Book Review: Legacy
by James Kerr
Legacy is a thoroughly enjoyable and enthralling book that looks at the methods of the All Blacks and the core principles behind their continued success. Kerr has gathered this whilst being embedded with the All Blacks for five weeks during 2010.
The underlying theme of the book is the focus that the All Blacks put an emphasis on people before anything else. Ensuring that they have the right people in the right place, giving them responsibility and connecting them to a common purpose.
“Good people, make good All Blacks”
They have put a high premium on keeping moral standards and throughout there are anecdotes about Ritchie McCaw ‘sweeping the sheds’ after training and Dan Carter spending hours signing autographs. It is this humility that is central to the learning environment that Graham Henry speaks of his desire for, based on the Japanese principle of ‘Kaizen’. The principle is one of continuous improvement, and that applies to the management just as much as the players. Indeed, the book tells of trips that the coaching staff took around the world to view the culture at other major sporting institutions.
There are also some very interesting insights into their training methods, which revolve around intensity and creating game like pressure. Wayne Smith’s methods and philosophy of coaching are frequently quoted, where players are continually thrown randomised situations and encouraged to take control of their own improvement: “If you are not over-extending yourself you’re not going to get much learning”.He is also quoted as saying “I’m a great believer in that we don’t instruct a lot…so you get self awareness”
To reinforce many of the principles displayed by the All Blacks, Kerr refers to leadership literature, quoting from Gen. David Petraus, Jim Collins, Bill Walsh and Aristotle (amongst many others) linking the theory to the practice. This only serves to highlight the level of thought and scientific application that has been put into the All Black approach.
The key message of the book is the importance of culture building, whatever environment you are in. The challenge for all of us is deciding the best way to build that culture. Kerr suggests his ‘First XV’ of leadership lessons:
- Never be too big to do the small things
- When you are on top, change what you do
- Ask yourself why?
- Create other leaders
- Be a teacher
- ‘No Dickheads’
- Aim high
- Practice under pressure
- Mental control
- Know yourself
- Give your all to something
- Invent your world and create it
- Create a culture
- Plant trees you will never see
- Write your legacy
Here are a couple of Telegraph articles referring to the book: