As a pioneer of sports psychology, Gilbert Enoka has been at the pointy end of leadership for 40 years.
Unless you are a New Zealand native, or a fan of World Cup Rugby, you can be forgiven for not being familiar with Enoka’s legacy.
One of the first of his kind, Gilbert Enoka is the mental performance coach who helped transform the New Zealand national rugby team to the lofty heights of dual World Cup Champions (2011, 2015) and had immeasurable influence upon the members of these squads.
Former All Blacks head coach, Steve Hansen, stated “His influence extended far beyond the field, helping to shape the team’s culture and legacy. He was the secret ingredient in a golden era of New Zealand rugby.”
Enoka epitomises how the influence that off-field support from key individuals can directly impact the on-field performance of those who they are there to guide, coach and assist.
Beyond rugby, Enoka played a pivotal role in the growth, development and on-field performance of the New Zealand national cricket team – The Black Caps – where he again guided and mentored the leadership and playing group to achieve success.
Former Black Caps captain, Stephen Fleming, famously shared, “Gilbert has a beautiful way of bringing a group of people together. To give them a purpose or a challenge to commit to something greater than oneself.”
The role and impact of the off-field leadership group can be enormous if/when their efforts and focus is directed towards the improvement of the individuals and the teams in which they are members. While we don’t see what goes on behind closed doors, or from the sidelines, the parallels between sport and business can’t be ignored.
Perhaps New Zealand’s most admired sportsman, Richie McCaw, boldly claimed that “Gilbert helped transform the All Blacks from being a coach-lead team to a player-driven leadership structure.”
McCaw’s honesty is a reflection of the wise words of the legendary Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu (est. 500 B.C.) “A leader is best when people barely know he exists. When the work is done, the aim fulfilled, they will say, ‘We did it ourselves’.”
The supportive and often reserved style of leadership provided by Gilbert Enoka can prove an alternative model for leaders and managers of teams within and away from the sporting arena and provides an insight into what it takes to help create great teams.