Sports stars turn motivation gurus

Former Indian sprinter Ashwini Nachappa has found a new calling, post her sports life: giving motivational talks to middle-level corporate executives . "I am invited to speak in colleges. But if a talk on my experience benefits corporate India, why not?" she says.

Nachappa, in her one-hour lecture to 40-odd executives from companies such as LG Electronics and Samsung, spoke on "opportunity management" at a Reverse Flick workshop in the Capital sometime ago.

Organised by the Noida-based brand consultant and corporate training company BehindTheMoon Consultants (BTMC), she just may speak on a similar topic next month.

And Nachappa is not the only one holding up audience of practising managers with talks on the close linkages between sports and corporate strategy" billiards champion Geet Sethi lectured on focus while cricket commentator Sanjay Manjrekar deliberated points on team strategy at the workshop.

Like the spiritual gurus of the 80s and and self-styled management gurus of the 90s, sports professionals are taking on the mantle of guruspeak, apart from regularly making headlines for their brand endorsements and products launches.

Giraj Sharma, director of BMTC, says that Reverse Flick workshops are not designed for specific companies. "It's a multi-dimensional platform where anyone can enroll".

The company plans to organise nine workshops this year. Prices will vary between Rs 8,000 (junior executive) and Rs 15,000 (senior) per day.

While the company has also roped in Anil Kumble and Bishen Singh Bedi to speak as guest lecturers, it is also thinking of getting in Sebastian Coe for the workshop.

"We are not looking only at achievers but those who can also talk about failures and endurance. After all, wisdom comes after a setback," says Sharma.

But how can a talk by sports professionals make a company efficient? There are no tangible benefits and critics rubbish that sportmen understand littlebusiness.

But Dhananjay Chaturvedi, head, institutional sales, at LG Electronics who attended the Reverse Flick workshop, says "there is a parallel relationship between sports and corporate life "" the human strive for perfection."