All Black Richie McCaw on leadership

All Black Richie McCaw on leadership. Never let doubt show on the field.

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All Black captain Richie McCaw wowed at Wednesday’s charity gala iSport dinner event, and while most of the talk was on the upcoming World Cup, shares his top three leadership tips.

Here’s a summary:

1. Leaders treat everyone equal but different: Everyone is a bit different – everyone has different drivers, different motivations and different ways of doing things. I realised this one very important principle – that rules are for the guidance of the wise and the strict adherence of fools.

In the All Blacks, we have a full spectrum of society – we have guys brought up in the best of private schools, guys from the toughest of backgrounds. We have the grunty big forwards who just don’t like bullshit, the backs who dance around the facts and won’t play without their hair gel, so you can’t apply one set of rules for everyone because people have different drivers, different backgrounds and different motivations. Good leadership is about being able to get the best out of everyone.

2. Leaders must be open and honest but also conceal some things: Leadership is about being open and honest but at the same time, even when you’re not feeling it inside, you must exude a confidence even when there’s doubts. Open and honest – yes, but never let doubt show on the field.

3. The greatest enemy of excellence is talent: The talented individuals assume they will do well because they’re talented – but it’s the ones that try harder and practice longer because they need to, that succeed. When times get tough, they’re the ones that are used to trying their hardest and so they end up being the ones that are still around in the long run.