Professional Corporate Trainer, Speaker and Life-coach, Chief Inspirational Officer at Don Sumdany Facilitation & Consultancy.
The World Cup final this year was a thrilling one. It had every bit of drama and surprise that was needed to keep cricket lovers glued to their TV sets. As England lifts the World Cup trophy as the winner, a glorious history is made. Everyone who closely followed Team England throughout the last few years, would agree that the man who made it happen for England was the captain Eoin Morgan. We saw him hit the most sixes in the finale but the achievements of this man surpasses more than what meets the eye. Let’s take a look at how the leadership of Eoin Morgan and how focusing on the mindset of the team was the main driving force behind England’s victory in 2019 World Cup.
Corporate Trainer and One to One Coach. He is a Chief Inspirational Officer at Don Sumdany Facilitation and Consultancy
Accepting Challenge Like a Champ: Great leaders don’t fear challenges, they conquer them. After Alastair Cook was removed from the ODI captaincy on 19 December 2014, after losing a series to Bangladesh, Morgan was made captain for the 2015 Cricket World Cup, having already captained England in ODIs and T20Is as a stand-in. This was a big challenge for him but his sheer devotion to leading the team influenced the board to keep him as the caption for the 2019 tournament as well. In crisis some see problems and others see opportunities. It is all about the mindset.
Creating a ‘We Can’ Mindset in People: Being the inventor of the game and never having won a World Cup was something that always bugged the England cricket team. It was rooted deeply in their minds and rendered their hope of winning a World Cup a mere dream. But Morgan came as a saviour and motivated all the players to play their best and we all saw that motivation work on the field. The lesson being, the first step of achieving is believing that it can be achieved.
Backing up Ideas with Statistics: When Morgan was selected as the caption for the team he did his research and found that every time England score above 300+ while batting first, their winning chances go up by 70%. He shared his findings with his fellow mates and from there, they had a goal in mind to follow from there onwards. It goes back to the good old trick of visualization and focus. By focusing on a 300+ run and visualizing it, it was easier for the team to aim at such heights and achieve it.
Leading from the Front: A good leader is the one who leads by example. He shows them how it’s done. Eoin Morgan also did something similar. In the final he took the cup home with his incredible captaincy and batting. He hit 17 sixes in the final match to bring the trophy home. Now that’s what defines a true leader.
Leadership is an attribute that you don’t necessarily have to be born with. With time, dedication and the right mindset, everyone can aspire to be as great of a leader as Eion Morgan.
Our thoughts drive our actions. It is all in the mindset that determine whether we will make it or break it. Eoin Morgan and his timeless leadership is a living example of this.