FLS Workshop on June 27

‘Changing styles of leadership and the winning mindset’ 

This event followed a ‘phone call Bob Reeves received from David Marquet only a month or so earlier, saying that he would be in London at the end of June with a free day following his overnight flight, and he would love to do something together again. Our two previous events with him had been very successful. 

We quickly put together a workshop on the theme of ‘Changing styles of leadership and the‘winning mindset’. We were fortunate to enlist Jeremy Snape, founder of ‘Sporting Edge’. We thus had two of the most sought-after presenters in the field of performance and leadership.

Though it was put together at short notice, those fortunate enough to attend were able to take part in a wonderful afternoon’s activity at the Frontline Club.

Some attendees provided us with responses to what they had heard and participated in.  They are worth sharing -  

Martin Fairn, CEO Gazing Performance Systems – 

‘Acknowledging the filter bias based on work we do at Gazing- I would make the following observations as helpful takeaways both supporting work we do but also offering further insights-

Clarity- Individuals, teams and whole organisations across the full spectrum of sport and business etc. benefit significantly from the simple concept of ‘clarity’- both in terms of purpose, intent and overall strategy of approach. When ‘clarity’ is present then it informs both the planning work done but also the decisions made and actions taken in the moment. Simple yet golden---- and perhaps not always easy to achieve.

Intensity- is a characteristic of high performance, often missing when performance breaks down.  What came across in discussions is the wide-ranging views around intensity- where does it come from, how do you find and maintain it….  and especially what is the connection to motivation? What drives the ‘intent’ of individuals and teams. It is not ‘magic dust’ but certainly people can describe it when they have it…. know it helps when managed and directed…. And are clear when it is missing!

Accuracy- Sometimes discussions like this are a great reminder that truly high performance at the most challenging times is critically underpinned by the individual/team ability to execute their core skill/tasks at the level needed again and again. Circling back to ‘training to win’ with great coaching and driven always by terrific leaders and compelling leadership.

 Donna Kennedy, former Scotland rugby international -

‘The workshop provided affirmation of the key drivers of performance, which are identity and purpose. This resonated with me, as I worked in the veterinary sector for over 30 years, always with a clear identity and purpose, until our family-owned business was purchased by a large corporate, venture capital backed, which then became all about profit. I am now taking control of what I want to do, giving me a profound purpose and authenticity, helping people believe they can achieve! I have started my own coaching and mentoring business, blending my experience of business and my sporting career.

I retired from international rugby 13 years ago, after playing international rugby for 17 years. I felt that I lost my purpose and what I thought was my own identity. I am now using my experience to help empower others. 

Martin Preston, Kingfisher7 Consulting -

‘What do former International cricketer (Jeremy Snape) and nuclear submarine commander have in common’.

Well, in this instance, I was very fortunate to see them both present at a Foundation for Leadership through Sport (FLS) session in June.

Members with high performance sport, military and corporate sector expertise gathered at the Frontline Club (nr Paddington Station) to explore ‘Changing styles of Leadership and the Winning Mindset’.

Bob Reeves introduced the day and two main speakers, former nuclear submarine commander David Marquet and England cricketer Jeremy Snape. Both help leaders and teams perform, including during times of uncertainty and pressure.

Both have unique experiences, expertise, and hugely valuable insights which they delivered with a good dose of humility and humour!

The presentations were followed by an excellent panel discussion hosted by Frank Dick, with contributions from former internationals, Eboni Usoro-Brown (England netball) and Tom Mitchell (England and GB Rugby Sevens), along with Martin Fairn (co-founder/CEO of Gazing Performance Systems). 

A few nuggets from the afternoon-

+ true teamwork is so powerful, but rare

+ an identity or a mindset has a shelf life (we need to adapt)

+ we need to trust ourselves if we are to trust others (not micromanage)

+ don’t take over your team’s journey, you will disable them

+ how curious are you and your team?

+ do you see change as a problem or an opportunity?

+ is your leadership about you or developing others?

+ as a leader, what do you need to be better at?

+ do you truly understand your team, particularly at times of stress?

+ are you comfortable admitting you don’t know the answer, or you were wrong

+ does anyone speak up when you are wrong?

