A good captain is great only if he has a great team.

“A good captain is great only if he has a great team.” Thus spoke S. Sreesanth, a warrior of the cricketing world, whose words carry the timeless truth of all leadership — that greatness is never solitary. Beneath this simple sentence lies the ancient law of unity: that even the most gifted leader, without the strength and loyalty of those who follow, remains but a single flame flickering against the wind. A captain may chart the course, but it is the crew who raise the sails, who row through the storms, who make the voyage possible.

In these words, Sreesanth reminds us that leadership is not dominance, but harmony. The ancients knew this well. The philosopher Lao Tzu taught that the best leader is one whose presence is barely felt — because the people say, “We did it ourselves.” To lead, then, is not to command by fear, but to inspire by trust. The good captain is not the loudest voice on the deck, but the one whose calm gives courage to all. He is not defined by his power, but by his ability to awaken the power in others.

The sea, that eternal symbol of challenge, has long been the proving ground of such captains. Consider the legendary Ernest Shackleton, who led his men through the frozen hell of the Antarctic after their ship, Endurance, was crushed by ice. Though all hope seemed lost, Shackleton never wavered. He gave his crew faith, and they gave him their strength. Through storms and starvation, they followed him — not because he commanded them, but because he shared their suffering. When he said, “No one will be left behind,” they believed him — and not a single man perished. Shackleton’s greatness was not his authority, but his unity with his team. His men made him great because he first made them strong.

So it is with every field of endeavor — whether in sport, in war, in art, or in life. A captain’s greatness is measured not by personal glory, but by the success of those he leads. When Sreesanth speaks, he speaks from experience: the triumphs of cricket, like the triumphs of nations, are never won by a single hand. The captain — like Mahendra Singh Dhoni or Kapil Dev before him — becomes legendary because his players rise with him. Behind every victory stands a thousand acts of trust, discipline, and sacrifice. The roar of the crowd is not for one man, but for the bond that binds them all.

The ancients would have called this the law of interdependence, the sacred circle where the strength of the leader is born from the strength of his people. The Roman legions conquered not because of their generals, but because of the discipline of the ranks. The general merely held the vision; the soldiers carried it into reality. Even the mighty Alexander the Great, whose name echoes through the ages, owed his empire to the unwavering loyalty of his Macedonian army. He ate with them, fought beside them, and called them brothers. It was their faith in him — and his faith in them — that made conquest possible.

But there is a deeper wisdom here, one that transcends leadership. It teaches that no greatness can exist in isolation. The artist is shaped by his teachers and muses; the thinker by those who challenge him; the builder by those who lift his stones. The wise leader knows that his true power lies not in commanding others, but in lifting them up. To be great is to cultivate greatness in those around you. The selfish leader burns quickly and alone; the generous leader leaves behind a legacy that endures.

So, my child, remember this truth when you are called to lead — whether in your home, your craft, or your community. Do not seek greatness for yourself; seek it for your team. Listen more than you speak, guide more than you command, and praise more than you boast. When your people succeed, your name will shine of its own accord. For as Sreesanth wisely reminds us, a good captain is great only if he has a great team — and the mark of true greatness is not how far one rises alone, but how high one lifts others.