Last night Australia qualified to meet the Blackcaps in the 2015 Cricket World Cup.
Four years since the last One Day World Cup in India, it now comes down to a maximum of 100 overs on Sunday 29th at the MCG to decide who will raise the trophy as the champions of the world.
As Head coach of the Australian side in the 2003 and 2007 World Cup campaigns, I was very pleased to be able to stand on the winning dais with a very excited and jubilant group of team mates.
There is little doubt that winning such a prestigious event in an unforgettable moment in time.
However right at that moment in time, there is little or no reflection of why did this happen? How did this happen? It is only with the wisdom of hindsight, can I now look back and find some answers.
The answers I am seeking though are not so much about the actual cricket, they are about principles which will help all of us as we play in ‘our World Cup tournaments’; that is to say, I look at my eldest son who is at the start-up stage of his weightlifting business. I look at clients with whom I work competing daily against the competition of their respective markets. And I listen or read the news and hear the many life stories that speak of struggle, hardship, journey, success and failure.
So when I look back at our World Cup wins, what sits at the top of the list of everything we did to secure those wins?
- Dream Big! Have a vision or picture of where you want to be. Don’t let anyone take that dream away from you. The only person to change your dream, your vision is you. My vision for the Australian cricket team was always “Everest – to be on top of the world”
- Be completely honest with yourself. Know your strengths and weaknesses, accept those, and love yourself for the person you are. We can always look to improve ourselves, but remain true to yourself. Never lose the faith or belief in yourself. Stick tightly to your principles and values.
- Make a clear assessment of where you are now. Again be honest, don’t delude yourself. Understand completely what you will need, to make the journey. Know the journey will be difficult at times, and seemingly out of control at others. Keep yourself and the journey on track by constantly evaluating progress against a set of measures that you choose, and that are not chosen for you by traditions or market standards.
- Get the right people around you. These are the people who ‘buy-in’ and share your dream, your vision. However, they are not “Yes” They bring to the journey a vast array of skill sets, but their biggest skill is to question, to ask “Why?”
- Finally, the journey will have many twists and turns. If the journey is going well, or conversely not, there will be so much well-meaning advice provided, as well as criticisms thrown. There will be significant external influences and circumstances which have the capacity to derail the journey. So, be very clear on what is within YOUR Ultimately, it is about “controlling the controllables”. Avoid wasting your time, energy, and resources on external influences over which you have no control.
Obviously, it is difficult to boil down what we did to a simple 5 point formula. Nonetheless, I am sure if we had not delivered on these 5 points, we would never have achieved the results we did.
Good luck with your ‘World Cup’ journey. And if you have already tasted ‘World Cup’ success, then learn from that, and begin your next assault.
John Buchanan