 A few final nuggets……

+ identify and purpose create an emotional competitive advantage

+ winning is founded on learning

+ success is helping others succeed

+ how do you want to be remembered as a leader?

I could share so many more, but if you’re interested in developing the performance and leadership of individuals, teams and organisations (in or outside of sport) then I’d certainly encourage you to explore the expertise of those mentioned above. 

Finally. Do you have 10 minutes spare? If yes, then you might find this clip enlightening and inspiring.

https://lnkd.in/efa5vvh5

Cliff Kimble, of the Evolution Partnership, added the following -

‘Further to the fabulous session, my thoughts herewith:

The afternoon was one of affirmation for me on several fronts. I am innately curious and think I am both privileged and blessed to have been accepted as a member of FLS and the like-minded lifelong learners that occupy the wonderful space that Bob and Liz create through it. 

I came away, having listened to two world class professionals, with a sense of being on the right track. The conversations that danced around the room were encouraging on several fronts: others commitment to life-long learning reinforcing my own commitment. Franks’ facilitation of group 5 was effortless and I liked the way we listened, learned and shared. My commitment is to attend more FLS gatherings and when I publish my book ‘Born to flow’ I commit to bringing it to FLS space in the spirit of sharing! 

FLS is a such perfect vehicle for me to informally ride on the shoulders of giants’.

Empire Fighting Chance, Bristol, March 2023

One of the aims of FLS is to visit places where great leadership has been and continues to be exhibited, particularly in improving the lives of young people. Following the visit to The Brit School in December, we went in March to Empire Fighting Chance (EFC) in Bristol. 

Founded on the back of the long-established Empire Boxing Club, EFC was founded in 2006 to fight the impact of inequality on the lives of young people. Non-contact boxing activity and a great deal of personal support are used to ‘challenge and inspire young people facing adversity to realise their unique potential’. 

EFC has grown so much that it now reaches young people via outreach centres around the country.  Martin Bisp, the CEO, has been the driving force behind EFC since the start. Now with a team of full-time and part-time staff, they provide a wide range of programmes. Martin and his colleague, Ellie Milone, introduced us to EFC with the story of its’ origins, where it has got to, and how it benefits the lives of so many in the community who suffer adversity.

All those attending our event were inspired by what they saw. As always, we had with us leaders from sport, business and the military. There was a great deal of interaction with staff and young participants. What amazed everyone was the self-awareness and emotional intelligence displayed by the youngsters, who eloquently and powerfully told of how EFC had transformed their lives. Kassie, Serena, Enya, Kierah, Jennifer and Louis are all deserving of a mention here.

Following my lockdown survey of sporting, business and military leaders, when a significant number said they now ‘tell less and ask more’, I encouraged members of the mixed groups to find out about one another. As at the Brit School, the young people were curious, willing to offer their own views on matters and they engaged in a mature and thoughtful way. It was they in the main who provided the feedback to other groups at the end. Each one of them had a personal story to tell about how EFC had changed their lives for the better.

A discussion panel, chaired by Col Lucy Giles, and including Paula O’Rourke (Lord Mayor of Bristol), Kevin Slocombe (Head of the Office of the Elected Mayor), Ben Breeze (CEO Bristol Sport Foundation) and Martin Bisp was able to get into the teeth of whose responsibility it is to help young people in gangs and whose lives are challenged. The underlying message was that sport has a great deal to offer, and that more needs to be done nationally to address the obvious problems. One of the young people suggested that what was needed was ‘A couple of Empire Fighting Chance centres in every town! 

An aim of EFC is to inspire young people. After a wonderful day at EFC, we all felt inspired.

Many thanks to everyone at EFC.

‘Thanks for a really interesting, informative and thought-provoking day’

‘It really was a great event’.

‘I was inspired’.

FLS day at the Brit School

Leaders should tell less and ask more

Core values

Not long before Xmas, a number of us had a splendid day at the Brit School, a wonderful centre of excellence for the performing and creative arts. It is a state school, with around 1,000 students, and it is supported by the Brit awards, enabling there to be excellent resources available for recording, rehearsing and performing. www.brit.croydon.sch.uk .

