The need for leaders has never been greater
“A FANTASTIC team. A privilege to work with them”
These characteristically humble and yet perfectly pitched words from double tour (and unbeaten!) Lions captain Sam Warburton, paying tribute to his fellow men in red following Saturday’s nailbitingly exciting third and final Test, typify why he has earned respect and admiration within both the rugby and wider sporting world.
His ability to say the right thing as well as do the right thing is a characteristic that has made him a highly regarded ambassador for his sport as well as for Wales.
Many in the business community would be proud to display the qualities of leadership that he has displayed in recent weeks and, of course, over recent years.
Leadership has many definitions and many guises but, while we may not always agree with such descriptions, I think that we all know good leadership when we see it.
There has rarely been a time when the world so needed good leadership – and on so many fronts.
The G20 meetings in Europe over the weekend once again focused on some of the challenges that we face here in Wales and the UK, as well as on the wider European and world stages.
The economy and trading opportunities; climate and environmental issues; military threats and theatres of war all justifiably received the attention of the political leaders of the world’s most powerful nations, and I hope that the conversations started at face-to-face levels will lead to greater opportunities to engage further in the weeks and months ahead for the benefit of us all.
The lasting memory of Saturday’s game for me will be threefold – firstly Sam’s post-match interview, followed by the two captains sharing the honours in holding the trophy aloft and the impressive sight of the players from both sides, red alongside black, in a display of togetherness at the post-match photo-call.
Let’s all hope that the G20 leaders, in their rather more formal “family photo”, might be minded to say and do the right things – for all our sakes!