Whether you are a leader on the field or in the boardroom, pitching for success follows the same trials. In both business and rugby, putting yourself in a position to take a few hard knocks is the only way to place yourself and your team in a position to grow.
Written by psychologist Paul Boross, alongside rugby legend Scott Quinnell, Leader on the Pitch takes psychology learned on the pitch and applies it to the psychology of business.
The book strips leadership back to its bare bones, taking an honest look at how you can be the best possible leader to guide your team to success.
Leader on the Pitch dispels the notion that leaders are always charismatic individuals who inspire their teams with motivational speeches. Drawing upon their real-life experiences, the authors of the book found that the most compelling and inspiring leaders are also the best listeners. Real leaders will be found in the backroom, engaging people with the reality of their work – rather than simply hooking followers with a good PR campaign.
“One of the most important things that a leader has is a story,” reads the book. “The leader’s story is the reason that people choose to follow. It’s the narrative that runs parallel to your own life, something that you relate to, something that gives you the courage to follow. Do you have a story? Or do you just have goals, or sales targets, or a corporate mission statement. Do you really think such narrow, trivial statements will give people what they need to push beyond their limits?”
Taking Paul Boross’ experience in motivational psychology and Scott Quinnell’s experience from the grass roots of the pitch, they know that the only real competitor you will have in life is the one looking right back at you in the mirror. The book provides practical lessons on how to overcome self-doubt, inspire others and make smart decisions in a fast-paced, pressured environment.
Working together on and off screen for the past seven years, the authors of the book also draw knowledge from their hit Sky Sports tv series School of Hard Knocks.
As Sir Clive Woodward says in his foreword for the book, in business and rugby “the threat of failure causes leaders to lose their composure and make hasty decisions, and the end result isn’t because the decision was wrong but because it was made under pressure.”
No Comment