Wayne Bennett

Summary

The transcript emphasizes the qualities of a true leader, who gains respect through actions and intent, not by seeking it. It discusses the importance of making tough decisions for the betterment of the team, even if it means being unpopular. The speaker shares personal experiences, including the consequences of difficult choices made for the greater good, and the importance of not being used or seen as weak. The narrative also touches on the battle between good and evil within, suggesting that the traits one nurtures determine the outcome of this internal struggle, ultimately shaping the environment and success of a team or organization.

Takeaways

• 🌟 A true leader is defined by the quality of their actions and the sincerity of their intent, rather than self-identification as a leader.
• 🔍 Leaders should make decisions for the right reasons, as this impacts the perception of their actions when things go wrong.
• 🦅 True leaders are like eagles, not flocking with the crowd, and may be difficult to be popular all the time, which is essential for effective leadership.
• 🤔 Leaders must distinguish between being liked and making tough decisions, which can sometimes be unpopular but necessary.
• 💡 It's crucial for leaders to understand the difference between kindness being perceived as weakness and being exploited by others.
• 🚫 Leaders should not tolerate being used or exploited, maintaining boundaries to prevent negative impacts on the team.
• 🛑 Making hard decisions, even if they are emotionally challenging, is a part of leadership, as seen in the example of a coach who had to let go of a player for his and the team's betterment.
• 📈 Accountability is key in leadership; leaders should spend time nurturing new talent rather than solely focusing on seasoned players.
• 🔑 Leaders should set expectations and follow through with consequences, as demonstrated by the coach who warned of changes if performance targets were not met.
• 📊 The importance of creating an environment where everyone works towards a common goal, as opposed to groups that complain and undermine progress.
• 📚 The Cherokee tale of two wolves inside us symbolizes the ongoing battle between good and evil within individuals, with the outcome determined by which 'wolf' one feeds.
• 🛤️ Leaders should foster an environment where problems are solved collectively and progress is made, rather than allowing divisiveness and negativity to prevail.

Q & A

What is the key quality that makes someone a true leader according to the transcript?

A true leader becomes one by the quality of their actions and the honesty of their intent, rather than seeing themselves as a leader.

How does the speaker describe the impact of making decisions for the right reasons?

Making decisions for the right reasons leads to a different outcome when things go bad. It helps maintain trust and integrity even in failure.

What is the analogy used to describe true leaders?

True leaders are like eagles; they don't flock and are found one or two at a time, signifying their uniqueness and independence.

Why is it difficult for a leader to be liked all the time?

It's difficult because leadership often requires making tough decisions that may not always be popular, thus affecting the likability of the leader.

How does the speaker relate the experience of a teacher to leadership?

The speaker suggests that sometimes being too soft can be a disservice, and leaders, like teachers, need to make tough decisions for the betterment of those they lead.

What was the outcome of the speaker's decision to sack a player from the Broncos?

The player later asked to play back with the speaker, acknowledging the need for discipline and guidance that the speaker provided.

What did the speaker do at the end of the 1996 season with the Broncos?

The speaker sacked four senior players who were underperforming, despite having made a general statement earlier in the season about potential changes.

How did the speaker's actions at the end of 1996 impact the team's performance?

The decisions led to winning the premiership in 1997 and 1998, showing the effectiveness of the speaker's leadership and decision-making.

What is the significance of the 'two wolves' cliche mentioned in the transcript?

The cliche illustrates the internal battle between good and evil within people, emphasizing that the one you feed (good or evil) is the one that will prevail.

How does the speaker address the myth about different generations in the workplace?

The speaker dismisses the myth as rubbish, stating that the core values and principles of leadership and work ethic remain consistent across generations.

What is the speaker's stance on compromising the standards of performance in sports or work?

The speaker is adamant about not compromising on performance standards, emphasizing the importance of discipline and commitment.

