02. Titanic Parable Debrief – Agreeableness

Titanic Parable Debrief – Agreeableness

That story about how Raghuvir Yadav turned the Hyderabad Titans around from the brink of oblivion underscores the fundamental connection between high achievement and a leader’s ability to manage people.

This lesson explores this connection through the question we left you with at the end of the story in the last lesson, i.e. what were the factors that led to the team improving on its performances?

Let’s answer that question, and then explore the lessons the story brings out, in sequence.

How Raghuvir Helped the Hyderabad Titans Succeed

Raghuvir was appointed coach of a washed-out team, as a last-ditch resort. The team had won just one of twelve games they had played and completely battered in eight of those.

Here’s what Raghuvir did to turn things around for the Hyderabad Titans

1. He built trust: After his first address, Arjun wondered aloud whether Raghuvir was deluded or a charlatan. Clearly, there was a trust deficit when Raghuvir took over the team, but he endeavoured to craft a rock-solid bond with the team. He was there for them through thick and thin and coached them rigorously. Trust within the team was built over time.

He trusted them to do the right thing when he let the players coach themselves in a game against their arch-rivals. And by the end of the story, the team came to trust in his judgement and data-driven approach.

2. Raghuvir was straightforward: When Rakesh approached Raghuvir mentioning he had landed a better paying gig, Raghuvir was upfront about not being able to retain Rakesh and let him go with no malice, although Rakesh was joining a rival team. When he addressed the team about Rakesh leaving and Gopal being incarcerated, he was straightforward about the challenges that lay ahead.

3. Raghuvir was selfless: Ragf 1huvir was very invested in the team’s progress. At one point when the funds were running low, he took a pay cut till the sponsorship scene stabilized. When Raghuvir was being felicitated at the end, he threw back the credit to the team for their hard work and dedication.

The three behaviours Raghuvir exhibited, namely building trust, straightforwardness and selflessness are components of Agreeableness one the ‘Big Five Personality Traits’ we introduced in the previous lesson.

You have already seen how Openness and Conscientiousness which relate to ‘managing self’ affect high achievement. Agreeableness, research says, is also closely linked to high achievement, and is a key component of a leader’s ability to manage people and,

Let’s take a quick look at how Agreeableness is defined.

Agreeableness Explored

Agreeableness includes attributes such as trust, selflessness, straightforwardness, and modesty. People who are high in agreeableness tend to be more cooperative while those low in this trait tend to be more competitive, have little interest in other people’s problems or feelings and seen as being manipulative.

You see Raghuvir depicting these behaviours. He was able to establish trust, between himself and the team and the team members themselves. He was selfless and took pay cuts when funds were low. He was straightforward with everyone on the team about their strengths, development opportunities as well as trying circumstances. And he modestly gave credit back to the team when he was felicitated.

All these behaviours relate to Agreeableness and were the key reasons that the Hyderabad Titans achieved what they did.

In the next lesson, we’ll look at another factor that is crucial for high achievement, which although not a part of the big-five model, is no less critical for high levels of achievement.

For now, please take the quiz.