Cadence Catch-up with Lewis #15

Welcome to the fifteenth edition of Cadence Catch-Up.

Looking at the articles and posts that have resonated the most since the last edition, the recurring themes are reaching milestones, and reflecting.

Not surprisingly, there is a sporting undercurrent! We start with an assessment of progress made by the England men’s cricket team under the leadership of coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes. It’s the perfect time for them to reflect on their own performance, given it’s the mid-point of McCullum’s contract.

We also look at some of the questions the soon-to-retire Liverpool FC manager Jurgen Klopp asks his players as a way of building authentic relationships.

And rounding this edition out, we celebrate the 50-year milestone of Sydney Morning Herald economics editor Ross Gittins, with a bit of help from a much younger colleague.

I hope you enjoy this edition of Cadence Catch-Up.

BAZBALL – FAD OR PHENOMENON?

McCullum didn’t coin the term “Bazball”, but he did introduce a mindset of playing to your strengths, playing aggressively, taking risks more akin to short forms of the sport, and always trying to move the game of test cricket forward.

After a recent resounding loss in India, and drawn series with NZ and Australia, McCullum and his captain Stokes have some thinking to do. The winning mentality has dried up a bit. How will they adapt their style for the remainder of their reign? What is the “fine tuning” required that McCullum speaks of? It’s going to remain an interesting ride.

KLOPP’S RELATIONSHIP BUILDERS

Many observers were stunned when Klopp announced in January this season would be his last in charge. So loved by Liverpool FC fans, and many other neutral observers, he reflected that he didn’t have the energy needed to maintain such a high-pressure role. That’s a leadership act in itself. From one of the many fine articles written about his leadership style, I’ve included 5 key questions he asks his players as ways of building trust with authenticity and empathy. These are also applicable in the corporate world.

HOW TO MAKE ECONOMICS RELATABLE FOR 17-YEAR-OLDS

You need passion in spades to do the same job for 50 years. But Ross Gittins has just that, as well as the canny knack of explaining economics in such a way that 17-year-olds studying for their HSC, as well as older laypeople can understand. He celebrates the milestone here in his usual unsung way.

PODCAST CORNER

In the fourteenth edition I spoke of the podcast Performance Intelligence with Andrew May. It continues to be a go-to podcast for me, with an array of guests including business figures, sporting types and those with an interesting story to tell.

In a recent edition, May interviewed Jacqui Louder, a psychologist working with Collingwood FC. Reflecting on her role there (now in her third season, with premiership success achieved in the second year), it’s interesting to note that she only feels like she’s really adding value now. Louder pays a lot of respect to what has gone on before her at Collingwood, its traditions, and like Klopp’s story above, feels it’s essential to really understand the human in front of you before you can help them. A big takeaway for me was her comment she is there to “give people the skills, rather than fix a problem”. The podcast gave great insight into one of the many backroom figures that contribute to a wider team’s success.

AND FINALLY…….

I promised in the last edition to offer up some nuggets from James Clear’s Atomic Habits. Many of you will have read the book I’m sure, but one big takeaway for me was Clear’s assertion to “forget about goals, focus on systems instead”. It reminds me of a comment from tennis legend Pete Sampras many years ago, who said he and his coach focused “solely on inputs, the outputs take care of themselves”. This rings true for me.

I don’t think Clear is saying to stop setting goals, but more around focusing on the many deliberate acts you do that actually break the goals down into actionable pieces. This has provided a new perspective for me – every article I read, conversation I have, podcast I hear, session I facilitate represent the inputs into my broader goal of creating a sustainable business where I can provide my clients the human and leadership skills to work to their natural best.

Hopefully you can identify the inputs crucial to your work, that contribute to a bigger goal.

ABOUT LEWIS

Lewis Williams is the Founder of Cadence Leadership Advisory, which provides coaching, strategic and team leadership facilitation and services to individuals and organisations. He has over 25 years leadership experience through senior roles at National Australia Bank and HSBC. Lewis regularly contributes as Adjunct Faculty to AGSM@UNSW on a variety of reskilling, leadership and development programs. He is also a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD).

Cadence Leadership Advisory is a leadership development business specialising in coaching people, team leadership and development, strategy review and organisational culture.