Unsung Heroes | Servant Leaders

The analogy of geese flying in formation to cover vast distances will always be a great reference point for team excellence. Teamwork is about a shared mental model, or a shared understanding of why, what, and how something is done. The geese understand that everyone has a role to play and that by each playing their part, they will collectively go further together. Stronger geese will lead at the front of the V formation to reduce the drag on geese further back, but team members rotate to share the work. This is shared servant leadership in action.

When interviewed about what it took to win the Rugby World Cup against all odds in 2023, Springbok Jesse Kriel referenced the geese metaphor immediately after the final. It was an instinctive answer to a question about the team and how far they have come as a group. Considering that the Springboks are the World #1 and they draw their players from club duties all over the world (RSA, UK, Europe, Japan), surely there is some transferable learning for teams in industry...

I have written extensively on transferable insights across different domains so I decided to explore for new epiphanies from the Springbok playbook. Something jumped out at me which I recently shared with a client leader when discussing the role of a performance coach. The Springboks invest in an "Off the Ball" coach; someone who is specifically helping with all of the unnoticed hard work which takes place offscreen behind the scenes while contributing to excellent results.

‘To put it simply, it’s everything you don’t see when you watch the game on TV and it affects absolutely every other department. If the camera moves away from the breakdown, you don’t see how quickly the players are getting to their feet. That can be so important to your system, how fast the players get back into formation.”

I realised how analogous that is to the role of an Exceed Performance Coach on a rig or a platform. As servant leaders we are really coaching attitude / mindset / teamwork – a lot of the unseen stuff away from the drill floor that contributes to more effective taskwork at the rotary table. This includes the shaping of a shared understanding of roles, responsibilities, preparation, learning, and collective ownership. It takes effort and involves conversations behind the scenes to ensure nothing is left to chance.

An interesting comment that was repeated many times after the Springboks won their knock-out games, was "they always find a way". Champion teams know that what they accept becomes their standard. Performance creep is a known phenomenon hence the demand for accountability partners to keep a focus on all the controllables, including off the critical path. This is where the winning mindset is built and the will to find a way is moulded in place.

The advent of AI and digital disruption is allowing us to understand and analyse these traits of excellence. An "Off the Ball" coach has so much more data to use. But "flying in formation" still involves hearts and minds. Lets make sure we have enough unsung heroes on the team.