You were captain of arguably one of the most revered All Blacks teams in history. How do you integrate back into normal life when you retire from that?
It takes a while, as your life has to be dedicated to the All Blacks. But at the end of the day, it’s just a case of having to deal with the situation.
What lessons did you take from rugby that you now apply in your everyday life?
The kind of person it takes to be involved in a successful rugby team is the kind that leads a successful life. Good people make good teams.
There’s no real difference between being a leader on the rugby pitch and a leader in business. Lessons learned on a rugby pitch can be practised in the office. You have to know how to get the best out of people, how to earn respect, and ultimately how to be as successful as you can.
You’ll be speaking at the ukactive FLAME Conference next month. When you talk about leadership, what are your key points?
The areas I focus on are applicable across all sectors of business. You have to know how to sustain a culture that’s successful and that adds value. You have to continue the legacy of the organisation. And you have to enjoy what you do. In fact, ‘winning is fun’ will be the theme of my speech at the FLAME Conference.
You work with an organisation called Front Row Leadership, which talks about preparing as if you’re number two. Tell us a bit more about that.
Preparing as if you’re number two is about never thinking you’re good enough. It’s about never taking your position for granted.
This has to be balanced with the need for a certain level of arrogance. In sport, you need to be arrogant to be successful – albeit with a degree of humility – but you leave it on the field. The same applies in business: you need a degree of arrogance, but leave it in the office.
The fitness industry is full of people who love what they do – but they’re often not very well paid, so they’re not always as high calibre as we might like. Does the sector need to start paying higher salaries?
If you’re an All Black, you need to live in New Zealand – and in doing so, you’re paid half what you could be paid in Europe. It’s all about taking pride in who you play for. You make sacrifices to do what you love. Of course it would be great to have both, but ultimately it’s a personal decision.
