To help address issues identified in a recent survey, Gallagher has launched a campaign of activity following the recent renewal of its title partnership with Premiership Rugby. The Gallagher Leaders Trust is an effective and ongoing mentoring network aimed at Directors of Rugby and head coaches across the league. Professor Damian Hughes is part of the panel of leading sports and business coaches, he explains why the Trust is necessary.

The challenge of creating a high-performance culture is age-old and ever-present. Whether you are a business organisation or sports team, everyone is striving for that magic formula. Leadership is fundamental to this. A good leader can be a visionary, an inspiration and ultimately the differentiator between success and failure. 

There is no failsafe recipe for successful leadership, but making sure you have access to a network of trusted advisers is a crucial component. The stand-out leaders of our time all have the willingness and ability to corral a group of experts around them, take on board their collective counsel and make informed, often difficult, decisions that will benefit their whole team’s performance.  

After all, the success of a business or a rugby team is highly dependent on effective teamwork, which in some instances necessitates bringing into the fold external specialists. 

“Recent research by Gallagher found a clear link between feeling isolated as a leader, due to the pressure of role responsibilities, and performance.”

Because leadership can be lonely. The higher you rise, the greater the weight of having to make critical decisions alone and the lower the number of close confidantes you are likely to have.

In fact, recent research by Gallagher found a clear link between feeling isolated as a leader, due to the pressure of role responsibilities, and performance – with negative impacts on productivity, confidence and decisiveness. All of which are likely to have ramifications for the team’s performance too, both in the short and longer term.

But these risks can be mitigated if senior leaders better understand the value – not the weakness – that lies in asking for help, seeking support and accessing expertise from those around them. 

That’s why Gallagher, in partnership with Premiership Rugby, is taking steps to ensure leaders are effectively supported with the launch of the Gallagher Leaders Trust. Aimed specifically at Directors of Rugby (DORs) and head coaches, the initiative is designed to help create an effective and ongoing mentoring network for those tasked with delivering exceptional performance leadership across the league’s 13 clubs. 

Comprising a panel of leading sports and business coaches, including Sir Andrew Strauss and myself, the GLT will work to ensure individuals are equipped to deal with the challenge of leadership and provide a network of external expertise and guidance.

We are also delivering elements beneficial to the broader leadership community such as intimate business breakfasts, content via The High-Performance Podcast and keynote talks that will allow for networking opportunities. 

“The ultimate goal of the programme is to help them meet the demands of leadership head on and ensure their welfare.”

For DORs and head coaches, the ultimate goal of the programme is to help them meet the demands of leadership head on and ensure their welfare, whether by equipping them with the right tools to navigate high-pressure situations or by creating an environment where individuals can benefit from bespoke advice and support, depending on their specific needs. 

Given worldwide events over the past two years, the need for strong, supported and informed leadership has never been greater. And those leaders need their own trusted networks to which they can turn. Leadership should not be a lone pursuit.

To find out more about the Gallagher Leaders Trust please visit: https://www.ajg.com/uk/news-and-insights/2022/february/gallagher-survey/