Upul Chandana and the 1996 Semi-Final: The Boundary Swap That Defines Initiative
At Eden Gardens in 1996, a not-so-famous Sri Lankan cricketer walked up to his captain and asked to be put in the line of fire. That one act of Initiative is the clearest lesson on leadership before the title I know.
It was 1996. Eden Gardens, Kolkata. A World Cup semi-final, a crowd 100,000 strong, and bottles raining down onto the field. In the middle of that chaos, a young Sri Lankan cricketer who was not a superstar did the most extraordinary thing I have ever used to explain the word "Initiative" to a room full of corporate leaders.
In short- Upul Chandana asked his captain to move him to the boundary — into the line of thrown bottles — so a senior player could field safely and the team would not risk disqualification.
- He did not wait to be told. He saw the risk, weighed it, and acted. That is Initiative in its purest form.
- Initiative is Trait #10 on the EQ side of your Winning Kite (KITE Leadership Framework) — leadership before the title.
- Stars take ownership. A shipping clerk who negotiates a better courier rate, an HRBP who builds training programs nobody asked for, an operator who stays eight unpaid hours to fix a machine — all the same trait.
- You build Initiative one small step at a time: start small, shift from "job" to "mission", stop waiting for permission.
Where this sits on your Winning Kite
Initiative is Trait #10 on the EQ — the left — side of your Winning Kite (KITE Leadership Framework). In my framework, a career flies like a four-sided kite: Success sits at the top, EQ (emotional intelligence) on the left, RQ (relationship intelligence) on the right, and PQ (productivity) at the bottom. EQ plus RQ plus PQ is what lifts you toward Success. You rise on balance, not on strength alone. Initiative is the moment your emotional intelligence stops being self-awareness and becomes action — the point where you see what needs doing and simply do it, without waiting for permission.
Eden Gardens, 1996: the moment
Let me set the scene properly, because the details matter. India was batting against Sri Lanka in the World Cup semi-final. What began as a promising chase was crumbling fast — India had lost six wickets and the match was slipping away. The crowd, a hundred thousand of them, began to lose hope. Frustration turned to anger. And then it happened: bottles started flying onto the field. Garbage, stones, anything the spectators could throw. The situation turned genuinely dangerous for the fielding side.
At mid-wicket stood Upul Chandana. Not a superstar. Not even particularly famous. He was not the man who would score the most runs or take the most wickets that tournament. But in that moment, he did something that has stayed with me for years.
He saw what was happening. He understood the risk. And without waiting for anyone to tell him what to do, he acted. Upul ran to his captain, Arjuna Ranatunga, and said: "Captain, send me to the boundary line. Let Aravinda de Silva field here in the inner circle instead. If one of our experienced players gets injured by these bottles, we could be disqualified from the tournament. I'll take the risk."
Sit with that for a moment. The match was almost won — Sri Lanka would go on to win the World Cup. Chandana could have kept his head down and let the chaos pass. Instead, he volunteered to stand in the most exposed part of the ground, where the bottles were landing, so that a more experienced teammate could stay safe and the team's tournament stayed protected. He was not thinking about personal glory. He was thinking about the team, the larger goal, and protecting what mattered most — even if it meant putting himself in harm's way.
He didn't wait for the captain to ask. He didn't wait for a crisis meeting. He saw a problem, assessed the risk, and took the initiative to protect his team. That is Initiative. That is leadership before the title. That is what stars do.
What is Initiative, really?
Initiative means taking action without being told. It is about seeing what needs to be done — and doing it, even when no one has asked you to, even when there is no immediate reward, even when there is risk involved.
At the workplace, initiative-takers don't wait for problems to escalate before they respond. They don't need a second invitation. They don't need permission to do the right thing. They see opportunities where others see obstacles. They start projects before they're assigned. They solve problems before they're noticed. They lead before they're given a title.
