Perspective Matters
The concepts for “In the arena” are taken from years of daily journaling and in the moment note-taking in my Moleskine journal, and the lived experience as a leader for most of my working life.
The notes come from a personal process: Curiosity – Collection – Curation – Creation.
“Creating” this email each week, provides the opportunity to “curate” the notes and thoughts I’ve “collected” that have come from the books I’ve read, podcasts I’ve listened to, or conversations I’ve had…i.e. my “curiosity”.
A special moment on Grand Final weekend.
Two clubs set aside their celebrations and disappointments to honour an outstanding player of the game, the ‘Little Master’, Gary Ablett Jnr in such a unique and memorable way.
The game has produced many outstanding players, but few, if any, better than this man.
Such is the respect, the Richmond players tucked their Premiership medallions into their jumpers, hidden, not wishing to take the shine away from the player and this moment. The Premiership Cup is nowhere to be seen, all inspired by Tiger champion Dustin Martin who for three Premierships in four years, hides away his Norm Smith medals.
Team trumps individual.
The Richmond I grew up with was known as ‘Ruthless Richmond’, and all of the expectations that went with it. They were ruthlessly successful for a period, but there was a hangover that lasted generations.
The current Tigers value humility above all else, and it has produced an era for Richmond to rejoice. An era that will live on.
Craig Foster described it wonderfully as the sporting Holy Trinity…on-field and commercial success with genuine social leadership and impact. They have built on each other, and they are a model of leadership.
To the leaders, President Peggy O’Neal, CEO Brendon Gale, Coach Damien Hardwick and skipper Trent Cotchin (and there are many others; shared leadership is also a mantra), well played.
You have changed the game (and a little bit of the world) for the better.
Go Tiges.
Idea:
Perspective Matters – Another competition: ‘Winning’ vs ‘The process of becoming’
Winning is fleeting, while the process of becoming lasts a lifetime.
So fleeting is winning in elite sport, almost immediate is the thought “What next?”.
The process of becoming is about growth and gives winning perspective.
Perspective matters.
You earn perspective. If you haven’t been through the hard times, I am not sure you can really appreciate winning.
It took a long time for the penny to drop, but I now know I am richer for my failures. I own them. When you are in the midst of your disappointment, it is hard. When you are through it, you know that you can endure. What was overwhelmingly difficult, now seems possible.
“It is not how you get knocked down, it is how you get up.” – Allan Jeans, Vince Lombardi et al.
You cannot buy wisdom, experience….and perspective.
The Tigers have perspective.
This thought was inspired by Dr Michael Gervais’ interview on his Finding Mastery Podcast:
Jill Ellis on The Pressure of Coaching the U.S. women’s national soccer team
Quote:
“Resilience, for Harkness, is ‘the ability to accurately assess threats and opportunities and to allocate emotional resources accordingly’. Resilience is not perseverance, or ‘keeping on pedalling’. It’s an accurate assessment, which means it has to be flexible. If you persevere and you continue to get nowhere, then you are wasting energy. ‘Sometimes when you fail,’ he says, ‘you should just give up..”
― From “Edge: What Business Can Learn from Football” – Ben Lyttleton’’
Harkness is Tim Harkness, Head of Sports Science and Psychology at the Chelsea Football Club
Recommendation:
“The Turning’ by Tim Winton
My favourite Australian writer is Tim Winton. Great fiction is excellent for the soul and underestimated from a learning perspective. The writer is going deep on your behalf, it’s just a matter of keeping up.
His book “The Turning” is worth swapping for your next Netflix binge. The Audiobook is very well produced.
Here is the Audible Link.
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