How’s That! 4 Leadership Tips for Leaders Everywhere from Gary Kirsten

In the February edition of Sports Illustrated, Gary Kirsten was asked what leadership lessons he had learnt whilst being in what has been described as the ‘toughest job in cricket, managing the Indian team (and the entire Nation’s expectations). Kirsten listed four things. They make for interesting reading and are applicable to leadership everywhere.

Firstly, he spoke the importance of building and nurturing relationships and trust with the players. Trust is the currency of any relationship and when leaders lose the trust of those they lead, the ability to truly lead is lost. Authentic leadership is always conferred, never claimed. Mutual trust is what makes this possible.

Secondly, Kirsten listed the focus on strengths rather than weaknesses. A strengths based approach to personal development is not new but is seldom practiced in the corporate environment. Here the emphasis is usually on improving and correcting weakness.

Thirdly, he mentioned the need to focus on solutions not problems. I have an associate who used to work at Proctor & Gamble where he had a boss who would insist that any problem presented to him, was accompanied by three solutions. Arriving with merely one solution was simply punting the ‘opposite’ to the stated problem and so wasn’t good enough. Having a second solution demonstrated a measure of creative thinking and arriving with three possible solutions demonstrated the ability to think more strategically. This solution would also most likely be one that considered all of the other stakeholders.

Lastly, Kirsten spoke of encouraging individuals to think for themselves and express themselves more fully. “Can’t have that…will be bloody chaos” echoes the barely muted refrain from the corner office. Wrong! Done appropriately and correctly, freedom of expression allows for greater accountability, ownership and participation. It can be done – it has been done. As for allowing staff to ‘think for themselves’ – well there is a new concept for many a leader! Anyone who has had to deal with a typical customer service department would know this only to well.

Now Gary, please hold off on the application of all this until after the series against your fellow nationals. Either that, or come and apply them at home!

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