Michael Lynagh on Being A Team Player

08/28/20 • 70 min

Michael Lynagh is an Aussie Rugby legend and has a list of achievements and accolades that many would envy, but you wouldn’t always know it when you speak with him. Michael is a very humble man and spends much of his time focused on how he can help those around him to look good. Whether it be as part of the World Cup Winning team, captaining his country, playing professional rugby in England or his role as MD of Dow Jones Corporate EMEA, I was keen to talk with Michael Lynagh on being a team player.
Playing at a time before rugby was a full time career choice, Michael gives a new insight into how to achieve high performance and the challenges that you will have to face to stay there. Michael talks of having natural talent, but also making sure that you don’t waste it. Then there is all the practice, preparation and putting in the extra efforts and as importantly what you learn from it rather than just going through the motions.
Make sure you listen carefully as he shares his perspective of wanting to deliver for the team and team mates and the expectations that brings. Of course, we also talk about how Michael sees himself in a business environment and even the sense that he is not satisfied yet, no doubt based on the standards he sets for himself. But rather than putting on an act he talks of the benefits of knowing and being true to yourself. Michael, in his role as Managing Director, also shares how the lessons he learned from his time at elite levels of sports have been applied to business.

As I mentioned, Michael is an incredibly humble guy and it was an absolute pleasure to chat with him.

So take a listen and let me know what you think...

As I mentioned, Michael is an incredibly humble guy and it was an absolute pleasure to chat with him.

So take a listen and let me know what you think...

Previous Episode

Lee Carseldine on Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone

Lee Carseldine has spent a large part of his life challenging himself and understanding what it takes to get out of your comfort zone.
He has now distilled it down to asking himself three key questions when faced with a decision -

What can I learn from it?
Does it excite me/scare the sh*t out of me?
Will it add value to somebody?

Sounds simple right? Well imagine that you have achieved your life long dream and single minded focus of becoming a professional athlete. You are signed up to play cricket for a living. Then imagine it is all taken away from you. You have a back injury, and spinal surgery that results in your contract being torn up. At 27 years old, you are recovering from a near death experience and having to start again. Well that is what happened to Lee.

In this conversation with Al Fawcett, Lee shares his story of the mental resilience and effort needed to make a comeback, and the feeling he had when he could once again call himself a professional cricketer. During his rehab he also study for a double Masters Degree (in Applied Finance) and was working to keep things afloat.
Lee will also share the lessons learned from appearing on the tv series Australian Survivor... twice, and his experience of setting up his own business. Drone It is an aerial video, photography and pilot training company and started as a one man operation and now has grown to having a team across the country.
So, are you still imagining what you would have done, or how you would have handled it? Do you know what questions you would have asked yourself and whether they would have driven you forward or held you back. Would you have applied the thinking needed for getting out of your comfort zone?

If you would like to know more about Lee you can follow him on -

Instagram - leecarseldine

Twitter - @leeca77

LinkedIn - Lee Carseldine

Websites - DroneIt.com.au & leecarseldine.com.au

Follow Al & infinite pie via -

Instagram - Al_Fawcett & infinitepiethinking

Twitter - @al_fawcett & @infinitepie

LinkedIn - Al Fawcett

Reach out and let me know how I can help.

Thanks for listening, now go and do stuff that matters and have a good one.

Next Episode

Jake Aliker on creating a Formula 1 Performance Mindset

With over a decade of experience coaching in elite level sport, Jake is passionate about helping people reach their highest potential. Moving from a strength and conditioning coach for a professional rugby team to the Formula 1 paddock was always going to be a steep learning curve. Taking on the role as the personal performance coach for Max Verstappen as he started his career at Red Bull Racing was a challenge that he grabbed with both hands. Whilst max had spent his life around race tracks and the Formula 1 paddock, this was a new environment for Jake. He also realised that the role was a lot more than just helping Max to be the fittest man in the race. For Jake Aliker, this was about creating a Formula 1 performance mindset.
In this conversation with Jake you will hear about his own development as Max's former performance coach. He will share the relationships that he developed with team, how to cut through the noise and focus on his role in helping Max go faster. He shares how we all have 'anxiety' but how an F1 Driver will often use this as a signal to push harder.
Jake is now heading up performance for the Porsche Supercup team GP Elite and shares his insights on how he sets this up for success. Having set up his own coaching company Force and Grace, Jake also discusses how the lessons he has learned in elite sports and racing, can benefit businesses by creating a Formula 1 performance mindset.