Why did we go to the Brit School? Well- a friend of mine, John Craig, was a founder of the school. While watching some cricket in the summer, I told him that during covid lockdown, I had contacted several leaders in sport, business and the military, asking them if they would write down briefly what they thought were any essential characteristics of successful leaders, how they might describe themselves as a leader and finally, if they had changed in any way in their leadership. I received some enlightening responses, particularly regarding the final point. Ian McGeehan, the renowned rugby coach wrote simply- ‘I now tell less and ask more’. Several others said the same.

I decided to have an event at which we could gather a number of these, and other, leaders, to consider this important aspect of leadership communication.

Thus it was that we had the day at the Brit School. Stuart Worden, the principal, took us on an inspirational journey, explaining about the school’s development, in particular explaining its’ values.

Being kind and caring for one another is a lived value in the school. We could see this in the behaviour of the students and the staff. We were able to share thoughts on how these values were relevant in all our different environments.

Each of the expressed values of the Brit School could be among the core values adopted by most sports. I will write more on this in a future piece.

In the afternoon, we were able to pick up on the construct of ‘telling less and asking more’, by engaging with staff and students of the school. In groups of 8, each including a mix of sport and other leaders, students and staff, I asked them, with no fixed agenda, to interact and communicate for over an hour, the main purpose being to find out about one another. It was wonderful to see sports people engaging animatedly with artistically minded students. A dynamic 16 year old black girl had the confidence and interest to ask pertinent questions of the previous head of the Centre for Army Leadership, and also to say why she held some of her views.

I brought it to a close after about 1 ¼ hours, but they could have gone on for longer. I asked if anyone had not asked a question. They all had. They all found out about other people in a way that often they might not. They were interested in one another.

We have had several FLS events at which we have talked about the establishment of a culture that might help to sustain high performance. Maybe some of the things we have not paid as much attention to as we might are seemingly simple things like the way people treat one another. These include kindness and even asking people what they think?

We will have more events of this sort. They are of huge value.

’Staying at the top in Sport and Business in unpredictable times’

fls annual conference, may 25, 2022

Our first live event for over a year took place on May 25, when we held a conference at Leigh Court, nr Bristol, the home of Business West. The theme was ’Staying at the top in sport and business in unpredictable times’. It was a huge success attended by a full-house of over 100 FLS members and guests. Kevin Roberts, former CEO of Saatchi and Saatchi, got the day off to a terrific start, as he explored his views on the leadership styles needed in a changing world. Mike Higgins, of Loughborough University, presented some of his important research findings on sustaining high performance in sport. Panel discussions provided leading figures in sport, business and the military with the opportunity to share experiences. These included Jess Thirlby (England netball), Eddie Jones (England rugby), Lt Col Henry Llewelyn-Usher (Centre for Army Leadership), Pat Lam (Bristol Bears), Richard Gould (CEO Bristol City FC), Paul Farbrace and Steve Snell (Directors of Cricket at Warwickshire and Gloucestershire CCC).

Videos of the whole conference can be found in the secure members section of the website.

Later in the year, we will be holding another conference ‘Developing leaders in, of and through Sport’. Keep your eye out for details on the FLS website.’

And some fantastic feedback...

Following the conference held in Bristol in May 2022, a number of the guest contributors enjoyed a lovely meal together at the Bristol Ivy.

The photo demonstrates the diversity and quality of the leaders who enhance our events. Around the table are people who have coached international teams in three different sports, leaders at club level in rugby and soccer, hugely successful business people and highly ranked Army officers. See how many you recognise.

January 2022

Sporting Leaders - Claire Tomlinson- A pioneer in a male environment

Our events in recent years have been supported by leading figures from the Hurlingham Polo Association. Our FLS links with the HPA stem back 25 years to when Bob Reeves became acquainted with Claire Tomlinson, the most prominent female in the world of polo. Claire recently passed away. The story of how she changed women’s participation in the very male-dominated sport of polo compares with what many other leading female figures have had to endure in sport is worth knowing. Click here to read on…

Culture & Climate

Please click here to see Bob Reeves’ thoughts on Culture and Climate based on recent news events.

