Runs, wickets and rock & roll

Under a new captain and coach, England's cricket team has gone from losing 16 out of its last 17 games to beating two of the best sides in world in quick succession.

This turnaround was achieved in just five weeks and largely with the same team. In leadership terms, this is a full-blown unicorn. So how did it happen?

The team were told to act like rock-stars. Sounds laughable, but hold on, think about the unwavering positive mentality that garage bands need to morph into headliners. The players weren't pushed so hard in training. Unlike football managers, who seem to get fired as soon as there's a hint of a dip in performance, the selectors let players who didn't perform on the day live to fight another day – and fight they then did. Bowler Jack Leach went from lemon to lemonade in consecutive matches.

Nothing really changed in this team except the belief and trust from the leadership. Belief that they were already rock-stars waiting in the wings and all they had to do was believe it too. And trust in their ability to perform even after a poor performance.

Same players, same equipment, different culture, extraordinary result.

Rich Alderton specialises in Adaptability Intelligence, so if you’d like to channel your team's inner rock star, give him a call on 07873 823 800, send us an email or complete our enquiry form.