4 minute read
Peter Browne
Columnist
Peter Browne,
Coach with BRC Partnership Ltd
Leadership on level 5
A former Ulster Rugby player turned Coach with BRC Partnership, Peter Browne discusses leadership and credibility and why ‘good conflict’ can be great for business.
It was well over a year ago that I ‘hung up’ the boots from a professional rugby career which spanned twelve years with four different high quality teams, some of them very successful. I was fortunate enough to finish my career with Ulster Rugby. Although I was born in England, my father is a proud Ulsterman and the pride I feel for having worn the red hand at Kingspan stadium is still something that brings a smile to me.
As the dreaded word ‘retirement’ became a reality, I was encouraged by a close friend to reflect on what my career in elite sport had taught me. I sometimes shy away from the reflective
practice of seeing every moment in life as a learning opportunity but the truth is, all of us have lessons from our lives which experientially shape us into the people we are.
I have learned that effective leadership begins and ends with credibility. What then is credibility? A dictionary definition is, ‘the quality of being trusted and believed in’. This definition ties into the Kouzes and Posner’s First Law of Leadership; ‘If you don’t believe the messenger, you won’t believe the message’. Credibility is all about trust and is therefore built slowly and consistently but can be lost almost instantly. The ‘best’ leaders who led me were those who I trusted because their honest actions aligned with their honest words. To put it another way, they did what they said they would do.
Therefore, we need leaders who lead themselves well. Within the High Performance Environments I worked in, we all viewed ourselves as leaders. The question was, and still is, as Stephen Covey calls it, where does our ‘sphere of influence’ begin? It begins with ourselves. Principle-based, consistent leading of oneself creates credible leaders. The people who stepped up and led well within Elite Sport were the ones who did what they said they would do. Naturally the exemplary leadership they displayed made myself and others want to follow them. Made us want to capture the vision they displayed with their actions. Want to be better.
In the ether somewhere I can hear the world of business shouting, ‘that’s easy for you to say Peter – rugby is simple and straightforward but business is a different matter!’ To this statement (which may have simply been conjured from my imagination), I’d argue that consistency of character in actions can be done anywhere by anyone. Turning up to meetings on time, communicating with staff openly and honestly, putting people before tasks and managing ones diary are all things anyone can do. But for the leader, these things done consistently mean the building of credibility and more influence.
Secondly, great leadership is about the creation of great teams. Again an obvious statement to make, but the truth of it is worth dwelling on. Leadership is not about a title or a position but about the team one leads; without a team there is no leader. The most influential leaders I played under were those who could have a one to one conversation with a team member and then communicate to the whole team a few moments later. I suppose the key was relationship and being present. Jim Collins coins the phrase ‘level 5 leadership’. This is where there is a willingness for the leader to put the team/ business before their own career ambitions or fame. We need more level 5 leaders who understand that who they lead comes first.
Finally, leaders need to create environments of trust which can lead to good conflict. Sometimes, passionate colleagues need to disagree. At the right time, in the right place, conflict is good. For a long time I thought that conflict was purely negative, I wanted peace and harmony and happiness. However, Patrick Lencioni talks about leaders creating environments where good conflict can be communicated. Two passionate people disagreeing because they believe in their points is not a bad thing, it is only negative if once a decision is made, there is not buy in from everyone.
These are a few of my reflective lessons from my experience in Elite Sport. I hope you found them thought-provoking at the very least. One last lesson from writing this is that time taken to reflect and think about work is time well spent. Processing situations and experiences is a great way of owning one’s learning and continuing to develop as self-aware human beings.
