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As an eighteen-year-old fresh out of high school I was invited to pre-season training with the Natal Sharks. The sweltering temperatures in Summer time meant many of our fitness sessions were held on Durban beachfront.
Covered in sand we ran laps between piers until everyone’s attention was caught by a single runner sprinting to the front of the group with his costume wedged into a g-string. Everyone burst into laughter and for a fleeting moment forgot about the exhaustion we were all suffering.
The streaker was none other than John Smit – future Springbok captain and now CEO of Sharks Rugby. While I’m sure John refined his leadership tactics with time, he immediately struck me as someone unafraid to laugh at himself and genuinely interested in the people around him.
From CEOs to coaches, managers and captains at the Brumbies and Wallabies I’ve been fortunate to observe first hand the leadership styles of many different people in high performance environments.
Some interesting observations have emerged from this experience.
I’ve noticed that there is no singular style or personality type that leads to good leadership in every instance. Context is important – which is to say that identifying the right leader is largely about identifying the needs of a group at a particular juncture.
Which brings me to the intersection of Australian rugby and Stephen Moore.
I first met Squeak when he made his Wallaby debut against Samoa in 2005. Then he was a quiet, almost shy medical student with curly locks. Early on it was obvious that he was intelligent and thoughtful. His sentences would come marching out with a kind of monotone precision that made it obvious they they were carefully considered.
When he first came to the Brumbies he immediately became part of the leadership team and could always be relied upon to either say nothing or to say something useful. Despite obvious leadership qualities, it has taken Squeak a long time to assume the captaincy of the national side. But it seems that his long apprenticeship has shaped him into the perfect man for this job at this time.
Steve has the potential to polarise opinion because he has committed himself to saying what he thinks – rather than what he thinks people want to hear. He has little tolerance for pretence or self promotion, and this is exactly the kind of uncompromising attitude and commitment to honesty the Wallabies need to push them to World Cup success.
That journey begins tonight against France, and in the wake of a Wallaby culture tainted by narcissistic exhibitionism, who better than an old school, bald-headed hooker to restore order to the Wallaby universe.