No silver bullets, but coaching is key to high performance

How leaders can create a culture where people don’t wake up in the morning and say 'I have to go to work' — instead they say 'I get to go to work'

La Rochelle coach Ronan O'Gara: 'When I mess up, which I do a lot, I put up my hand. The players respect that. They know I’m human.'

When speaking last year at the Irish Management Institute's (IMI) National Leadership Conference, Irish rugby legend and current La Rochelle head coach Ronan O’Gara bluntly stated: “When I mess up, which I do a lot, I put up my hand. The players respect that. They know I’m human.” 

Few statements better sum up the evolution of leadership in recent years. In other words, rather than playing the rigid role of “coach” and appearing as other to the players, O’Gara here emphasises the importance of owning up to mistakes rather than trying to appear infallible, creating an environment of authenticity and openness.