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Saturday Dec 28, 2024
Tuesday, 16 July 2013 01:31 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Being a sports enthusiast, the last few weeks have been really entertaining, given that the time difference allows us in Sri Lanka to complete our daily routine and enjoy the sports late in the evening, be it the tri-nation cricket tournament from the Caribbean or the Wimbledon championships. Let me take the latter and offers some lessons for Sri Lankan policymakers.
World was wrong
Even though Andy Murray has been one of the most talented tennis players in the circuit, he has lost thrice in the semi-finals at Wimbledon. In the 2011 championships, in the bout with Spaniard Rafa Nadal, he made 37 unforeseen errors that cost Murray the match even though he made an equal amount of winning points. In the 2012 edition, he cried when he lost the final to Federer. Some said that he does not have what it takes to win Wimbledon but he proved the world wrong.
Lesson 1: I will compare Sri Lanka’s relationship with the world similar, which is similar to Andy Murray and the game of tennis. There is no point in telling the world what a wonderful country Sri Lanka is post-war if we continue to make unforeseen errors on the world stage due to poor management.
The weekend newspapers were full of details on how a powerful South Asian nation is exerting pressure on Sri Lanka. I think it’s time we took a grip on ourselves and avoided unforeseen errors in the way we manage global actions, given that many stakeholders are involved. Some can argue that the world is unfair on our small island nation and I agree but the reality is different and we have no option but adjust to the macro environment. We cannot change the world.
Happy about opponent’s victory
Djokovic was raised in tough conditions. Living in a small apartment with his parents and two brothers, his first love was the game of tennis. He loved the sport so much that during wartime in Serbia, he used to practice in an empty swimming pool. Apparently, when NATO jets used to bomb Serbia, they used to shelter in a nearby barn.
After winning Wimbledon and becoming number one, when he was beaten in the 2013 edition, his response was: “I am glad that Andy won as it’s a victory not only for him but also for the country after 77 years. I feel the way he handled himself after defeat talks volumes of his character.”
Lesson 2: It’s time we understand that the Diaspora is strong, given that most countries that they operate in are those with coalition governments. Hence, the Diapora’s needs are important to tilt the scale towards those in power.
I guess Sri Lanka cannot give into all demands but we have to arrive at a compromise, even if it means sacrificing some our basic ways of working. Maybe the 13th Amendment is one such matter that Sri Lanka will have to take a closer look at and make a call on. We need to manage the situation is such a way that we walk with dignity after the decision is made.
Dunblane
Murray’s hometown is Dunblane. In 1996, this town was in the headlines for the wrong reason – the massacre of 16 children by an old farmer. Andy Murray was an eight-year-old and was sheltered by his elder brother Jamie under the headmaster’s desk. Andy knew the children that got killed that day in person. Today, Andy Murray has made the little town hit the headlines for a different reason. The town leader quipped: “The victory has put this town on the map for the right reasons.”
Lesson 3: I guess the challenge is the same for Sri Lanka. We were known for the wrong reasons around the world for the last 30 years. Now we have to make it known for the right reasons but this must be managed.
The surge in hotels is excellent but we must ensure that a property bubble is not in the making. There are almost 2,900 rooms coming up in the city. Unless we have a strong promotional campaign to drive the numbers to match the numbers of Thailand and Singapore, which is around $ 35-40 million, it can be a tough challenge in the view of experienced hoteliers.
Lisicki
If I go back to the 2011 edition of Wimbledon, in the ladies’ championships, German star Sabine Lisicki was a wild card entry into Wimbledon after an injury left her on crutches for almost seven weeks. Yet, she went on to make it to the semi-finals. This year, she did a little better by beating some of the best names in the game like Serena Williams to make it to the finals but due to the inability to manage her nerves, she succumbed to Marion Bartoli.
Lesson 4: Sometimes in life, we get a wild card and we must make the most of it. I would say that despite all the pressure from many quarters, CHOGM will continue to be staged in Sri Lanka. Now the challenge is to make sure that it moves through, with brand Sri Lanka becoming more powerful than what it is now.
The current reading is that we are at US$ 35 billion. Let’s build on this whilst going for the GDP target of US$ 100 billion. This cannot happen unless the private sector and the people support this cause. It cannot be just the public sector.
Knighted
British Prime Minister David Cameron said that there is no better person than Andy Murray to be given a knighthood. Some critiqued that this is a political gimmick but the reality is that we live in a political economy and the British public is now mature enough to understand this aspect of daily life in England.
Lesson 5: Sri Lanka must also take a cue from this. Whilst we can be proud of the many accolades that world is throwing at us by way of an escalating rank on many indexes, namely, the per capita GDP of US$ 3,700 dollars and the 7% plus GDP growth, it’s time we understand the reality behind these numbers rather than just flashing them, as if not, we will get more flak than positivity.
Competitor
Jimmy Connors, who was hired by Maria Sharapova after her Wimbledon loss, said that a player is as good as his competitor. So unless we learn to fight with true competitors, we will not be in a position to reach up to their standard.
Lesson 6: Sri Lanka needs to take cue from this statement in relation to its export revenue business. There is no point talking about targets such as 15 billion or 20 billion when our competitors have reached US$ 50 billion like Bangladesh and Vietnam at US$ 97 billion. The reality is that Sri Lanka is struggling to reach US$ 10 billion now and we have to accept this reality. We have to decide how to arrest this fact rather than just aim for bigger targets.
Centre stage
Venus Williams complained bitterly that she was marginalised in the allocation of the centre court. Some even speculated that the mandate since 2011 edition on having to wear white upset Serena and Venus Williams as they are used to wearing flamboyant colours with cutting-edge styling that grabs attention. This year, both Williams failed to make much of an impact.
Lesson 7: Let’s stay away from being centre stage in driving Sri Lanka. If we take countries like China or powerful brands like Samsung, we do not even know what their leaders’ names are. I feel that we need to move away from press conferences and move towards correcting the fundamentals so that the real endorsement will be the people of the country and not headlines.
Fatigue
The world is not sure why top players like Serena Williams, Nadal, Federer or Sharapova crashed at such early stages of the championships. Some say that it was the fatigue due to taking part in championship after championship with just a two week break.
Lesson 8: It’s time that we took stock of the events we stage in Sri Lanka and ask ourselves what events would really make a difference to the people of Sri Lanka. After all, CHOGM, the night races and concerts are centred on Colombo. What happens to the people in other parts of the country?
(The author is an award winning marketer and business personality who has a double degree in Marketing, MBA and is currently reading for a doctoral degree in business administration. He has a black belt in Karate and is an alumnus of Harvard University, Boston. The thoughts shared are strictly his personal views.)
