Rod Davis
The real deal
Gosh, there are so many lessons out there in other sports that we can incorporate into our own sailboat racing, or business for that matter. The big one from this year is from the Rugby World Cup, and I am not talking about the English team. No, the interesting study for me here is the New Zealand ‘All Black’ culture. Not because they won, but because they have been one of the most dominant teams in the world for the past decade, in any sport.
Successful teams, I mean really successful teams, that have been that way year after year have a very special culture about them. This could be in sailing, sport or business, and it’s magic when you get there. These teams go through a phase when they know they are the best. They can count on their teammates to fire on all cylinders even when one of them, personally, is having an off day. The team is not unbeatable – each member knows that – yet at the same time each knows that if you are going to be better than us, you had better bring your very best game and we look forward to seeing how it pans out.
It’s a bond or a culture success that the All Blacks, Manchester United, the Boston Patriots, Google, Microsoft and Team New Zealand have in common.
You all too often hear people spouting off about a team of champions vs a championship team, or how there’s no ‘I’ in TEAM. But there seems little information on how you create or get to that extra high-achieving team culture. Here we are going to explore the values and expectations these super-teams share… of themselves and of each other. And if we are a little clever, and we are, we are going to learn how to use that in our world too. But before we do, let’s look at the qualities we are going to instil into our team, be it a sports team, business or the team that brings you Seahorse. Everyone feels valued equally – no special rules for a few and other rules for the others. We have each others’ backs. We might not see everything the same way, but in the end I know that you have my back and I have yours.
22 SEAHORSE
We are obsessed with being the best: the only way we are going to do that is to push ourselves to continually get better and better, both individually and together. We are proud of who we are and what we are doing. We are hard and we out-hustle, out-think and out-work our competition. We will set the standard for the others, again both individually and as a team.
Simple, right!?! Just tell your teammates ‘guys, we are going to follow these simple rules and we will have world domination in no time’. Ahhh, not so fast, hotshot. Gameplans are great, implemen- tation is everything.
The All Blacks rugby team are currently, and have been for the past decade, the standard that needs to be achieved in team culture. The All Black players and management took the above qualities, and a dozen more I did not have time to explain, and translated them into five culture points to live by. Or should I say that they translated them into phrases that they, the players, management and support team, could relate to: 1) Sweep the sheds – Before you leave, tidy up after yourself. No one is so important that they are above that. Humility is the core of the culture. 2) Follow the spearhead – In Maori culture the extended family is symbolised by a spearhead. To be effective all its force must move in one direction. A follow-on to this is ‘No Dick Heads’; All Black selection is based on performance and character. If you’re a dick head you will quickly get called in to get in line by one of the senior players (most likely the venerable 10-year veteran Mr Mealamu). Your second mess-up, you simply won’t be an All Black any longer. 3) Champions do extra – For the team, in the gym, on and off the field. They create an environment of continual learning and teaching. 4) Keep the blue head – A blue head is where you are proactive, clear thinking, not letting your emotions run the show. A red head is when you become reactive and not rational. Basically, with your red head on, you lose the plot. 5) Leave the jersey in a better place – Look, you are the caretaker of the jersey, not an owner by right or for ever. You leave it in a better
MAX RANCHI
LUCA VILLATA
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