Steve Waugh

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LVE Group Assignment

Leadership Analysis: Steve Waugh

2/10/2012

Karthik Srinivasan, Dinesh Rajan, Anil Nair, DevendraKale


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LVE Group AssignmentFebruary 10, 2012

Steve Waugh

Steve Rodger Waugh is the ultimate cricketer of the world. At the age of 20 he was facing ashes

defeats one after another and losing all of his cricketing confidence. Then he helped win a World

Cup and made 393 runs before losing his wicket in England in 1989 .Upon his recall to test

cricket, he minimalized his batsmanship, going through the risk and waiting for the loose ball,

which he still punished severely. He was all but forced to give up bowling by back problems. A

series of excellent innings, none better than his 200 in Jamaica to speed Australia to an historic

series win. But he was denied the opportunity to defend his title when he was unceremoniouslyaxed from the one-day side, He railed against his omission of himself, but even he couldn't

reverse it. He continued as Test captain, winning yet another Ashes series in 2002-03, and

continuing for the West Indian tour that followed Australia's 2003 World Cup win under Ricky

Ponting. Steven Waugh wrote a series of successful tour diaries, helped set up a charity for the

daughters in Calcutta. At 36 years of age, he won the Allan Border Medal as Australia's best

player of 2001. He finally retired at the end of the 2003-04 series against India, bowing out with

80.

After playing in nine successive Ashes series, the 2002 rubber was to be Australian captain Steve

Waugh's last against England, and was to prove one of the greatest victories he has enjoyed

against the English. The series began with what many regard in hindsight as one of the worst

captaincy decisions of all time, as the captain won the toss for England in the first Test and sent

Australia in to bat. By the end of the first day, Australia had made a staggering 364/2, and placed

a stamp of authority on the series as they raced to victory by 384 runs. This was followed by two

innings victories to Australia, and a fairly comfortable five-wicket win. England only managed tosave some face with a 225-run victory in the final Test. The series' most memorable moment

came on the second day of the Fifth Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Leading into the match

Waugh had been under the pump by selectors and the media over his age and lack of recent form,

having not posted a Test century since 2001. As this was the last match of the series and last Test

of the Australian summer, Waugh was likely to be dropped from the team if he failed again in

this match. In a stunning display of determination and guts, he scored a chanceless century on the

second afternoon.

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He had entered the final over of the day on 96 not out, and hit a boundary off the last ball to bring

up his hundred. Waugh left the ground to an emotional standing ovation by the crowd, his Test

career saved. It came to be known as his 'Perfect Day'.

Steve Waugh Australian of the year (2005)

To Steve Waugh, being Australian is about looking after your mates, taking care of your family,

and being a leader. Born in Sydney, Steve still lives in the southern suburbs with his young

family. Steve was spotted as a talented cricketer at the young age 17. He was selected for the

New South Wales side while playing first grade cricket in Sydney, and wore the baggy green cap

for the first time in 1985, on a tour of South Africa. He was the new kid on the block, and was a

given a golden opportunity by the Australian Cricket team.

Steve Waugh has played representative cricket for Australia since 1985, retiring in January 2004.

His incredible career went for 18 years; he has produced some outstanding moments in Australian

sporting Cricket history. Who could forget his twin centuries against England at Old Trafford.

Although better known for his cricket leadership, he is passionate about helping those less

fortunate than himself. His personal goal on life is If you don't stand up for something, you'll fallfor everything. He was struck by those suffering from leprosy and their families and was

prompted to get involved. For the past three years Steve has been actively assisting these families

through his support.

As a cricketer Steve has broken many records. As a person he is a great humanitarian and brings

hope to those in need. He is an inspiration, not only for sports-loving Australians, but for many

worldwide. Always leading by example, Steve is an extraordinary Australian.

Steve Waugh named Father of the Year

Former Australian cricket captain Steve Waugh has been named the 2005 Australian Father of the

Year. The award recognises the 40-year-old father of three as the perfect role model for young

Australians. Steve said to the media that it was a really big achievement for him to go through in

his life and wanted to thank the Australian Cricket board because none of this would have

happened without me playing world class cricket. Waugh supports disadvantaged youth throughthe Steve Waugh Foundation, and is a patron for Camp Quality and the disadvantaged kids

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Centre of NSW. He also is well known for his contributions to schools for disadvantaged children

in India.

