Hands up if you’ve been inspired by the heroics of the Lionesses at the weekend, and not just in a sporting capacity…
Sport has set an agenda this summer that has transcended itself. Leadership lessons have permeated into other areas of society, and a sector which can particularly draw from it is educational leadership.
We asked the (AMC) team what they’ve learned from the Lionesses about leadership. Here’s five areas that stood out:
🪟 Transparent communication, clarity of vision and principles – no beating about the bush, Sarina told each player on selection what their role would be in the tournament from starter, to bench, to impact player. So there were no difficult conversations during the tournament. Everyone knew their role and bought into the synergy. Players and non-playing staff in the team all knew the vision, clarity of strategy and tactics to get there, and they moved forwards as one.
📏 Behaviour expectations & high standards – expectations were high, and they had every right to be. Sarina had already achieved with The Netherlands what England wanted to achieve, so everyone bought into what she was expecting, and they expected it of each other.
🌱 Trusting players to be themselves, make mistakes and grow – ‘that’ Russo heelback goal would never have been possible had there not been a culture in the squad to play fearlessly and with freedom, to try things out and to make mistakes in front of each other.
🚧 Courage & resilience, backed up with unwavering determination – to succeed even under the greatest pressure, the mindset to pick yourself back up after hitting barriers, hurdles and set-backs. Chloe Kelly’s Tournament winning performance came just 11 months after an injury that saw her sidelined, doing rehab for most of last season.
🙏 A sense of groundedness and humility – the players and coach said they took the tournament one game at a time and kept their feet on the ground. Since the win they’ve remained humble and have cited their gratitude for the many people who went before them to make their success a reality in 2022.
Whether in the staffroom, school assembly, or when communicating with parents or alumni, these are five ideologies and leadership styles that can be transferred quite easily.
Are you already adopting any of these? What would you add?
