all you need to do is relax. Just wait a while and allow the dust to settle. And the mind will be clear again.’
As I think back on the umpire’s autograph, I realize that there was in fact a second lesson I learned from Swaroop Kishen. If you’ve ever got yourself an autograph, you will know that most cricketers—and other celebrities—hastily scribble a scrawl or a barely legible signature. It may be just another autograph for the celebrity, but for the fan, it’s something to cherish for a lifetime. The umpire was different. He took the time and the effort to put in a few words before signing off. That made his autograph truly special—and it meant so much to me!
As leaders, we might be busy, but it’s a good idea to ensure that when we interact with someone—even fleetingly—we give it our all. Remember, it may be just another meeting or one more letter for you, but for the colleague, it probably means a whole lot more. So if you are sitting in on a presentation, stop checking the email that’s just arrived on your phone. Listen to them. You have no idea how much time they’ve spent preparing for this. If you are signing a piece of communication meant for a colleague—a letter of promotion or even a birthday card where the whole team signs—make it a point to personalize it with a few words. Those words won’t take too much of your time—but the impact they will have on your colleague will be huge.
The next time you feel agitated or stressed and want to respond, just think of the bullock cart and the stream. And the umpire’s autograph. Remember the good umpire’s advice. Pause and decide!
The next time you are angry or hurt, or need to take a decision, take a deep breath—before saying a word or moving a finger. The next time something goes wrong and you feel like reacting—just hold it. After the moment has passed, you will find the turmoil settling down. The mind gets clearer. And the decision that follows is usually a lot better than what you might have taken in haste.