His wife of 23 years, Lynette, said despite the demands of an international cricket career, Waughhad always dedicated time to his family. Whether he's home or when he with his mates at the

cricket club, he always made the children feel remembered and special. The children just love

and adore him

Summing up Steve Waugh in one paragraph would be an incredible effort due to all his

wonderful achievements he has had during his Cricket Career. As you can see that it is not just

only cricket Steve Waugh prides himself on, but it is the Australian of the year and Father of the

year awards that he most loves, this shows his courage and leadership skills that everybody loves

about him. Steves the kind of guy that has a lot of admirers for being such a great guy. We

personally, are huge fan of Steve and thrive to be as good as a cricketer and a bloke as what he

comes across to his fans.

On Wednesday 8th November 2003, Steve Waugh called a press conference at the Sydney

Cricket Ground. Although there had been speculation that Steve might continue on as Australia's

skipper in the hope of leading his country to historic victories in Sri Lanka and India in 2004,Waugh announced, The upcoming Sydney Test will be my last for Australia, should I be

selected to play. My present form and fitness suggest I could play on. However, all good things

must come to an end, and I believe Sydney is the perfect place to finish."

When the 38 year-old Steve Waugh made this historic announcement, Australians all over the

country received the news with mixed emotions. There was considerable sadness! After all, one

of Australia's favourite sons was soon to play his last international game. There was also

considerable reason to celebrate! Sydney would provide an opportunity for a cricket-mad nation

to say farewell to one of the truly great players of the game and do so in his home city, with

thousands of adoring home-town fans on hand.

There can be little doubt that Steve Waugh has had a profound effect on the game of cricket.

Sports Card Word acknowledges this fact and salutes a living legend. We proudly present this

tribute to an Australian sportsman among the most elite in the world of cricket, and to a captain

and tactician who favourably withstands any comparison with either the legends or greats of the past or the present.

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It has often been said that Steve Waugh could relate to the average cricket fan better than he

could to the more conservative and traditional members of cricket's establishment. To understand

this, we need to go back to where it all began.

Stephen Rodger Waugh was born at 8:14 pm on 2nd June 1965. His non-identical twin, Mark

Edward, was born four minutes later. Their parents, Beverley and Rodger Waugh lived with

Bev's parents at Panania in Sydney's western suburbs. Later Bev and Rodger would move into

their own home in Panania.

Throughout their childhood, the twins enjoyed a stable and loving family-life. As they grew up,

sport was an important ingredient in family conversation and everyday life. Both Rodger and Bev

were outstanding tennis players. The twin's grand-fathers had both excelled in a variety of sports

from tennis and cricket to swimming, rugby league, lawn bowls and training greyhounds. It was

only a matter of time before the twins developed a great interest in sport and began to display a

level of coordination and athleticism that provided a hint of what was to come.

From a very early age Stephen and Mark displayed quite different personalities. Stephen was the

louder and more adventurous, while Mark was quieter and more hesitant. Nevertheless, the boysgot on well together. They engaged in plenty of games, contests and lots of healthy rivalry. Like

most twins, they enjoyed each other's companionship and they were always eager to pick up a bat

or a ball of any shape and size. The natural rivalry between them did much to develop them

mentally for the challenges ahead. It was a healthy rivalry because it developed a desire to

succeed, and instilled in them strength of character that prepared them for the pressures of sport

at the elite level.

Stephen and Mark had their first taste of organized sport in the East Hills T-Ball League at the

age of six. At the same age, they registered for Revesby-Milperra Lions soccer club and in the

following year they played their first game of Under 10 cricket with Panania East Hills RSL in

the Bankstown District Association. In that first game of cricket, there was little indication of

what was to come. Both boys were out without scoring; Mark first ball, Stephen second ball.

