This article was first published in Issue 1 of Newstalk Magazine, Newstalk’s monthly iPad magazine, available now from the iTunes App store.  

'You are what you do every day'. That’s a statement I’ve gotten used to hearing and am unlikely to get bored of. It’s a comment I’ll hear from my Leinster coach Joe Schmidt most weeks as he reminds the squad to continue to live the values we’ve set out for ourselves. 

I might dare to tweak it ever so slightly and say ‘leadership is also what you do every day’. What I mean by that is you don’t have to be the CEO of a multinational corporation, the Captain of a ship or even the meager captain of a rugby team to be a leader. Irrespective of what your work consists of, everyone has the capacity to lead. You can do it by performing your role to the best of your ability every time you do it. 

Inspiration comes in many forms.  Over the course my professional Rugby career I’ve been inspired by some rousing speeches before going out to do battle in important matches; and by the on-field heroics of teammates.  Often though, the times I’ve been most impressed have not come when the cameras are rolling, but when peers have lead by example, doing their everyday work quietly and efficiently with little or no fuss - pushing themselves to the limits, looking for no plaudits or pats on the back, solely because those are the standards they demand of themselves. 

Respect 

What are the qualities of a great leader? Well for me, first it’s about commanding respect. That’s earned by what I’ve already mentioned. Talent gets someone to a certain point in his or her career but there is a lot more than talent required to achieve greatness. Leaders tend to go the extra mile rather than being content to do what’s been asked of them. In my world it can be as easy as doing an extra stretching session on your day off because your (ailing) body needs it, or staying on after training to do ‘extras’ in a part of your game that needs honing. You can be sure others are paying attention to those that stay on, particularly younger players as it sets the tone for what is expected of them. 

Brad Thorn (pictured above)

A player that I drew big inspiration from was only a teammate for four months of last year. Brad Thorn, a World Cup winner with New Zealand joined us on a short-term contact from February to the end of the year. He was thirty-seven years of age and built like a butchers dog. What I found so inspiring about ‘Thorny’ was his overall professionalism and enthusiasm for the game. He knew his own body and how to get the best out of it but he also shared his wealth of experience to his adoring fans (namely his team mates). He didn’t say a lot on the pitch but it was the little things of how he carried himself and remained humble irrespective of all he’s achieved in the game that stood out for me. He left an indelible mark on me, one that will remain well beyond my playing days. 

Author: Brian O’Driscoll

This article was first published in Issue 1 of Newstalk Magazine, Newstalk’s monthly iPad magazine, available now from the iTunes App store.  Download and subscribe for free for more features like this from top authors, sports stars,  Newstalk presenters and more.