Our next conference will be in November on the subject which reflects the purpose of FLS, ‘Developing leaders in, through and of sport’. This will focus significantly, though not exclusively, on women sporting leaders. Sporting leaders, whether coaches or administrators, still tend to be largely male and in many sports there are perhaps too many from overseas. I hope we can host this conference in November. All FLS members will be provided with information in due course.

We think we should start inserting more material on our website. I have attached here something I wrote a short while ago, and posted on Linked-In. If you have any thoughts on the subject, please respond and we will include items of interest.

Also, you may be interested in writing something original for our FLS Forum here on the website. Please contact me here if you have any ideas.

Bob Reeves - Director

 What have we learned about sporting leadership in the past few months?

We cannot go far without considering how Gareth Southgate has calmly and quietly changed the culture around our national soccer team. His young charges displayed maturity and composure beyond their years - let’s not diminish this because of the penalty shoot-out.

Briefly - on the shoot-out, did you notice Southgate going round each of his selected penalty takers and quietly asking them if they were OK to do it? They all said they were. The fact that three missed has dominated the headlines but I was impressed by the obvious support given by colleagues and how it was made clear that it was a team-effort with no individuals singled out for blame. The individual players will all have gained enormously from the experience and there is little doubt that this will be a very competitive team on the world stage in the coming years.

Southgate’s rather splendid piece, ‘Dear England’, that he wrote prior to the European games gave an inkling as to how he has created the change in our national side. If you haven’t read it, please do so at:

https://www.theplayerstribune.com/posts/dear-england-gareth-southgate-euros-soccer

A couple of lines extracted from this article give an indication of modern leadership and the importance of developing people and not just players -

‘This is a special group. Humble, proud and liberated in being their true selves’.

He goes on - ‘I have never believed we should just stick to football. ------- It’s their duty to continue to interact with the public on matters such as equality, inclusivity and racial injustice, while using the power of their voices to help put debates on the table, raise awareness and educate.’

‘—the reality is that the result is just a small part of it. When England play, there is much more at stake than that. It’s about how we conduct themselves on and off the pitch, how we bring people together, how we inspire and unite, how we create memories that last beyond the 90 minutes. That last beyond the summer. That last forever’.

Too often in the past there has been a view, perhaps justified, that soccer players were badly educated, lacking social graces and certainly not role models for young people. Southgate has taken those same players, a multi-racial group, and shown that by treating them with respect, emphasising behaviour and responsibility off the field as much as on it, they can mould into a fine group and be genuine role models in society. How wonderful is this?

What interests me is how much effect this focus on ‘people development’ has on playing performance. It appears that it is highly significant. Danny Kerry, coach of the Olympic gold winning GB womens hockey team, has spoken of the importance of having an appropriate culture within sporting groups, and described how over time this can be created. Currently, New Zealand are ranked first in the world at cricket and men’s and women’s rugby. How come this small nation can be so successful in sports played worldwide? It is probably because they understand what Gareth Southgate has learned. Individuals are, as Southgate wrote- ‘Humble, proud and liberated in themselves’. Team performance is so often greater than the sum of the individual parts.

How is this high-performance culture created? One way it is not created is by way of traditional transactional leadership, whereby players are told what to do and are expected to do what they are told. Successful modern coaches ask the right questions rather than giving all the answers. They encourage decision-making and responsibility. Respect is important. Other people are important.

I have been doing some work with young sporting leaders, and they are wonderful ambassadors for their sport and for themselves. In the recent past, many talented young people have, despite their total commitment to their sport, found time to visit schools, show an interest in the community around them and support those more needy than themselves. They show that they care.

Several politicians in the past few weeks have publicly stated our sporting stars should keep out of politics. How ironic, when some of the very same political leaders have endeavoured to ingratiate themselves with sport. The Prime Minister was going to invite the England footballers to Downing Street if they won the final. Losing as they did should have made it even more appropriate to invite them. Withholding the invitation tells us more about leadership in the political arena.

Beliefs on what makes great leaders have changed in recent times. They have changed for the better. I will pursue this hugely important topic in the coming weeks.

Bob Reeves LLD FRGS