During the next ten years, the twins displayed enormous talent in their sporting endeavours,

including State representation in a number of sports. In their final year at Panania Primary

School, Mark was captain of both NSW cricket and tennis teams, while Steve was captain of the NSW soccer team and a member of the state cricket team.

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At East Hills Boys Technology High School the trend continued. The school regarded sport very

highly and encouraged and nurtured the enormous talents of the Waugh twins. Both boys were

selected in the State Under 16 cricket team. While still at school, their soccer talents had takenthem to reserve grade for Sydney Croatia in the senior State League. In addition to playing

cricket for school, they were also working their way through the grade ranks at the Bankstown

Cricket Club.

As cricket began to demand more and more of their time, the twins were forced to forgo their

soccer and other sporting interests. In 1982-83 the boys made their 1st grade debuts for

Bankstown. They were also members of the combined High School and NSW Under 19 cricket

teams.

The reputation of the Bankstown twins was beginning to spread far and wide. The pair was soon

to experience their first taste of international cricket. Stephen and Mark were both selected in the

Australian Under 19 cricket team to play a one-day and Test series against Sri Lanka.

Unlike so many other talented young sportsmen, Stephen and Mark would both realize their

enormous potential and successfully make the transition into senior ranks. Steve was to make hisfirst class debut for New South Wales against Queensland at the Gabba during the 1984-85

Sheffield Shield season. It was a promising start for Steve who scored 31. During the following

Sheffield Shield season in 1985-86, Steve and Mark played their first game together for NSW,

when Mark made his first class debut against Tasmania in Hobart. It was in this game that Steve

scored his first 1st Class century. His score of 107 certainly attracted the interest of the Australian

selectors. In the following matches, Steve scored 15, 11, 119 not out, 32 and 41 not out. It was

enough for the Test selectors to name Steve in the Australian team to play in the 2nd Test against

India at the M.C.G.

At the tender age of 20 years and 207 days, Stephen Rodger Waugh played his first Test Match

for Australia. It was an inauspicious debut for Steve. His scores of 13 and 5, and bowling figures

of 2/36 hardly set the world on fire. However, the selectors showed faith and persevered with the

youngster from NSW.

At first, Steve was to struggle in the Teat arena. After playing 42 Tests, his average was adisappointing 38.24. However, there had been some success. Steve had a very successful tour of

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England in 1989. It was also the year he was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year. But overall,

his performances lacked consistency. Consequently he was dropped from the Australian side for

the 4th Test against England at Adelaide Oval, during 1990-91. Ironically, the player who

replaced him was his twin brother, Mark, who went on to score a brilliant century in his Testdebut.

After losing his Test spot, Steve decided to alter his head-set. Instead of playing the risky, rash

strokes that had often led to his dismissal, he simplified his approach to batting. By reducing

errors and playing to his strengths, Steve eliminated risky strokes and waited for the loose ball to

punish. It was a simple but effective recipe. Steve began to achieve the consistency required to

win a Test recall and then hold his place permanently in the Test team.

Steve was recalled to the Australian team for the 3rd Test against the West Indies at Port of

Spain, Trinidad in 1991. It was also the first Test in which both Waugh twins played. It was a

point from which Steve's career never looked back. The rest was to become history.

Throughout his career, Steve never lost touch with his working class background, and he always

regarded himself as a common man. He never got carried away with himself or the whole

celebrity thing. As a result, he was to become a hero to the average Australian sports fan. AnAussie battler who rose from the western suburbs of Sydney to the great cricket venues around

the world. Steve was to become a fighter who placed an extremely high value on his wicket. A

determined and gritty combatant whose career would span some 18 years and include a World

Record number of 168 Test appearances for Australia.

One-Day Internationals

Steve Waugh was first appointed captain of Australia's One-Day team with the sacking of Mark

Taylor in December 1997. The move caused quite a deal of controversy and upheaval at the time.

It was a radical and new path for Australian cricket. Although the Australian selectors had been

experimenting with different squads of players for each of the two forms of cricket, it was the

first time Australia had appointed a different captain for each of the two teams. Steve was to

continue in the role of ODI captain until February 2002, when he too would suffer a similar fate

to Mark Taylor; sacked as ODI captain but continuing on as captain of the Test team.

