England’s cricket captain Andrew Strauss has recently agreed to sit out the team’s upcoming tour to Bangladesh so that he can ‘rest’. The decision was jointly made by Strauss and the England & Wales Cricket Board on the assumption that a break from the mental rigours required for captaincy will benefit the player in crucial games later in the year.
Strauss has been captain of the English cricket team for a little over a year. Some commentators are asking why the captain would need a rest already, particularly when previous captains were not afforded this luxury and the team’s batting form has been fairly mediocre in their latest series of matches in South Africa. One could argue that it is part of the captain’s role to gel the side and improve its performances – to stay with them. Asked to justify the decision, Strauss commented that, “if you accept the need to rest players, then the captain should be allowed to rest too. The notion that the captain must just carry on until he is mentally and physically exhausted just doesn’t make sense.” Hard to argue with that, but it has not been a popular decision.
Last summer, Strauss captained England to an Ashes win against their oldest and fiercest rivals, Australia. The last time England won the Ashes in 2005 it was followed by a 5-0 thrashing in the return series in Australia. The next Australian series is at the end of this year, for which England and Strauss are determined to be ready…
“I would never forgive myself if I turned up for the next Ashes feeling exhausted.”
And his thinking here is in line with the psychological research which shows that short periods of intense effort followed by periods of respite deliver the best work performance.
Succession planning is another benefit of the decision to rest Strauss because a potential successor as permanent captain, Alistair Cook, has been handed the chance to captain the tour to Bangladesh. This is seen as a rare opportunity to blood young talent against, arguably, easier competition, despite the lack of continuity that the rest of the side might feel. In some respects, it’s not dissimilar to the idea of matrix management where employees have different line managers depending on the task involved.
In all forms of sport, and industry, it is important that talented leaders are given suitable respite to replenish their resources and that future leaders are given the opportunity to develop their skills. Leadership is demanding and resource intensive. However, it has to be fair and it has to have demonstrable benefits. The proof will be in the pudding!
