Quit when you’re winning

Quit when you're winning

Sri Lankan cricket captain Kumar Sangakkara did it immediately after the World Cup while India's coach Gary Kirsten stuck to his three-year-old decision despite tasting heady success. When is the right time to quit? Biggies from the sporting and corporate world deliver their verdict on this hotly debated issue

Sri Lankan cricket fans had barely recovered from their team missing out on World Cup glory that news of Kumar Sangakkara's resignation as captain grabbed headlines. Back home, staving off repeated pleas from the BCCI, MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar and the rest of the Indian team, coach Gary Kirsten returned to South Africa, signing off this coaching chapter on a glorious high.

It'S decided then! This photograph of Sri Lankan captain Kumar
Sangakkara during a training session at the Wankhede Stadium in
Mumbai was taken on April 1, 2011. On April 5, Sangakkara stepped
down as captain, after his team lost to India in the final. PIC/AFP

While the successful Sri Lankan captain wanted to pave the way for a new captain who would build a team for the 2015 World Cup, Gary's reasoning was that he wanted to stick to a promise he made to his family to return after fulfilling his contract with the Indian cricket team. He admitted in interviews that the timing couldn't have been better. Ask Sunil Gavaskar, Shane Warne and Mark Waughu00a0-- a few of cricket's greats who stepped down at the peak of their career.

Your time is up
Sanjay Manjrekar, India's batting mainstay through the 1980s and '90s, announced his retirement in 1997, when he was doing exceedingly well as the Mumbai captain. He believes that everybody knows when it's time to quit. "It depends on the person's nature and what he wants," says the ex-cricketer.

"When I announced my retirement, I wasn't playing for India. My ambition was to play international cricket and I realised I can't play in the Indian team, again. So despite being successful as Mumbai's Ranji team captain, I quit." Manjrekar feels every cricketer's approach variesu00a0-- "Some love the game too much and hence continue playing the game at different levels. Retiring at the peak may not be the best idea. But one should quit before being asked to step down; quit when you feel you're not wanted any longer."

Such decisions are common even beyond the cricket world. Infosys chairman Narayan Murthy's resignation came 25 years after he founded the company. Likewise, spiritual leader Dalai Lama decided to step down a month ago causing shock and sadness among his followers across the globe.

Will and grace
Prakash Iyer, MD of Kimberly Clark Lever and author of The Habit of Winning, puts things into perspective, "Individuals have an inner voice which tells them when the time has come for them to give up. When one is doing exceedingly well, there is always a temptation to stay on.

The important thing is to not give in to temptation or get bogged down when you are doing badly. Quit on your own terms."u00a0 Corporate coach Shailesh Thaker shares that 60% of CEOs across the world are asked to leaveu00a0-- "It is because they don't leave when they are doing well. The best time to leave is when you are at the top of your career. Exit with dignity and grace."