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During his reign as Australian ODI captain, Steve Waugh led his country in 106 matches.

Australia won 67, lost 35 and a further 4 finished in either a draw or a tie. Among his greatest

victories was the World Cup triumph in England in 1999. In that series, Australia struggled

through some of the preliminary games, survived a cliff-hanger in the semi-final against SouthAfrica, and then demolished Pakistan in the final. It was a wonderful team effort and a personal

triumph for Steve Waugh.

Test Matches

Steve took over the Test captaincy from Mark Taylor in February 1999. It could be said that his

first efforts as skipper were far from spectacular. A drawn series (2-2) in the West Indies in 1998-

99, and a subsequent loss to Sri Lanka (1-0) in a rain affected series in Sri Lanka in 1999, did

little to inspire a cricket-mad nation. At the time, there were even those who thought the selectors

had "backed the wrong horse".

It is difficult to pin-point an exact match or moment when the Australian team transformed good

performances into an avalanche of unparalleled success. However, it is fair to say that somewhere

between Sri Lanka and the home series against Pakistan in 1999-00; a good team was

transformed into a great team. Perhaps it was the inaugural one-off Test against minnowZimbabwe following the Sri Lankan loss. Or maybe, it was just getting back home to play a three

Test series against Pakistan and then India.

Whatever it was, a transformation did take place. A transformation not just in the overall results,

but a more noticeable change in strategy and style. This new look Australian team began playing

with confidence and teamwork that had rarely been demonstrated in the history of cricket.

Waugh's team began to destroy the opposition both physically and mentally.

During the period from the 1999 Zimbabwe Test to the 1st Test in India in 2000, Australia won

16 consecutive Test matches. A world record that may never be equalled. Throughout his reign as

Test captain, Australia played 57 Test matches, 41 of which resulted in victories, 7 were drawn

and 9 were lost. An incredible performance! His 41 victories are five more than his closest rival,

Clive Lloyd who led the West Indies in 74 Test matches. Waugh's overall success rate was

71.93% compared to Lloyd's 48.65%.

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The unparalleled success of the Australian team during Waugh's reign drew both praise and

criticism. The praise came because Australia played bright, attacking cricket. Waugh's team

played with intense ferocity. The scoring rate of the Australian team during 2001 was 3.77 runs

per over. In 2002, it rose to 3.99. Only once in Test cricket had a team scored faster - and thatwas way back in 1910. Today, every Australian batsman has the potential to intimidate the

bowlers. Even the small things, such as running between wickets, are performed with precision

and athleticism. The Australians bat as a confident team. If one player fails, another dominates.

There was also another benefit from scoring runs quickly. The overall speed of the Australian

batting provided more time for the bowlers to bowl the opposition out twice, and secure victory

with plenty of time to spare.

Under Waugh, the Australian bowlers operated in much the same way as the batsmen. They were

good enough to intimidate the opposition players. When you had an attack that included

McGrath, Gillespie, Lee and Warne, you had all the weapons in your arsenal to maintain the

pressure on the opposition. Even the Australian fielding, throwing and catching were usually of

such a high standard that opposition teams got little or no respite during any phase of the game.

The criticism levelled at Steve Waugh's Australian team was mainly centred on the amount of

'sledging' that occurred on the field. Steve never made a secret of the fact that he believedsledging was "mental disintegration." A legitimate tactic that was aimed at destroying the

confidence and belief of the opposition.

Others have criticized the Australian players and likened them to "school-yard bullies." The fact

that Australia had been more than willing to dish it out, but found wanting on occasions when the

opposition had given it back, had caused even the most one-eyed Aussie supporter to cringe on at

least one occasion.

However, no matter what was said about the Australian team, there can be little doubt about one

thing. The Australian team under Steve Waugh was outstandingly successful. His leadership style

was basically very simple. He aimed to implement the most efficient means of inflicting defeat on

the opposition in the shortest possible time. In order to achieve that aim, he analysed the strengths

and weaknesses of the opposition, and then used his own team's brilliance to bring about the

mental disintegration of the opposition. Once he had established uncertainty and doubt in the

minds of his opponents, victory was assured. For Steve Waugh the goal was simple. Win everysession of every Test match and the rest would take care of itself.