Initiative is the quality that separates someone who just does their job from someone who makes a difference. Chandana's boundary swap was not in anyone's job description. There was no bonus attached, no captain's instruction, no committee. There was only a person who cared about the team's success beyond the boundaries of his own role.
The same trait, in an ordinary office
The cricket ground is dramatic, but Initiative shows up far more quietly in everyday work — in moments when nobody's watching, when there's no reward waiting, and when you could easily say "not my job" and walk away. Let me give you the examples I use in my sessions, because each one is a Chandana in disguise.
The shipping clerk. His job was to track incoming and outgoing shipments — nothing more. But one day he noticed the company was overspending on courier services. Without being asked, he researched alternative providers, calculated the potential savings, and prepared a proposal for management. The company saved lakhs of rupees a year. No special project. No bonus promised. Just a person who cared beyond his job description.
Mrs. Shivani Chavan at Sterlite. I got to know Shivani during a corporate training project. She is an HRBP who had earlier worked with Cosmo Films and Endurance Technologies. When she joined Sterlite, she immediately noticed gaps in employee training and development. Nobody asked her to fix it. It wasn't in her KRAs. But she didn't wait. She came forward with proposals for Management Development Programs (MDP) and Skill Development Programs (SDP), and she worked tirelessly to design and implement them. Today, productivity and engagement at Sterlite are visibly stronger — because Shivani took initiative.
Mr. Alok, the Operations Manager. Reviewing monthly expenses at a design company, Alok noticed electricity bills were unusually high across all offices. Nobody had flagged it. Nobody had complained. But he didn't ignore it. He called a meeting, educated staff on energy conservation, put up motivational quotes near switchboards, installed automated timers, and replaced old equipment with energy-efficient alternatives. Within months the bills dropped dramatically and the company saved crores. Again — no one asked him. He saw a problem and solved it.
Chandrashekhar Puranik at NRB Bearings. This one my friend Subhash Shinde shared with me while we were recording a podcast, and it is the story that best captures the essence of Initiative. Chandrashekhar was an electric maintenance operator responsible for a critical forging machine that produced engine parts. One day the machine broke down — right when a large, urgent order needed processing. If the order wasn't fulfilled, the company faced heavy penalties and a damaged reputation with the vendor. His shift ended at 3:30 PM. Four other operators finished too. The manager pleaded with them to stay. One by one, they refused: "My shift is over. I'm tired. I have plans." But Chandrashekhar stayed. "I will not leave until the machine is fixed," he said. For eight hours — unpaid, unasked — he worked, until at 11:30 PM the machine roared back to life. The order was processed. The company was saved. He didn't do it for a bonus or recognition. He did it because his responsibility didn't end when the clock struck 3:30; it ended when the job was done.
A salesperson who calls existing customers not to sell but to check on their needs. A junior who suggests one improvement to a process nobody asked her to touch. It is all the same trait. Working without expectations, thinking about what's best for the team and the company — not just what's best for you.
Who has Initiative — and who doesn't
Put two people in the same office and the difference becomes obvious.
| Employee A — lacks Initiative | Employee B — takes Initiative |
|---|---|
| Completes assigned tasks — nothing more | Completes tasks and looks for ways to improve the process |
| Waits for instructions before acting | Identifies problems and proposes solutions proactively |
| Says "that's not my responsibility" | Steps up when help is needed, even outside their role |
| Leaves at 5 PM regardless of pending issues | Stays late when critical work demands it — without being asked |
| Focuses only on personal KRAs | Thinks about team success, not just personal achievement |
Employee B doesn't wait for permission. Employee B doesn't need a crisis to act. Employee B sees the bigger picture — and acts accordingly. The difference between a normal professional and a star often comes down to one thing: the readiness to work more. Stars don't complain about extra work. They see it as an opportunity to contribute, to grow, to make a difference.
