Sometimes you can mix business and sport

I’m not a big fan of comparing sport and business.

Working for a financial services institution a few years ago, I remember listening to Kriss Akabusi talking about winning the Olympic Men’s 400m relay. It’s an inspirational story and as a big sports fan, it should engage someone like me, especially given Akabusi's unique delivery.

But does it work, mixing top level sport and business?  The idea that chasing an Olympic gold is relevant to achieving your annual objectives, if you work for a bank or any other big company has never quite made sense to me.

That said, perhaps it is strange that I wanted to write a few thoughts about a man who I believe is the pre-eminent sportsman of his generation, and how his example is relevant, especially for those in leadership and communications roles.

That man is Ben Stokes, captain of the England team (apologies to anyone reading this who doesn't 'get' cricket, please stay with it).

For much of the time that I’ve watched cricket (most of my life), England have struggled to play attractive, competitive and winning cricket on a consistent basis. Sure, there have been some great moments going right back to Botham’s Ashes in 1981, the Ashes (England v Australia) in 2005 and more recently winning World Cups in 2019 and 2022.

I was lucky enough to go on holiday to the Caribbean in March last year and see England play a Test Match in Bridgetown, Barbados. While the experience was great, the match itself was turgid and symptomatic of a side that played with the fear of losing being their predominant focus. Not surprisingly maybe given they had won only one of their previous 17 Test Matches (losing 11 of them).

Then Stokes, and coach Brendon McCullum, took over. And boy how things have changed. At the heart of what is being described as “Bazball”, the entire philosophy of what the England team are trying to achieve has changed dramatically. The culture, the vision, the mission, call it what you like, everything has changed. And the results speak for themselves.

England now play a most attractive brand of cricket. Having achieved some amazing results including an unprecedented 3-0 win away in Pakistan, they have just finished one of the most exciting Ashes series in years against Australia (the recently crowned World Test Champions). While the series was drawn 2-2, for me it was one of the most one-sided drawn series you could see. For most of it England dominated the Aussies and perhaps were only denied a famous series win by rain in Manchester.

All that is as maybe. When you look at what Stokes and McCullum have done, and how they’ve done I wanted to pull out six lessons that I felt are directly transferrable to business life.

1.     Right from the start Ben Stokes has been clear how he wants England to play Test Cricket. He wants to entertain and in every interview he reinforces this. The key is being clear about creating the team's culture it seems to me is consistent repetition. He accepts that at times England might lose matches that previous teams might have drawn. He understands that playing with a higher level of risk means things will sometimes not go as planned but even when that happens, he strongly reinforces that there is no compromise about the brand of cricket he wants to play.

What stops any leader or communicator not having that clarity, that consistency or that single-minded view of purpose or mission, which they can reinforce at every opportunity, even accepting that in the real world things don’t always go 100% to plan?

2.    Without doubt some of the team selections that Stokes and McCullum have made have been controversial. This summer, by keeping faith in their judgement and consistently and publicly backing their choices, England has seen players like Zak Crawley and Jonny Bairstow come good.

It is so important that leader's demonstrate faith in their teams. Managing performance including recognising achievement are key. Many communicators will work with leaders to amplify the critical message that says, “I believe in you, let’s work together to do better”, whether on an organisational basis or individual one. Many don't.

3.    One of the ways Ben Stokes has built the confidence in the team is that they have basically removed fear.  This is quite incredible given the prevailing culture in English culture. What we were used to was a fear of losing, of being criticised in the media, of being dropped.

Stokes and McCullum have been ultra-clear about the style of play they expect from the players. They accept that mistakes happen. They believe that it is better to fail playing the right way than succeed playing a different way.

Taking the fear away has created a totally different team (even though many of the players are the same) and performance has been turned on its head with records being shattered, especially for how quickly they have scored runs.

The lesson for leaders and communicators is clear. Be very clear about expectations. Manage this through regular conversations with your people, accept (indeed welcome) mistakes and fail fast. Use positive language, listen well and ensure these conversations are focused on improving performance.

4.    One thing that has really impressed me is what I see as the highest ethical standards displayed from Ben Stokes. I believe that he believes in playing cricket the right way - not resorting to win at any costs.

This year in the Lord's Test Match there was a controversial incident that led to Jonny Bairstow’s dismissal. While we can never know for sure, I believe Stokes when he says he wouldn’t want to win as a result of such incidents. I also see that Stokes takes seriously his role as a role model and conducts himself accordingly.

For leaders it is simple. Conduct yourself the right way. Remember people in your organisations will take their cues about the culture from you and your behaviour. Work with your communicators to demonstrate, explain and tell stories about the standards of behaviour that you expect both from yourself and from others.

5.    Ben Stokes is a leader who leads from the front but not in a way that says, “look at me, I’m the hero here”. Quite the opposite He sets standards but then allows others to take the limelight. I remember a moment in one of the matches played in Pakistan earlier this year. England’s players gathered for a team photo. As captain, Stokes was expected to take his place where every captain goes, seated in the middle in the front row. But quietly, he encouraged young English debutante Rehan Ahmed to sit there while he stood in the back row. It was a tiny gesture, almost unnoticed. You can only guess the impact on Ahmed.

The parallels in business are obvious. Powerful leaders are most powerful when they let others shine.

6.    Finally, and crucially, the English management team have made it fun to play cricket for England again. You see players (and supporters) with smiles on their faces. This includes some of the most experienced players who in a business context might have been those most resistant to change. They have bought in to this fresh approach.  Almost to a man they talk about how much they enjoy being part of this England team.

Engagement is so much easier when people enjoy themselves. This is not forced fun. It is about working with a shared philosophy, creating a culture where people want to be part of something and where individuals are given every encouragement to be the best they can be. And guess what, they’re performing to the best of their abilities and are winners.

Great leaders create great cultures and great experiences. This delivers great performance. With great leadership and great communication, Ben Stokes is showing how it can be done in sport, I don’t see any reason why this can’t be done in business.