I guess you know you’re getting old when you look forward to a coffee with the newspaper on a Saturday morning! Today I indulged my passion for rugby and read three articles written by different journalists all of which discussed leadership in some shape or form. They reminded me how rare it is in professional sport to see leaders afforded enough time to do things well.
Sadly, the commercial imperative that penetrates so many aspects of modern sport demands immediate rewards. The knock-on effects are well documented with managers and coaches regularly replaced, athletes returning to play too soon after injury, those who do the doing treated like commodities, expendable in the relentless pursuit of success.
One story I read that bucks the trend discussed Exeter Chiefs’ rise from relative obscurity in 2010 to become champions of England in 2015. The article is about a play the Exe Men, which documents the journey taken by Rob Baxter and his team. It is a journey that took over twenty years with Baxter at the helm, the type of longevity rarely seen in pro sport. What it enabled was the opportunity to do things well – to win in the right way. Lives were enriched, communities built, lifelong friendships forged, it may sound clichéd but that’s what sport should be about, even at the very highest level.
Owen Slot also wrote today about Stuart Lancaster, another hugely impressive leader who goes quietly about his business, forging incremental change, recognising the need for patience, doing things well. Slot suggests that Lancaster’s sacking, after England failed to make the knockout stages in their own World Cup in 2015, was premature, short-sighted and detrimental to the national team moving forwards. He acknowledged his own error in supporting Lancaster’s sacking, recognising how building the foundations don’t immediately yield results and that people need time to foster sustainable excellence.
Finally, poor Newcastle – hammered at home by Sale, three defeats from three this season. Newly backed by Red Bull, Newcastle are rebuilding but will they be given time, as the press and the fans clammer for results? It took Exeter Chiefs five years to build, from entering the Premiership to then having six consecutive years where they were either first or second in the league.
Patience is a virtue, impatience not so much. Many still aim for short term victory, at any cost but I question whether the cost is worth it in the long run? We never look at the long run until its happened, so I suspect sport will continue to serve up too much churn, too much burn-out and mental ill-health, profligacy and greed. I disagree with Leo Durocher that “nice guys finish last”, being nice has nothing to do with winning, it has everything to do with being decent and maintaining perspective, both of which are virtues that lead to success.
P.F.Garner@bham.ac.uk