'Always encourage your child to...': Fund manager Gurmeet Chadha on how to shape your child’s character, discipline
Financial adviser Gurmeet Chadha’s guidance to parents is gaining traction for its emphasis on the broader benefits of sports involvement. Chadha underlines that children gain essential life skills such as humility, respect, and relationship-building through participation in sporting activities.
- Nov 5, 2025,
- Updated Nov 5, 2025 9:19 PM IST
Fund manager Gurmeet Chadha’s recent reflections on the value of sports for children have struck a chord with parents, educators, and professionals alike. Known for his sharp financial insights, the founder of Complete Circle has now turned attention to another kind of wealth creation — the development of character, resilience, and emotional intelligence in young people through sports.
Chadha argues that the lessons children learn on the field go far beyond fitness or competition. In his view, sports cultivate discipline, teamwork, respect, and resilience — qualities that no textbook can teach. They teach youngsters how to handle setbacks, work collaboratively, and celebrate others’ success, preparing them not just for exams but for life’s inevitable ups and downs.
“Apart from fitness, it teaches you how to lose gracefully, hug your opponent post the contest… Defeat is an event and not a person,” Chadha wrote, emphasizing the importance of viewing failure as a temporary moment rather than a reflection of one’s identity. This mindset, he suggests, helps children grow into balanced adults who can manage stress and uncertainty with composure.
He also highlights that every new match is a fresh start, a lesson in perseverance that translates seamlessly into academics, relationships, and careers. Learning to play as a team, follow rules, and respect both victory and defeat instills a sense of accountability and fairness — skills essential in both personal and professional settings.
Chadha’s career in finance provides a compelling context for these insights. Having served as Head of Investments at Citibank (North Zone), and earlier at Reliance Mutual Fund and HDFC Bank, he draws a direct parallel between the discipline and patience developed through sports and the principles of successful investing. Just as athletes train consistently, investors, he notes, must stay focused, adapt to market volatility, and view losses as learning opportunities rather than failures.
Through his firm Complete Circle, Chadha has earned respect as a thought leader in wealth management. His views on sports reflect the same long-term philosophy he applies to investing — that consistent effort, resilience, and humility drive growth.
By advocating sports as an integral part of education, Chadha has reignited an essential conversation: that true success is not measured by scores or returns alone, but by the strength of character built along the way.
Fund manager Gurmeet Chadha’s recent reflections on the value of sports for children have struck a chord with parents, educators, and professionals alike. Known for his sharp financial insights, the founder of Complete Circle has now turned attention to another kind of wealth creation — the development of character, resilience, and emotional intelligence in young people through sports.
Chadha argues that the lessons children learn on the field go far beyond fitness or competition. In his view, sports cultivate discipline, teamwork, respect, and resilience — qualities that no textbook can teach. They teach youngsters how to handle setbacks, work collaboratively, and celebrate others’ success, preparing them not just for exams but for life’s inevitable ups and downs.
“Apart from fitness, it teaches you how to lose gracefully, hug your opponent post the contest… Defeat is an event and not a person,” Chadha wrote, emphasizing the importance of viewing failure as a temporary moment rather than a reflection of one’s identity. This mindset, he suggests, helps children grow into balanced adults who can manage stress and uncertainty with composure.
He also highlights that every new match is a fresh start, a lesson in perseverance that translates seamlessly into academics, relationships, and careers. Learning to play as a team, follow rules, and respect both victory and defeat instills a sense of accountability and fairness — skills essential in both personal and professional settings.
Chadha’s career in finance provides a compelling context for these insights. Having served as Head of Investments at Citibank (North Zone), and earlier at Reliance Mutual Fund and HDFC Bank, he draws a direct parallel between the discipline and patience developed through sports and the principles of successful investing. Just as athletes train consistently, investors, he notes, must stay focused, adapt to market volatility, and view losses as learning opportunities rather than failures.
Through his firm Complete Circle, Chadha has earned respect as a thought leader in wealth management. His views on sports reflect the same long-term philosophy he applies to investing — that consistent effort, resilience, and humility drive growth.
By advocating sports as an integral part of education, Chadha has reignited an essential conversation: that true success is not measured by scores or returns alone, but by the strength of character built along the way.