Leadership in Sport & Business

Today I thought I’d reflect on some parallels between the leaders of organisations & the captains of sports teams.

The leader or captain need to motivate people, create confidence, provide support, build morale, initiate action, and ensure the team stays united through the inevitable challenges they will face. It’s not an easy task, particularly if you are in the public eye.

🌈🧠😁Authenticity & Emotional Intelligence

Connecting with your true self and being able to show this as a leader allows you to optimise your energy, connect with your team and get the best out of everyone.

🎯 “I think with captaincy you just have to do it your own way. You can’t copy someone. You can learn from different captains as you go along but in the end you have to follow your instincts and do the job the way your character allows you to do it.”

Alastair Cook, Former England Cricket Captain

Just like any team, there will often be an eclectic mix of people with different personalities, behaviours, attitudes and experiences.

Leaders need to understand and tune into these differing personalities so that they can adapt their leadership style to get the best out of each individual.

🎯 “The captain has to pull together the different individuals with contrasting personalities and get them all going in the same direction by treating them equally but differently.”

Steve Waugh, Former Australia Cricket Captain

😬🏔️🚀 Adaptability & Resilience

In sports like cricket, the ability of the captain and all players to adapt as new situations emerge in a match is critical. Whether it’s understanding when and how to utilise each bowler, adapting your batting style to the match position, or finding yourself in the high pressure final over of a world cup final, adaptability is at the heart of leadership.

🎯 “A captain must make every decision before he knows what its effect will be, and he must carry the full responsibility, not whether his decision will be right or wrong, but whether it brings success.”

Don Bradman, Former Australia Cricket Captain

The ability to perform under this pressure is vital. Whether on the pitch or in the workplace, we need resilient leaders who have the strength and courage to lead people through the good times and the bad and can stop negative criticism from putting them off their game.

Leaders with true grit show strength, courage, and professionalism even when weathering the biggest of crises.

Indeed getting through the ‘storm’ is often what creates a highly cohesive team because it pushes your boundaries and helps you grow.

👉👉👉 If any of my contacts find me at Lords today I’d be happy to have a chat, and am willing to offer a complimentary psychometric assessment for you or one of your team to gain better understanding of your specific thinking and behavioural preferences.

🌈🌈🌈 After all recognising the diversity of these preferences in your team is part of the process of building a high performance team.

#leadership#teamwork