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Talking Sport: British heroes can inspire the troops

Daily Telegraph (London)

By Simon Hughes

Why is the Australian cricket team so consistently successful? How has a titchy nation like New Zealand left the world's might trailing in its wake on the water, and managed to win an astonishing 72 per cent of all its rugby internationals? Two fifty-something Lancastrians have unearthed the answers, and in so doing offered some possible solutions to our own sporting problems.

These are not ordinary Lancastrians. Dr Kevin Roberts is the chief executive of Saatchi and Saatchi worldwide, and Prof Clive Gilson is an expert in resource management. They and two other Englishmen, Mike Pratt and Ed Weymes, have produced Peak Performance (Harper Collins Business, £19.99), a book which delves behind the great sporting teams of the last 20 years.

Seeking new motivational techniques for business, they analysed the management and structures of consistently high-performance units such as Bayern Munich, the Williams Formula One team, the Chicago Bulls and the Australian cricket team. As all four authors are affiliated to the Waikato Management School, a sort of southern hemisphere Harvard, they were also ideally positioned to analyse New Zealand sport.

They drew a number of striking conclusions:

All the organisations have at their heart highly inspirational people. Franz Beckenbauer is president of Bayern Munich; Rod Marsh runs the Australian cricket academy, and Sir Donald Bradman is regularly consulted; Andy Dalton, the great All Blacks captain, is president of the NZ Rugby Football Union. In comparison, most phenomenal British team players (Ian Botham, David Gower, Gary Lineker, Bill Beaumont) end up in the media. Our sporting organisations tend to be run by visionless nonentities. "They're comfortable with mediocrity," says Roberts.
They cultivate a spirit of total focus and harmony. Everyone in the organisation, from the chief to the chef, buys into what the authors call "the greatest imaginable challenge". This might sound like psychologist's jargon but, throughout, these teams are clear about their ambition: Sir Peter Blake, head of the Team New Zealand yachting syndicate, says: "Coming first may not be everything but coming second is nothing." Denis Rogers, chairman of the Australian Cricket Board, adds: "Australian cricket never loses sight of its prime purpose, to win every international match." They're sticking to their manifesto, having won 20 of the last 22.
They constantly wheel in former greats for motivation, and concentrate on improving their own assets rather than worrying about the opposition. Before a recent one-day international against New Zealand, Australian coach John Buchanan gave his players a piece of paper listing the strengths and weaknesses of all 11 opponents. Each one had 20 flaws and no strengths.
There is a clear "stairway" to the top, enabling talented amateurs to progress to full international status in a few well-taken steps. It fosters national support. Amateur sport in Britain is generally a cul-de-sac. The professionals live on an inaccessible plateau. It breeds parochialism.

Roberts values inspiration over leadership, and condemns multi-layered, hierarchical institutions, and Britain's "tall poppy syndrome" - knocking stars off their pedestal if they get too lofty. Using his three-point model - aim for the stratosphere, synchronise your aims, build a pyramid to reach them - he has transformed Saatchi and Saatchi and the share price has quadrupled in the last 18 months. He claims he can perform the same upgrade within three years on various British teams. But how many would buy into the do-you-really-want-it-sir philosophy?

International MBA

University of Waikato - Class of 2002

Talking Sport: British heroes can inspire the troops

Daily Telegraph (London)

By Simon Hughes

	International MBA University of Waikato - Class of 2002

	Talking Sport: British heroes can inspire the troops Daily Telegraph (London) By Simon Hughes Why is the Australian cricket team so consistently successful? How has a titchy nation like New Zealand left the world's might trailing in its wake on the water, and managed to win an astonishing 72 per cent of all its rugby internationals? Two fifty-something Lancastrians have unearthed the answers, and in so doing offered some possible solutions to our own sporting problems. These are not ordinary Lancastrians. Dr Kevin Roberts is the chief executive of Saatchi and Saatchi worldwide, and Prof Clive Gilson is an expert in resource management. They and two other Englishmen, Mike Pratt and Ed Weymes, have produced Peak Performance (Harper Collins Business, £19.99), a book which delves behind the great sporting teams of the last 20 years. Seeking new motivational techniques for business, they analysed the management and structures of consistently high-performance units such as Bayern Munich, the Williams Formula One team, the Chicago Bulls and the Australian cricket team. As all four authors are affiliated to the Waikato Management School, a sort of southern hemisphere Harvard, they were also ideally positioned to analyse New Zealand sport. They drew a number of striking conclusions: All the organisations have at their heart highly inspirational people. Franz Beckenbauer is president of Bayern Munich; Rod Marsh runs the Australian cricket academy, and Sir Donald Bradman is regularly consulted; Andy Dalton, the great All Blacks captain, is president of the NZ Rugby Football Union. In comparison, most phenomenal British team players (Ian Botham, David Gower, Gary Lineker, Bill Beaumont) end up in the media. Our sporting organisations tend to be run by visionless nonentities. "They're comfortable with mediocrity," says Roberts. They cultivate a spirit of total focus and harmony. Everyone in the organisation, from the chief to the chef, buys into what the authors call "the greatest imaginable challenge". This might sound like psychologist's jargon but, throughout, these teams are clear about their ambition: Sir Peter Blake, head of the Team New Zealand yachting syndicate, says: "Coming first may not be everything but coming second is nothing." Denis Rogers, chairman of the Australian Cricket Board, adds: "Australian cricket never loses sight of its prime purpose, to win every international match." They're sticking to their manifesto, having won 20 of the last 22. They constantly wheel in former greats for motivation, and concentrate on improving their own assets rather than worrying about the opposition. Before a recent one-day international against New Zealand, Australian coach John Buchanan gave his players a piece of paper listing the strengths and weaknesses of all 11 opponents. Each one had 20 flaws and no strengths. There is a clear "stairway" to the top, enabling talented amateurs to progress to full international status in a few well-taken steps. It fosters national support. Amateur sport in Britain is generally a cul-de-sac. The professionals live on an inaccessible plateau. It breeds parochialism. Roberts values inspiration over leadership, and condemns multi-layered, hierarchical institutions, and Britain's "tall poppy syndrome" - knocking stars off their pedestal if they get too lofty. Using his three-point model - aim for the stratosphere, synchronise your aims, build a pyramid to reach them - he has transformed Saatchi and Saatchi and the share price has quadrupled in the last 18 months. He claims he can perform the same upgrade within three years on various British teams. But how many would buy into the do-you-really-want-it-sir philosophy?