Ric Charlesworth, New Zealand Cricket (high-performance manager)
Ric Charlesworth
New Zealand Cricket (high-performance manager)
Number of years as coach – "decades"
WABN: Describe your preferred outdoor based training session.
RC: “For me, it’s a long walk through Kings Park or along the ocean. If I’m really energetic it would be a ride around the Swan River. No sit ups or hill climbs!”
WABN: What techniques do you use to motivate players?
RC: “Mostly I challenge them to realise their potential. I want them to perform beyond their own expectations and continually lift the bar.”
WABN: What is the best piece of advice you can give someone who wants to motivate a team?
RC: “Find out what they want to achieve then help them chart the course to achieve it.”
WABN: What has been the biggest mistake that you have made in your role as a coach and what did you learn from it?
RC: “We tend to think the players know what we [coaches] know and to think like us. They don’t, they are all different and to reach the team members requires a variety of approaches.”
WABN: What other profession do you most often seek advice from with respect to you team’s performance and why?
RC: “Psychologists – because that is where most gains are made.”
WABN: How do you manage player egos?
RC: “Reality checks i.e. analyse what actually happened. Often we aren’t honest with ourselves and don’t set ourselves difficult tasks. As a coach, stretching the best is critical.”
WABN: How do you manage off-field player conflicts?
RC: “By directly confronting them.”
WABN: What currently frustrates you about your sport and what would you do to change it?
RC: “The absurd inequalities in the rewards for athletes. Many are obscenely paid and some outstanding Olympic performers are ignored.”
WABN: How important is it for players to develop skills outside of their sport? What do you do to encourage it?
RC: “They have to function in the world therefore we need exposure to the problems of ‘ordinary people’. Presently, most are too pampered.”
WABN: What do you do to relax?
RC: “Play tennis, walk and very occasionally play golf.”
WABN: What music do you listen to for motivation?
RC: “None. I listen for enjoyment.”
WABN: What sporting identity do you most admire and why?
RC: “[Roger] Federer and [Tiger] Woods for their skill and consistency at the moment. I believe the best have great skill and athleticism, which are ‘God given’. Some I admire for their integrity and longevity. Mostly, however, I admire people like [Nelson] Mandela and [Indian writer and activist] Arundhati Roy for their courage and independence and those who work tirelessly without recognition from others (scientists etc…)”
WABN: Who has influenced you personally?
RC: “My dad, many coaches I’ve had, people I worked with, read about and came into contact with on my travels. It seems to me there are many influences on all of us and all those people fashion and hone the outcome.”
WABN: How do you stay up to date with current leadership and/or coaching trends?
RC: “I read and watch as much as I can…I watch all the big sporting events across sports, countries and codes.”
WABN: Have you read a good book on management/leadership that you can recommend? What was so good about it?
RC: “Most recently Winning by Jack Welch, the chapter on Candour hits the mark. Patrick Lencioni’s The Five Dysfunctions of a Team is also worth a read for team building.”
