Many months have passed since I slotted 'Bench Strength' as the word of the month for this blog. For the uninitiated Bench Strength is a term most commonly used in team sport to describe players who do not form part of the starting team in a game, but will be useful during the course of the game. For instance, the 6th, 7th and 8th player in basketball, the 12th man in cricket etc etc. It also refers to budding players who can replace older players in a team.
So what is this term, used so often in team sport and now in corporate sector doing on a SPIC MACAY blog, that too a Mumbai chapter blog ? The author, yours truly, has had the audacity to make it word of the month and provide it a prominent place on this forum. This is not without reason, and has more to do with my intense fascination with the term, which I must admit to!
As I prepared to leave Mumbai earlier this year, I spent time thinking about the future of this chaper. Regular readers (somewhat optimistic here) will remember my post on sustaining chapters and Arvind's wonderful perspective on the same topic. My concerns became more pertinent, as Priyadarshan (PD), whom I considered the bulwark of our chapter, had decided to shun city life and moved on from Mumbai with noble intentions of making a difference to employment levels in some remote districts of Vidharbha region.As an aside, I personally rate PD's step as rather commendable and sometimes believe if his association with SPIC MACAY had the slightest of role in tilting him towards this decision over a corporate career.
I realised that with PD gone and me soon to go, the Mumbai chapter would be left with no 'seasoned' volunteers and activity levels would take a hit. However there was an inherent belief that PD and I had found some new volunteers who were warming uo to the movement. But they could at best be classified as a Bench at that stage - people with immense capabilities and potential but yet to test waters. However now there was no option to let the bench take over the show from us old fogies. The time had come to test the chapter's Bench Strength or the lack of it. Well the Virasat series happened, not without glitches, but happened nevertheless and entirely by this so called bench taking center stage.
Little had we realised that by PD himself leading a group of students to the convention at Kohima, and by keeping them in the loop while planning and executing FEST we were successful in creating a strong bench of volunteers. This bench strength is now running the show in Mumbai. As I write they prepare to conduct a FEST series trying to iron out all glitches they encountered during the Virasat. For they are no longer the Bench but the bulwark of the chapter.
Though I hope they are on their way to adding even more Bench Strength to the chapter
So what is this term, used so often in team sport and now in corporate sector doing on a SPIC MACAY blog, that too a Mumbai chapter blog ? The author, yours truly, has had the audacity to make it word of the month and provide it a prominent place on this forum. This is not without reason, and has more to do with my intense fascination with the term, which I must admit to!
As I prepared to leave Mumbai earlier this year, I spent time thinking about the future of this chaper. Regular readers (somewhat optimistic here) will remember my post on sustaining chapters and Arvind's wonderful perspective on the same topic. My concerns became more pertinent, as Priyadarshan (PD), whom I considered the bulwark of our chapter, had decided to shun city life and moved on from Mumbai with noble intentions of making a difference to employment levels in some remote districts of Vidharbha region.As an aside, I personally rate PD's step as rather commendable and sometimes believe if his association with SPIC MACAY had the slightest of role in tilting him towards this decision over a corporate career.
I realised that with PD gone and me soon to go, the Mumbai chapter would be left with no 'seasoned' volunteers and activity levels would take a hit. However there was an inherent belief that PD and I had found some new volunteers who were warming uo to the movement. But they could at best be classified as a Bench at that stage - people with immense capabilities and potential but yet to test waters. However now there was no option to let the bench take over the show from us old fogies. The time had come to test the chapter's Bench Strength or the lack of it. Well the Virasat series happened, not without glitches, but happened nevertheless and entirely by this so called bench taking center stage.
Little had we realised that by PD himself leading a group of students to the convention at Kohima, and by keeping them in the loop while planning and executing FEST we were successful in creating a strong bench of volunteers. This bench strength is now running the show in Mumbai. As I write they prepare to conduct a FEST series trying to iron out all glitches they encountered during the Virasat. For they are no longer the Bench but the bulwark of the chapter.
Though I hope they are on their way to adding even more Bench Strength to the chapter
6 comments:
Nice post :) 'Apt', I might add..
I don't know whether the post is Apt - but Bench Strength is a nice word
ur love for bench strength is evident. word for the month, then a dedicated post... :)
@Priyadarshan - next post is yours - with collaboration already up there as the 'word of the month'
@harsh...
one post on collaboration coming your way!! tis a good way to advertise :)
@PD
When are we seeing the famously advertised post on collaboration?
Best
Harsh
Post a Comment