Outlines

00:00

🦅 Leadership and Decision-Making

The first paragraph discusses the qualities of a true leader, emphasizing actions and intent over self-designation. It highlights the importance of making decisions for the right reasons, even when they are difficult and may lead to mistakes. The speaker shares personal experiences, including the challenge of making tough choices as a coach, such as sacking players for their own growth. The narrative includes a story about a player who returned to play under the speaker's guidance, acknowledging the discipline and structure it provided. The speaker also touches on the distinction between being liked and being a leader, suggesting that leaders must sometimes make unpopular decisions for the greater good.

05:02

🐺 The Inner Battle of Personal Growth

The second paragraph delves into the metaphor of an internal struggle between two wolves representing good and evil within each individual. The 'good wolf' symbolizes positive traits like joy, peace, hope, and faith, while the 'evil wolf' represents negative emotions and behaviors such as anger, jealousy, and ego. The speaker uses this metaphor to encourage self-reflection on which wolf one is nurturing. The paragraph also addresses the importance of creating a positive environment in teams and schools, where problems are solved collectively rather than through complaints and negativity. The speaker refutes the notion of generational differences affecting behavior, arguing that core values and discipline remain consistent across generations.

Keywords

💡Leader

A leader is someone who guides, influences, and directs a group of people towards achieving a common goal. In the video's theme, a true leader is defined not by self-appointment but by the quality of their actions and the sincerity of their intent. The script mentions that true leaders are like eagles, not flocking, and emphasizes the difficulty of leadership when it requires making tough decisions that may not always be popular.

💡Mistakes

Mistakes refer to errors or incorrect decisions made in the past. The script acknowledges that everyone, including leaders, makes mistakes. However, the outcome is different when mistakes are made for the right reasons, suggesting that the intention behind actions is crucial for leaders.

💡Accountability

Accountability is the expectation for individuals to be responsible for their actions and decisions. The video discusses the importance of senior players being accountable and how a leader's time should be spent more on guiding the young and less experienced rather than those who have been around for a longer time.

💡Tough Decisions

Tough decisions are choices that are difficult to make, often involving significant consequences or unpopular actions. The script talks about the necessity for leaders to make such decisions, like sacking players from a team, which can be emotionally challenging but necessary for the greater good.

💡Discipline

Discipline refers to the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior, using punishment to ensure compliance. The video shares an example of a player seeking to return to a coach for more discipline, indicating the value of discipline in personal and professional development.

💡Guidelines

Guidelines are a set of principles or rules that provide direction or advice. In the context of the video, a player asks for guidelines from a coach to keep him in check, emphasizing the role of a leader in setting clear expectations for behavior.

💡Weakness

Weakness, in the video, is portrayed as something that should not be mistaken for kindness. It is important for leaders to avoid being perceived as weak, as this can lead to being taken advantage of by others, which can negatively impact the team or group.

💡Climbers

Climbers in the script are individuals who may exploit perceived weaknesses in a leader to advance their own interests. The speaker warns against allowing such behavior to affect the team, highlighting the need for strong leadership to prevent exploitation.

💡Evil and Good

The script uses the metaphor of two wolves representing the struggle between good and evil within people. The 'good wolf' symbolizes positive traits like hope and compassion, while the 'evil wolf' represents negative traits like anger and greed. The old Cherokee's advice is to feed the wolf that represents the traits one wants to nurture, which ties into the theme of personal responsibility and leadership.

💡Environment

Environment, in this context, refers to the setting or conditions in which people operate, such as a school, team, or workplace. The video emphasizes the importance of creating a positive environment through leadership, where everyone works together towards common goals, as opposed to a negative environment where individuals focus on complaints and grievances.

💡Boundaries

Boundaries are limits or edges beyond which an individual or group should not go. The script discusses the importance of setting boundaries in leadership, as without clear limits, people may not understand what is acceptable or unacceptable behavior.

