The Surprising Leadership Lesson Will Carling Says Most Teams Get Wrong

Will Carling is a distinguished leadership speaker whose career has been shaped by decades at the heart of elite sport.

As former England Rugby captain and a fixture of world-class teams, he knows what it takes to lead under pressure, inspire cohesion and sustain excellence.

From discovering one’s “why” to nurturing honest communication, Carling believes that true leadership is not static — it’s about adapting style, building trust, and continuously pushing boundaries.

His insights are invaluable for any leader aiming to build teams that don’t just survive challenges — they thrive through them.

In this exclusive interview with Champions Rugby Speakers, Carling shares what differentiates good leaders from great ones, how to develop a culture of relentless improvement, and the qualities that separate high-performing teams from the rest.

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Q: As someone who has led teams at the highest level, what do you see as the defining characteristics of a truly effective leader?

Will Carling: “I think the most important thing a leader can do is work out their why. It sounds crazy, but why do you say yes to being a leader? And I think, you know, it has to be for the benefit of the team, and in that sense, you know, that is your why.

“So, characteristics for then are, you know, finding a balance of how you get the best out of your team. I think, you know, at times that’s building confidence, at times that’s driving standards, at times it’s listening and altering course.

“And I think, you know, it’s up to a leader to understand there’s no one way to lead.

“It depends: as a team matures, hopefully experiences success, then I think it’s up to a leader to adapt the style.”

Q: In your experience, what practical steps should business leaders take if they want to build and sustain a high-performing team?

Will Carling: “It sounds crazy, but winning is not normal, and successful teams — in a sense, the consistently successful teams — are not normal. I think we forget that.

“We all want to be successful, we all want to win if we’re playing sport, but very few teams or individuals end up being the winners.

“So, one of the big questions I think leaders and teams have to ask themselves is: as a team, what are you willing to do in order to be different?

“Where are you willing to go for each other? How hard are you willing to push? I think that is crucial in understanding that you need to be different.

“And I think underpinning real success, there has to be honest communication in order to learn and improve what you have to do to be successful.

“The quality and honesty of communication, and the trust in the environment, is absolutely key.”

Q: From your perspective, what qualities separate high-performing teams from the rest?

Will Carling: “I think the key qualities in high performance are honesty, curiosity, relentlessness, and awareness.

“And maybe that sounds crazy — I think awareness of yourself as an individual, awareness of the team’s strengths, awareness of the team’s weaknesses.

“And I think how we honestly communicate those and improve them and look to learn is crucial.

“I think one of the key improvements we made in my time was what I call internal coaching from players.

“I remember standing on a pitch and our psychologist asked me — I was observing one of the players who was exceptional — and he just said, “How often do you ever ask to be coached by him, Will?” And I sort of looked at him and I went, “Coached by him?”

“He said, “Yeah,” and I said, “I never have. “And he said, “Why?” I said, “Pride.” And it’s just that understanding that if we really do want to be high performing, then we have to learn from the best in the teams, and we have to be able to coach each other within the teams. It’s that relentless desire to improve.”

This exclusive interview with Will Carling was conducted by Chris Tompkins of The
Motivational Speakers Agency.

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