Remarkable Richie
There are many remarkable things about Richie McCaw’s recent record-equaling milestone. The one I want to focus on is his extraordinary mental stamina.There are probably other players who could still play at the top of their game at 34 (Brad Thorn was one, there are others in the current team getting close). There are probably others who could perform at their best or close to it in every single test they played. But is there anyone else who could throw themselves into the cauldron of test performance a dozen times a year every year and play every game like it was your first?Hard though that might be (and I think it’s reasonably hard), the truly remarkable thing occurs off the field. This is where he decides that he will play another year at that level, and every day works at reaching that pinnacle of physical and mental preparedness.Since 2001, he has been working at his game at the highest level. Obviously there have been many victories, but there have been stinging defeats and recurring battles with injuries, especially the threat of concussion. The game has changed and he has had to evolve his role and help his team evolve its strategies. Since 2006 he has been the man on the field responsible for the execution of the strategies, and that didn’t always go well.While some people think his greatest skill is his ability to read the referee, he says his ability to anticipate play is his greatest strength. Undoubtedly, one of his other great strengths is to re-invent himself as the game’s rules changed.What’s the business context (if you haven’t already joined the dots)? Imagine if you as a business owner or manager could perform at McCaw’s level in terms of:• Coping with endless and intense expectations• Remaining calm under extreme pressure• Changing your company’s business model• Evolving your own role to develop the business• Managing a team of strong-minded individuals• Inspiring your team to greater heights• Performing better than anyone else in your own roleNow imagine doing that every single day for 14 years.We can all think of times when we have shone, when we have delivered a game changing leadership moment. But that’s only part of the game. And if we set our sights exclusively on these big opportunities, we miss the point of great leadership.Richie McCaw could identify with these words from American comedian Steve Martin, in his book Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life.“It was easy to be great. Every entertainer has a night when everything is clicking. These nights are accidental and statistical: like lucky cards in poker, you can count on them occurring over time. What was hard was to be good, consistently good, night after night, no matter what the abominable circumstances”.We all talk about good to great. Actually greatness also lies in being consistently good, day in, day out.PS) Want to learn more about how to make that happen? Click here