The Plan: How Fletcher and Flower Transformed English Cricket

by Steve James

It is easy even for cricket followers to forget that, in August 1999, England lost to New Zealand to go bottom of the table of nine Test playing nations. Below Zimbabwe.  Below everyone, though Bangladesh had not yet been admitted to the top status. In 2011, they beat India to go to number one in the world.  This book is the story of how that remarkable transformation took place.

More particularly, it is the story of the impact of the leadership of two men.  Curiously, both are Zimbabweans who coached the England team - Duncan Fletcher and Andy Flower.  The most significant parts of the book detail the leadership styles and processes that both men put in place to deliver The Plan.  To become number in in the world.

Many of the dimensions follow the classic path if turnaround leadership.  The climate was right for change, as it had been proved that the current methods could not deliver results that were any worse.  Both leaders established and communicated clear goals of what would constitute success, and created a culture of working hard towards them. They engaged the team behind the goals, and inspired them to commit to them.  They won a critical mass of followers, and eventually dispensed with those not prepared to embrace the team culture.  They were prepared to be unpopular in the pursuit of higher standards, but shared praise for the achievements generously.  But the road to success was not smooth, and the were failures and disappointments along the way

For those seeking to understand the impact of leadership in sporting contexts, it offers a clear explanation of what worked and why.  And an equally clear picture that there is no magic formula for instant success.  

Much of the book is mired in the sort of cricket detail that will only appeal to the enthusiast, and those familiar with the players involved. It is a book primarily about cricket history, and secondarily about leadership.  This will disappoint some readers.  The fact that the author was a first class cricketer leads him to incorporate a lot of his own experiences and opinions, not all of which are relevant or interesting.

Overall, the tale is compelling.  The facts are perfect: from bottom to top.  The book delivers the explanation of how it came about, which is its purpose. In doing so, it positions itself on the cricket shelves rather than the leadership shelves.  That will disappoint some readers, who would have liked to get inside the leadership processes, but delight others who are looking for the dressing room side of a cricket tale that they have watched unfold before them