Some Thoughts on Leadership in Sport during Challenging Times - With thanks to Forty 20 Magazine

I gave an interview to Phil Caplan for the June 2020 edition of Forty 20 Magazine for Scratching Shed Publishing in my role as Chair of the RFL.

It was the first full length, free range interview that I have given in this role, and I would like to thank Phil for a fair and broad ranging interview, faithfully reported in the Magazine.

Our discussion touched inevitably on the issue of leadership in sport given the times that we are operating in. I was asked about my thoughts on leadership in the role of Non-Executive Chair. I would like, with permission, to refer to some of the themes that we discussed. If you are an NED or a Senior Business Leader, I would be interested in your views on the thoughts I express here.

Of course, Forty 20 is a great read, and, if you are a Rugby League fan or not, I recommend you have a look at this month's edition.

Leadership by Consent

I talked about the work that the RFL has done to lead the sport through the crisis. The Executive team and the Board have worked night and day to give the sport an opportunity not only to survive but also grow from this and move to a better and brighter future.

"It's not really about whetther you think that the RFL board is or isn't doing a good job, but whether we are showing strong leadership. What I've tried to do since taking on the Chair's role is to allow the organisation to be more self confident, proud and positive. That means that I, as an official, and the organisation, need to be responsive, transparent, accessible, authentic, honest, open, have integrity, and be people the rugby league community feel they can talk to."

"I believe, in general, that leadership is by consent. You gain consent by how you conduct yourself, the decisions you take and by showing that you are answerable for them. We are earning that consent well since the crisis started. We have got more right than wrong. "

Making the Right Decisions

I was asked whether I would be willing to encourage the Board to take tough and unpopular decisions. I said that we would. We were trying always to do the right thing by the sport. That is not the same as the popular thing.

"If you take a decision that you believe is right, you should come out and explain it and your reasoning. Be open and transparent. In that way, if people want to take pot shots or criticise the decision, at least they understand the basis on which the decision was made."

"It is important that we are accountable for our decisions. There is no instruction manual but, during this crisis, Rugby League is showing the best of itself. We have come together in a unified fashion and the Governing Body has shown leadership. There is real credit to the narrative that we have told about our sport and I am proud of that. But I am also aware of the challenges in front of us. We must turn those into opportunities."

"If we focus our energy on the benefits of working together, there is the chance to give the sport a bright future."

As a leader, your job is to ensure that the decisions taken are the right ones for the sport based on the circumstances before you. Not all decisions will be right and not all will be popular. But, as Chair, I and the Executive team will be happy to stand up for them, to explain what we have done and why and allow people to debate.

Building on our heritage for a bright future

Heritage is important. "The future has to include a nod to the past, but the past can not drive the future."

"I believe that Rugby League's heritage is really strong. It is part of the industrial heritage of the North and is an incredibly important story. The problem is, if you only look at your sport in black and white or sepia tones, and don't look to build that in to a bright, colurful future, you risk always living in the past.

"Right now, I believe that Rugby League is a force for good. Our recent Social Impact Report shows that we really punch above our weight. The way our clubs engage with their communities is a model."

"When the RFL moves its HQ to the Etihad Campus in 2021, that will be a positive move by a forward thinking governing body. We will have a new modern office on a complex where sport happens all around it. We will have pitches and facilities to be a hub for social impact activity. Moving our sport to such a vibrant venue is a positive, forward looking step."

I hope we can look back on this period in 10 years time and say that the decisons we took in 2020 were the right ones that enabled the sport to grow. Let's use this crisis as a landmark for growth.