Who could we be at our best?

Who could we be at our best?

Welcome to the last Bok Friday of the year, on the eve of the 2023 World Cup final. In case you haven’t heard, the Springboks are playing New Zealand for the William Webb Ellis trophy tomorrow night in Paris (who am I kidding, of course you know!). It has been impossible to buy a Bok shirt in any store in South Africa in the last two weeks – the entire country has a massive case of Bok fever, which has been incredible to witness.

Earlier this week Shinell and I were talking about the importance of reaching (and winning) the final for South Africa as a whole. For a nation that faces so much adversity on a daily basis, this is an enormous confirmation that we are still capable of achieving great things. This team gives us hope that incredible things can be achieved when we are able to get on the same page. The aim of this piece is not to hero worship the players, but rather to pinpoint some of the things that this group is getting right that we can all learn from in order to improve the environments we individually are involved in on a daily basis.

So, what can we learn from this team that we can apply as a nation?

1. There is no room for ego: This team includes some of the most famous, highest-paid rugby players in the world. They are sought after. Any team in the world would love to have them. Yet, they don’t make anything about themselves. Every player, coach and team staff member is contributing to the team. When Duane Vermeulen was asked about his response after being dropped from the match day team earlier in the tournaments, he simply replied: “One team, one mission”. In other sporting codes around the world, it is a well-known fact that the top-rated players don’t even eat with their teammates. This is not the case in this team – nobody is more (or less) important than anybody else.
2. There is a deep connection: You would be hard-pressed to find a more diverse team in the world. Yet you can see that they care about each other deeply. Throughout the competition, there have been multiple posts shared of the players interacting with each others’ families, players hugging, and Siya kissing Jessie Kriel after one match – evidence of care and affection for each other that cannot be faked. At a recent press conference, Kwagga Smith was asked if he feels the Springboks get enough respect from the rugby world. He said plainly: “We don’t play to earn respect from others. We play for each other and for South Africa”.
3. They know why: It has been said a million times throughout the competition – this team not playing to just win the cup. Rather the goal is to inspire a nation. Our nation. Plain and simple. It is not about selfish, individual fame and fortune, but about the combined benefit of the entire country.
4. They have fun: Most international rugby players consider South Africans to be the scariest to play against (especially the forwards). Our players are big, tough and relentless. One ex-international player referred to the current team as “some of the scariest but nicest humans walking the planet”. Despite this image, you often see the players smiling, laughing, and joking around. They are humble in the way they interact with fans and the media (WAY different than some of the other teams), which makes them some of the most highly regarded and loved players on the international circuit.
5. They innovate: This team has been the most innovative over the last 5 years by a country mile. They don’t copy anybody else, and don’t try to be something they are not. They focus on what makes them authentically South African and innovate around that to give them the edge. Where there are challenges or limitations, they find a clever way (within the rules) to work around them. They don’t ask permission, they don’t make excuses. They simply find resourceful, uncommon, often ballsy, ways to get the job done.
6. They are brave enough to do the hard work: Other teams don’t enjoy playing the Springboks. Our team is the most abrasive and confrontational of all. It takes an enormous toll on the opposition, but also on our players. Yet they don’t shy away from it. Coach Rassie has stated many times that he only picks the players with the biggest heart, those players who are willing to do very difficult things. No shortcuts allowed!
7. They are highly skilled: This is probably the characteristic that gets under the skin of this team’s detractors the most. Many people who don’t like the Boks try to paint the team as boorish, boring, outdated, and even dumb – yet these players are considered among the best in the world by people who actually care to pay attention to reality. World-class competence is probably not the first thing many people associate with our country, but we know that when we get our act together there is nobody we have to take a back seat to.

What would South Africa be like if we could emulate these characteristics on a daily basis? My guess is it would be rather fantastic. What can you focus on to do more of in the environment you operate in? How can you make our country a better place, starting where you are?

Want to find out who you can be at your best, get in touch. You can reach us at info@purposeworks.co.za.

At PurposeWorks we are all about Making You and Your Work Rock. Our focus is on Organisational Health and Design, Employee Centered Culture, Leadership Development and Performance Coaching. For more information on how we can help you create a work environment that rocks, develop a great team, become an inspiring leader or unlock your personal excellence talk to us at info@purposeworks.co.za.