💡Generational Myths

Generational myths refer to the stereotypes or misconceptions about different generations, such as the idea that younger generations are fundamentally different from their predecessors. The speaker in the video dismisses such myths, arguing that the core principles of discipline and commitment to a task remain constant across generations.

Highlights

A true leader does not see themselves as a leader but becomes one through the quality of their actions and the honesty of their intent.

Making decisions for the right reasons leads to a different outcome when things go bad compared to when there is an agenda or bias.

True leaders are like eagles - they don't flock and are found one or two at a time.

Leadership is difficult because it requires making tough decisions and sometimes going against being liked or popular.

Coaches and teachers struggle with making tough decisions, but it is necessary for the betterment of the team or students.

Leaders must understand the difference between being kind and being seen as weak, which can lead to being taken advantage of.

Making hard decisions, even when they affect the leader more, is necessary for the overall good of the team or organization.

Accountability is crucial, and sometimes that means making difficult choices like letting go of senior players to improve the team.

The story of the two wolves inside us represents the battle between good and evil within each person.

The wolf that wins in each person is the one that is fed more - it's a choice of nurturing either good or evil qualities.

Creating an environment where winners come together to solve problems and move forward is essential for success.

Leaders must provide clear direction and boundaries to ensure a positive and productive environment.

The idea of different generations having vastly different needs and behaviors is a myth; core values and expectations remain consistent.

Compromise on fundamental principles, like commitment and discipline, should not be made to accommodate changing times or generations.

Leaders must stand firm on essential values and behaviors to maintain a high standard of performance and conduct.

Providing leadership and direction is crucial for setting boundaries and ensuring that everyone knows what is acceptable and what is not.

Without strong leadership and clear expectations, chaos and misbehavior can ensue, as people do not know how to act appropriately.

