A Great Irish Leader of a Great English Team

Wow!

I have spent the last 6 weeks watching and learning about a masterclass in #leadership that has taken place over the last 4 years.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love cricket. As an Englishman in Ireland I have been a close follower of linkedin.com/in/eoin-morgan-67ab6599, the captain of the English Cricket Team. I believe that what we’ve just seen from this fantastic captain is just as applicable in the business world as in the world of sport.

A few lessons I think we can learn from this Great Irish Leader of a Great English Team;

-         By all means, find good people to add to your team. But success will only come from developing the people you already have.

-         When someone is trying hard but makes a mistake, they must not be blamed for it. Protect them, help them learn from it, and they will become better and better at what they do.

-         Learn about your people, understand what drives them, what holds them back, what helps them perform and give each person the environment they need to flourish.

-         Take responsibility – Give credit to your team for the successes but take responsibility yourself for any failures along the way. People will not trust a leader who throws their team under the bus.

-         Work out your direction together with your team. They will only buy into it if they’ve been involved in shaping it.

-         Help your people develop the skills and character to move in the direction you’ve all agreed.

And most importantly – if you do all this, you can, and must TRUST YOUR TEAM – Back them in a thousand small ways and help them become the best team they can be.