Are you a 'Good Sport'?

The World Cup fever is right on us. In the next 45 days, as the cricketing extravaganza unfolds in Australia and New Zealand, some players will emerge as 'Good Sport' and some as 'Bad Sport' depending on how they behave under duress. The same pressure, at times, plays out at the workplace too, and like these sportspersons, your colleagues and you in your office too react differently.

Do you know how you can become a 'Good Sport' at work? It's easy.

A 10-point checklist to help you find out…

Photograph: David Gray/Reuters

Sports has always been associated with winning, with physical activity, with skills and fitness. But to 'Be a Good Sport!' means a lot more than playing regularly and being good at a sport. To 'Be a Good Sport' is to bring the best of the magic of sport to the world outside sport.

The world where you work, where you live, where you meet friends, where you argue, where you disagree, where you fail, where you win, where you are treated unfairly and where sometimes, you get a chance to treat others unfairly.

Sport has a lot of magic for those who don't play sport. And to experience that magic, you don't have to be good at sport! You just need to 'Be a Good Sport'.

Okay, so how do you know if you are a Good Sport?

Here's a quick checklist:

1. When you win, are you willing to give the credit and glory to your team?

2. When your teammate is overworked or upset, do you offer help? Even if you are already stretched?

3. Do you ensure you do more than your share of the work required in any situation -- so that the team wins?

4. When someone makes a mistake, do you give them the benefit of doubt? Another chance? And focus on ensuring it doesn't happen again?

5. When you fail, are you willing to hold yourself accountable for it?

6. Are you able to reach out to someone after a violent disagreement -- and talk things over?

7. Are you able to focus on the problem -- and not the person?

8. Are you willing to stick to your values -- even if it means losing?

9. Are you able to 'get on with it' and work with teammates you don't necessarily like?

10. Do you believe that leadership is a choice? Not a designation?

Have you answered 'Yes' to more than 5 out of 10 questions?

Thank you for being a Good Sport and for making the world a better place!

Note: Lead picture used only for representational purpose

Saumil Majmudar is MD and Co-founder, EduSports, India's largest school sports company