P.V. Sindhu and Gopichand – Six Mentorship Lessons One Can Learn From This Duo The ease with which Sindhu and P. Gopichand communicated with each other during the match sets a remarkable example of a mentor-mentee relationship!

By Sneha Banerjee

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Hyderabad's P.V.Sindhu defeated Japan's Nozomi Okuhara to confirm her place in the finale round of badminton at the Rio Olympics today. Apart from the crackling energy that shimmered on the ground from the 21-year old power girl, what also stood out was the ease with which Sindhu and P. Gopichand, her coach, communicated with each other during the match.

Today's match, was one of the last hopes pending for India at the Olympics. However, this did not get Gopichand distracted or make him an over enthusiastic and desperate mentor. He displayed the right attitude of a veteran player and coach to Sindhu and kept his calm throughout the match.

Some of the key attributes that he displayed on the field were worth taking a note of and those who seek mentorship roles in the professional space should rightly adhere to the same.

  1. A coach does not let go of your spirit and gives you the right tips even during the final hours of the game
  2. He precepts your opponents weaknesses for you
  3. Corrects you when he sees you making mistakes and makes sure he keeps his tone low so that you don't get nervous
  4. He keeps external factors in control because when you are in the game you really don't take note of them. Gopichand was seen asking for the need to change the shuttle for Sindhu.
  5. Whether Sindhu won or lost a point to her opponent, he maintained the same temperament and did not get over excited
  6. During the short breaks, Gopichand was seen speaking to Sindhu very calmly and tried his best to not show the pressure and hopes he had from her during the match

P Gopichand can rightly be termed as the Dronacharya of badminton in India today, who has honed skills of Saina Nehwal, Sindhu and P.Kashyap. Mentorship is an important contribution to entrepreneurs in the startup ecosystem or any other professional field. A good mentor is tested against the toughest of times and today's match sets an exemplarary example of a true mentor-mentee relationship!

Entrepreneur wishes the duo the very best for the finale!

Sneha Banerjee

Entrepreneur Staff

Former Staff, Entrepreneur India

She used to write for Entrepreneur India from Bangalore and other cities in South India. 

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