Why so many people don't take Initiative
If Initiative is this valuable, why is it so rare? In my sessions the same reasons surface again and again. Fear of failure — "What if my idea doesn't work?" Lack of confidence — "Who am I to suggest this? I'm just a junior." Comfort with the status quo — "Everything's working fine, why rock the boat?" Fear of criticism — the wish to blend in rather than stand out. And the deadliest of all, the "it's not my job" mentality — the belief that someone else will handle it. When everyone thinks that way, problems fester and opportunities are missed.
But history keeps rewarding those who push past the fear of opposition. Admiral Jackie Fisher of the Royal Navy insisted, in peacetime, on modernising Britain's fleet with large battleships and submarines. Parliament opposed him, officials resisted, and political pressure forced him into retirement in 1910. Then World War I broke out in 1914 — and Britain's survival depended on the very modernisation Fisher had initiated. Stars don't fear opposition. They expect it, and they persist through it. As the old line goes, eighty percent of success is just showing up. You don't need every answer. You just have to start.
How to build Initiative — one step at a time
Initiative isn't something you're born with. It's something you build. Here is the ladder I give people who want to become the Chandana on their team:
1. Start small
You don't have to fix the whole organisation overnight. Offer to help a colleague. Suggest one improvement to a process you touch daily. Volunteer for one project outside your usual role. Small acts build confidence — in you and in the people watching you.
2. Shift from "job" to "mission"
Stop treating work as a list of tasks. Treat it as a contribution to something larger than yourself. When you care about the mission, initiative becomes natural — you act because you want the mission to succeed.
3. Cultivate ownership
Ask yourself the single most powerful question in this book: "If this were my company, what would I do?" When you take ownership, problems become your problems, opportunities become your opportunities, and success becomes your success.
4. Take calculated risks — and learn from failure
Chandana's move was a risk, but a considered one. Learn to weigh pros and cons and decide. Remember that inaction is also a risk. And when an initiative doesn't work out, learn, adjust, and try again — smarter.
5. Stop waiting for permission and make the first call
Nobody is going to give you permission to be great. When there's a tough conversation that needs to happen — with a boss, a colleague, a customer — initiators make the first call. They don't wait for the situation to worsen. Losers just watch the drama unfold; stars take action.
If you have read Stephen Covey, you'll recognise Initiative as the heartbeat of his first habit, "Be Proactive" — the space between stimulus and response where you choose to act. Covey is fine supporting colour, but the picture I want you to carry is Chandana at Eden Gardens: a person choosing, in the space of a heartbeat, to run toward the risk so his team could win.
Want to see how Initiative connects to the other traits that make a star? Read the full Winning Kite framework, and if you're building this in your own team, our corporate training programs turn each trait into practice. When you're ready to go deeper, the Signature Programs are built exactly for this.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What did Upul Chandana do in the 1996 World Cup semi-final?
When bottles and garbage were being thrown onto Eden Gardens, Chandana walked up to captain Arjuna Ranatunga and asked to be moved to the boundary line — into the line of fire — so that senior player Aravinda de Silva could field safely in the inner circle. He reasoned that if an experienced player got injured, Sri Lanka could be disqualified. He took the risk himself, and Sri Lanka went on to win the World Cup.
What is Initiative in a workplace sense?
Initiative means taking action without being told. It is seeing what needs to be done and doing it — even when nobody has asked you, even when there is no immediate reward, even when there is risk. It is leadership before the title.
Where does Initiative sit on the Winning Kite framework?
Initiative (Trait #10) sits on the EQ — the left — side of the Winning Kite (KITE Leadership Framework). Strong EQ, together with RQ and PQ, lifts you toward Success at the top of the kite. You rise on balance, not strength alone.
How can I develop more Initiative at work?
Start small, shift your mindset from "job" to "mission", cultivate ownership by asking "if this were my company, what would I do?", take calculated risks, learn from failure, surround yourself with initiative-takers, and stop waiting for permission. When a tough situation needs someone to act, make the first call.
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