#249 James Kerr – Creating a Culture for Leadership & High Performance
Key Takeaways
Marginal Gains:
“That’s a truism in life, if you want to get good at something you need to do your 10,000 hours. If you want to move anything, very few things move all at once, they move by that constant application of pressure. And the good news is that’s something we can control, that becomes a decision that we make all day everyday”
Mission Command Tactics:
- Select the right people
- Train them right
- Resource them right
- Communicate the mission correctly
- Empower the below levels and passing the responsibility
“The courage of leadership is the courage to let go”
Defining Core Values:
“That’s the challenge that we all face, how do we come down to what really really matters to us and try to live that honestly and with integrity and respect everyday.”
00:48 James’ Non Negotiables
The four principles that James organizes his day around are:
- Physical
James prioritizes this one and does it first thing in the morning.
- Purposeful
“Have I really devoted my day to the work that makes a difference?”
- Planned
“Am I on top of the things that I need to be on top of”
- Play
“The play is a good way to learn and to experiment”
“I’ve definitely taken leaps and bounds over the last 12-18 months in terms of rebooting and reformulating the way I want to work”
08:09 Core Values
For James, he works through the distractions and the noise we all face through getting back in touch with his core values.
“That’s the challenge that we all face, how do we come down to what really really matters to us and try to live that honestly and with integrity and respect everyday.”
He talks about how psychology has shown that being in distress can be traced back to being out of alignment with our core values.
“If we’re acting one way but believe we should be another way, that causes pain and suffering”
James advice for listeners:
- Begin with the end in mind
- Decide who you have to be now for the end to be what you want
- Be tactical about your behaviors
17:15 James’ Career
James started his career in advertising but he got very interested in the strategic aspect of business. During his time working at agencies, James also wrote his first book about working with the Australian Rugby League team. The team’s coach, Bob Fulton, ultimately sparked James’ interest in high performance individually and within a team.
“That’s what I really try to do, in my books try to give people access to a more powerful story to live by, to perform by, and with teams it’s about what’s your particular story, why this team, why this group, why now”
23:50 Reflection
More often than not, many of us find ourselves focusing on the technical aspects of our day jobs that we forget
“We forget how powerful reflection is in terms of learning and reframing our experience and if you’re able to reflect and reevaluate and reframe and remind yourself of why it matters, that’s revolutionary”
28:28 Working the NZ All Blacks Rugby Teams
James is from New Zealand and so he talks about how the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team have always been like local heroes to him. On a more practical level, the All Blacks rugby team is one of the most successful and sustainable sports teams, which is why James decided to study them.
“I was intrigued from just a success story point of view and what’s that secret sauce, and also as a case study”
“The leaders and organizations that really thrive, tend to be very human in a lot of ways and that’s a strength”
James’s book Legacy is a global bestseller that has distilled down the 15 leadership lessons from the All Blacks and is highly recommended by Sean.
40:38 Humility
Humility is one of the most prevalent values that James discovered working with the All Blacks and one he has seen across all high performing teams he has worked with.
“The enemy of high performance is entitlement”
48:40 Company Culture
If one group is doing great things, people will look within their own group to see what they’re doing.
“Internally you model the kind of behavior that you want on a cellular level and try to get to that tipping point to where it becomes viral”
James talks about Mission Command tactics:
- Select the right people
- Train them right
- Resource them right
- Communicate the mission correctly
- Empower the below levels and passing the responsibility
“Without a framework and without that framework being aligned from top to bottom, you’ve got no chance”
“The courage of leadership is the courage to let go”
1:03:02 Aggregation of Marginal Gains
“That’s a truism in life, if you want to get good at something you need to do your 10,000 hours. If you want to move anything, very few things move all at once, they move by that constant application of pressure. And the good news is that’s something we can control, that becomes a decision that we make all day everyday”
1:08:30 Training Teams & Organizations
In high performing sports teams and organizations, there is constant training. James says he views this training as:
- Every opportunity is a learning opportunity
- Training and organizational development
“I believe there is a huge opportunity, within particularly larger organizations, to reassign training and development budget to something that makes the business different and creates a competitive advantage”
1:15:02 James’ Book Recommendations
- How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius by Donald Robertson
- Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
“Be voracious but in many different directions”
1:19:57 Dream Team to Work With
If James could be able to study any team throughout history, he would choose the Chicago Bulls with Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson.
1:22:15 James’ Interview Choice
If James could have an evening to interview anyone dead or alive, just not a family or friend, he would choose Marcus Aurelius.
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