3 pieces of All Black wisdom

Whilst the All Blacks fell at the final hurdle at this year’s World Cup (losing to South Africa by one point in the Final), they’re still the most successful international men’s rugby team of all time, with a winning percentage of 77.12% over 612 Tests.

Sustained success like this does not just happen. The All Blacks have had a long-standing commitment to, and focus on, ensuring a culture that drives sustained performance. More recently, they have thoroughly embraced the mental side of performance, helped significantly by their mental skills coach Gilbert Enoka.

There are many familiar mantras and stories around the All Blacks - from ‘sweeping the sheds’ through to their straightforward policy (with the use of fairly colourful language) around the type of person they will not tolerate.

As we move towards the final stretch of 2023, I wanted to share three specific pieces of wisdom from the All Blacks set up, to set you the readers up in the best way possible. Here goes…

Man in the Mirror

Andy Dalton, All Black captain in the 1980s, was ‘old school’. A farmer who ran a 1000-acre sheep and cattle farm in Bombay, and for whom making games during lambing season was always a struggle, he was tough, hard working and committed. John Kirwan, a dashing back who seemed to be blessed with natural talent, didn’t always fit in with the mentality of the team. One day Dalton sat Kirwan down and said this to him:

John, after a bad game with the All Blacks we look in the mirror and say: “Could I have done any more for the team today?” And when you’ve done this, see if you feel like criticizing anyone else.

This sentiment comes from the wonderful poem by Dale Wimbrow called The Man In The Mirror. Here it is in its full form. (And yes, reading it is in some respects frustrating due to the male focus, but it is of its time, and powerful nonetheless).

When you get all you want and you struggle for self,
and the world makes you king for a day,
then go to the mirror and look at yourself
and see what that man has to say.

For it isn't your mother, your father or wife
whose judgment upon you must pass,
but the man, whose verdict counts most in your life
is the one staring back from the glass.

He's the fellow to please,
never mind all the rest.
For he's with you right to the end,
and you've passed your most difficult test
if the man in the glass is your friend.

You may be like Jack Horner and "chisel" a plum,
And think you're a wonderful guy,
But the man in the glass says you're only a bum
If you can't look him straight in the eye.

You can fool the whole world,
down the highway of years,
and take pats on the back as you pass.

But your final reward will be heartache and tears
if you've cheated the man in the glass.

Succession Planning

How do you navigate the tension of bringing on those around you, whilst knowing that the ultimate result (if you do this job well) is that you will be out of a job? Well this was recently articulated brilliantly on a video shared on X by Sam Whitelock, All Black and Crusaders player. (The video was actually shared as part of the Crusaders Leadership Programme but I’m labelling this as All Black wisdom for the purposes of this blog 🙂). Whitelock shared what he has learnt from Hooker Corey Flynn. Flynn says to the young up and coming hookers aiming to take his place:

I’m going to do everything I can to help you. If you want me to train with you, I’ll do it. But I’m not going to give you my jersey. It’s your job to take it from me. It’s your job to make me retire.

As Whitelock goes on to say, this is something he has always remembered. Using it to navigate the tension between helping others, and passing on his knowledge, knowing that the end result will be that he is out of a job.

For most of us, the end result of helping others isn’t quite so stark. It doesn’t usually result directly in us losing our own jobs. But the video did make me reflect on the level of focus that we put on developing and progressing members of our team. And the extent to which we can perhaps drop this ball when things get exceptionally busy, as they often do at this time of year. My message here is don’t drop the ball. Developing your people is always key. Is always the right thing to do. For long-term, sustained performance.

Blue v Red Head

I’m always mindful that November and December can find people especially tired. Working hard to get things done before the end of the calendar year, fitting in many more functions and evening commitments than through the rest of the year. And when we get tired, it can be harder to regulate our emotions. But even more important to do so.

To that end, the model that the All Blacks use, and which I talk about in more detail in my book Staying the Distance, is a simple one to remember and deploy.

When we let our emotions take over, we can find ourselves in our ‘Red’ Head zone. This is where we are tight, inhibited, results-oriented, anxious, aggressive, over-compensating and desperate. You will all be able to think of situations at work where you have found yourself in this state. There might be a pattern to the type of situation that leads to this, and there will certainly be a greater danger of moving to this state when you are more tired. Often the situations that lead to this state of mind are ones which are going to stretch us - where the tendency might be to see something as a threat rather than a challenge. Acknowledging where you are emotionally, and working effortfully to move yourself into the ‘Blue’ Head zone, will help you deal with whatever it is you have ahead of you. A state where you are loose, expressive, in the moment, calm, clear, accurate and on task.

How can you do this? First, take the time to recognise the state you are currently in. Then, if you feel you’re in or going towards your Red Head, use self-talk to move yourself into your Blue Head. Self-talk is an accepted area of focus in the world of sport and it always amazes me that it’s not more widely discussed in the field of leadership and work more generally. The language we use in our own heads, in high-pressure or stressful moments, is central to our ability to shift ourselves into our Blue Head zone. Many leaders I work with use visual cues or reminders, such as post-it notes, or even keep a book by their bed in which they write phrases each night or each morning that help keep them in the right mindset.

Try, see what works for you and what doesn’t, persist, practice, and perform. Instead of telling yourself that you are worried about the period coming up, why not say: ‘I’ve got a challenging few weeks coming up; I know it will test me, I’m really excited to see how everything pans out and I know I will learn loads from it.’

For more on this or any aspect of leadership, with a healthy dose of mindset, sport, and I hope usefulness thrown in, do feel free to browse through all the articles in the Huddle, or get in touch with me directly on catherine@sportandbeyond.co.uk. For more detail on the area this blog covers, as well as many others, please do order a copy of my book - Staying the Distance: The Lessons From Sport That Business Leaders Have Been Missing. Links to buy the book can be found here I have also put together a collection of the podcasts, interviews and sessions on and in which I have recently been sharing my thoughts, stories and insight, which can be found here https://www.sportandbeyond.co.uk/blog/2023/10/30/staying-the-distance-podcasts