Transcripts

a true leader does not see himself as a

leader but becomes one or the quality of

his actions and the honesty of his

intent can repeat that for you he or she

becomes one by the quality of their

actions and the honesty of their intent

I can't tell you the amount of mistakes

I've made but people generally start

because they're now I made the decisions

for the right reasons and I'm sure

you've made mistakes but if they feel

you've done for the right reasons it's a

whole different outcome when things go

bad - when they know there's an agenda

when there's a bias and all the other

stuff that goes with it true leaders are

like Eagles they don't flock you find

them one two time

one of the reasons that you know I said

recently you know Allan Lane was when

the all-time great players ever coached

and champion blow but the hem

leadership's difficult because he likes

to be light and there's nothing wrong

with that we all like to be liked but

it's difficult for you to lead when you

when you need to be popular when you

need to be with the group all the time

we all need friends and we need

friendships leaders need them as well

but you have to understand the

difference between the true leaders and

the leaders so for him you know coach

he's always going to be difficult

because it requires a lot of tough

decisions as teaching does and he'll

struggle with those all of his life and

perhaps I give it a little insight

because maybe that's things that you

struggle with and I was talking to a

teacher this morning you know he said

sometimes he is a little bit soft well I

can tell you there's no bigger softer

than me but I know I do them a

disservice and I don't make the right

decision and when I don't carry it

through and when I give in to my

feelings and I go home and I'm extremely

disappointed myself and I don't like

that feeling because they know I've let

them down I know I should have made the

decision and it's hard on them sometimes

but I know it's going to make them

better and I remember a boy I sacked a

check to him actually at the Broncos and

he's back playing with me now the

dragons he rang me up last year and

asked me could he come and play back

with me he said I need you he said you

give me guidelines he said you keep an

eye on me he said and you make me more

disciplined than what I can be myself

and I thought you know but the time when

I sacked him I was more upset than he

was but I knew I had to do that because

to keep him any longer was not going to

get where he wanted to go and we've gone

as far as we could

and you have to make those choices

you've got to realize when they're

wasting your time my friend days of

saying you know he says don't don't

don't start pissing on my boots and tell

me it's raining it's a good line to

remember when you're dealing with people

okay you don't want to be used up

you don't underst

Klein is for weakness repeat that for

you you don't want to misunderstand when

you're being kind to someone that they

see it as a weakness and they start to

use you up that's the one thing I won't

tolerate

I'll tell away a lot of other things in

people but I will not tolerate that and

sometimes you know yeah when you make

that hard call it affects you more than

anybody else but you need to make that

hard call in 1997 1996 at the beginning

of the season I said to the Broncos were

underperforming a lot of talent and

there was a lot of players there'd been

there for a number of years and I said

to them in a general conversation team

meeting I said guys at the end of season

if we don't get what I think we should

go with the amount of talent we have

here I said some of you will not be here

in 1997 didn't make a big deal about it

statement was made I found I was wasting

a lot of my time on players that were

senior players in the team who should

have been more accountable and you know

as you know and teaching the young

teachers coming in they need more of

your time than the ones that have been

doing it for 10 or 15 years that's the

way it should be but I found myself

spending more time with those that were

experienced players and with the young

ones coming in so the end of season came

around we didn't get where we want to go

so I sacked four of them absolute shock

horror what you're doing that for but I

reminded them all I said guys I tell you

the beginning of season we won the

premiership in 1998 1997 we won 98 and

we got one in 2000 as a result of the

decisions that were made at the end of

1996

so I'll just remind you again just make

sure you understand the difference

between climbers and they see weakness

in you just dial em use you up because

again it will impact on everybody in

your team from your staff to your to

your students ID one of the players send

me a cliche about two wolves which I

want to share with you about yourselves

and you can ask yourself the questions

that I run through this cliche is one

evening an old Cherokee told his

grandson a bit a battle that goes on

inside of people he said my son the

battle is between two wolves inside us

all he said one is evil it is anger envy

jealousy sorrow regret greed arrogance

self-pity guilt resentment inferiority

lies false pride superiority and ego

we've all got some of those straights

over it no doubt at all he said the

other was good the other wolf that lives

inside of us it is Joy's peace Slovaks

hope sincerity humility kindness

benevolence empathy generosity truth

compassion and faith the grandson

thought about it for a minute and then

asked his grandfather he said which wolf

wins the old Cherokee simply replied the

one you feed

which one have you been feeding which

one exists in your school the one of a

line that says you know in that school

environment and team environment you

know that that winners come together as

a group and they solve their problems

and they move forward losers come

together in small groups and they pitch

in whinge about the other players and

the coach and staff which ones happening

in your workplace which one is it and

which one is inside of you the good the

evil and I'll go back to where I study

this morning is about the change

not about changing only in the way that

you educate when the change that you

need to make to yourself so you can

create that environment you see you know

over talk today about how you handle you

know guys with bad behavior pad attitude

because of my belief is if you create

the environment you get all the staff on

side you're more work in the one

direction they all follow your lead

then you're clear you'll solve half your

problems anyway without even talk to

them because kids and adults are smart

enough to realize about what's going

down here what's acceptable what's not

acceptable it's when you don't provide

that leadership in that direction

whether it's within the family whether

it's within the team or that's in the

classroom it doesn't happen

and and they don't have boundaries you

know that I mean one of my great myths

one of the great myths that we're

getting thrown at us now is about the

the x y&z generation it's absolute

rubbish absolutely much my parents

they've had TV my parents never like

electric power we never had lights you

know when I come along TV or just hard

to come in what appears they never car

now on the kids are got cars now we walk

about five TVs in the house you know so

let me send an Xbox and they play other

games but the young men that I deal with

are no different to the men are dealt

with twenty thirty years ago there's a

way that we got to play football I can't

compromise that that's not for sale I

can't say listen we can tackle soft now

boys that's going to win us games you

know you can be sloppy with your pass in

hell you have to try and turn up a train

on time that's not going to be an issue

anymore you can come when you when you

want to and we'll all wait for you

because you're seventeen year old now

you're a next generation otherwise in a

generation

please