What I learnt from the All Blacks Rugby World Cup Journey from 2007 to 2011?

Any All Blacks supporter who watched the quarter finals of the 2007 Rugby World Cup (RWC) Championship against France would have felt naturally disappointed. In fact devastated.  You would not be wrong in thinking a rookie referee robbed the All Blacks their 'rightful' victory. As a follower of this great game and most importantly the All Blacks, I felt exactly like that and that game ended my following of the remainder of the championship in 2007. This is a team that has an extraordinary winning record but when it came to the RWC that achievement did not matter at all. They did carry the tag of chokers.

Fast forward four years to 2011, at last they shook the monkey off their back and won the RWC on their home soil against the same nemesis, France. They won it after twenty-four years since their first win at the inaugural RWC championship in 1987 against, yes you guessed it right, France.

The All Blacks journey from 2007 loss to 2011 triumph was one of folklore, inspiration and steeped in leadership lessons. One of the most inspiring sports documentaries ‘Weight of a Nation’ beautifully chronicles this story. Needless to say I watched this documentary many times. Each time you watch this film, you realise this is much more than rugby.

It is a documentary on character moulding leadership in adversity, resilience in the face of devastating natural disasters, personal leadership in managing high-pressure situations, camaraderie and a burning desire to give something back to the country. The script is such it could easily be a Hollywood blockbuster.

While there are many lessons to be learnt from how the All Blacks turned their misfortunes to triumph, following their journey I observed following two powerful lessons on leadership.

Taking responsibility

Though it appeared, the All Blacks were ‘robbed’ of their quarter-final victory in 2007, watching this documentary there was no mention of the blunder by the rookie referee. Instead, they took responsibility for that loss and owned it. As a part of their build up towards the RWC 2011, they  focused on what were those elements that were within their control during that loss that they never controlled. It was an incredible perspective and the key stand out lesson from that loss was the absence of on-field leadership depth.

A progressive thinking Leadership starts with taking responsibility and making hard decisions at crucial times. This involves building the awareness of those factors that are controllable and those externalities that are out of one’s control.  You may not be able to control everything that are external to you. However, you can choose to focus on those matters within your control and shape your response to the externalities accordingly. This is the only way you can expand your circle of influence by responding to situations in a proactive manner rather than reacting.

Expect the unexpected and learn to handle it

Handle they did at the RWC 2011 final! The All Blacks learned a lot from their failure in 2007. Their mantra for the RWC 2011 appeared to be ‘expect the unexpected and learn to handle it’. The execution of those lessons shone through during each and every game they played especially in the final. A string of injuries plagued their key front-line players making them out of consideration for selection. The Captain played the final with a broken foot and the coaching team had to resort to a player who was on a fishing vacation just weeks before the final. Despite those challenges they were in, they made crucial decisions, executed the game plan, each team member stood up and took on a leadership role, and delivered the results.

‘Expect the unexpected and learn to handle it’ thinking builds resilience, character and most importantly leadership depth at a team and personal level. This is a core characteristic that determines how well you handle high-pressure situations without breaking down. This attitude or thinking becomes even more important at a personal leadership level in staying faithful to your dreams and aspirations in adversity.

Irrespective of whether it is a sport or a corporate set up, as a leader you always play to win and not fearing failure. When you play to win, often at times failures and mistakes are part and parcel of the game. Your success as a leader depends on how you chose to respond to those failures and mistakes. Great leaders learn from them and come back better and stronger. A leadership approach that embraces ‘expect the unexpected and learn to handle it’ mindset most likely to succeed rather than the one who is fixed in his ways. Such leadership is characterised by agility, situational awareness, positivity and, most importantly, resilience.  

Conclusion

When you are in a leadership position, excuses and reasons do not stand a chance. In each adversity, you are looking for answers by taking responsibility and handling the situation to the best of your ability. As a leader, each time you confront an unexpected challenge or problem having the calm confidence to handle the situation determines your success as a leader.  

This is another Rugby World Cup year. Having reset their World Cup winning (or losing) formula in 2011, the All Blacks may not be carrying too much of ‘Weight of a Nation’ as they did in 2011. This time they are at the RWC 2015 to enjoy the journey and to give the legendary captain Richie McCaw a fitting farewell. When they are enjoying the game, they are in business and the outcome of the RWC 2015 may be a foregone conclusion.