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Furthermore, Steve Waugh displayed a superb cricket brain and a keen, analytical mind. He

demonstrated this time and time again. Whether it was field placements, bowling changes,

rearranging the batting order, timing a declaration perfectly or simply making the right decisionto bat or bowl after winning the toss, Steve Waugh made the correct decision on most occasions.

Another important ingredient in the Australian success story was team harmony and team-spirit.

The Australian players under Steve Waugh were a tight-knit team who supported each other, no

matter what! Steve Waugh displayed faith and confidence in them, and they in turn, would have

risked everything to support their skipper. New players to the squad were warmly welcomed into

the team and made to feel that their contribution was both valued and important.

All of these factors contributed to the overall success of the Australian team. It is also important

to acknowledge one final ingredient. Talent! Steve Waugh was blessed with a rare group of

players. Of this, there is little doubt! However, we all know that a team of champions don't

necessarily make a champion team. Steve Waugh and Coach John Buchanan must take much of

the credit for the success of the Australian team. They have taken a good team and transformed it

into an exciting and successful outfit that has become the undeniable frontrunners of both Test

and One-Day International cricket.

It is very difficult to pick out the best highlights of Steve Waugh's career. After all he had so

many! The following is a selection of great moments from his long and illustrious career. They

are ranked in chronological order.

1. First World Cup Final (vs England in Kolkata, India in 1987)

In 1987, Steve played in his first World Cup, in India. Australia reached the Final and met

England in Kolkata. Steve demonstrated that he had the right temperament and ability to perform

under extreme pressure. With England requiring 19 runs for victory, young Steve was given the

task of bowling the penultimate over. Waugh only gave up two runs and captured the very

important wicket of Philip DeFreitas. Australia went on to win the cup.

2. Steve's First Test Century (vs England at Headingley in 1989)

It was a long wait for Steve's first Test century. After playing in 26 Test matches and with two

disappointing dismissals in the nineties, Steve Waugh scored his first Test century against

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England at Headingley. In the first innings he scored 177 not out and figured in a match winning

partnership with Dean Jones.

3. A Century at Lords (vs England at Lords in 1989)He didn't have to wait long for his next century. In the very next test against England at Lords,

Steve once again smashed the English bowlers to all parts of the field. His 152 n.o. included yet

another match winning partnership of 130, this time with Geoff Lawson. It was a timely

partnership that helped secure another Aussie victory.

4. A Game of Milestones. (vs South Africa at Adelaide in 1993-94)

During his career, Steve Waugh became something of a nemesis to South Africa. In his first Test

against them at the beautiful Adelaide Oval in 1993-94, Steve returned from an injury to square

the series 1-1. His 164 in the first innings set up a comfortable victory for Australia by 191 runs.

In this game, Waugh established a psychological edge over the South Africans that endured for

Waugh's entire career. It was also the match that Allan Border became the first player to exceed

11000 runs, Shane Warne captured his 100th wicket and wicket-keeper, Ian Healy made his

200th Test dismissal.

5. A Double Century (vs West Indies a t Kingston in 1994-95)With one Test to be played, the series was evenly tied at 1-1. The West Indies had made a

respectable 265, when both Waugh twins took on the West Indies' quicks. The pair put on a

sparkling 231 run partnership. While Mark was eventually dismissed for 126, Steve went on to

make 200, the first and only double century of his career. Australia's score of 531 set up an

innings and 53 run victory, and inflicted the first series defeat on the West Indies in 15 years.

6. More Grief for S th Afr ica (vs Sth Afr ica a t Johannesburg in

1996-97)

In another sensational partnership, Steve Waugh (160) and Greg Blewett batted through the third

day's play. Their mammoth partnership of 385 helped seal Australia's victory by a massive

innings and 196 runs.

7. A Century in Both Innings (vs England at Old Trafford in 1997)

This was Steve Waugh at his very best. In a low scoring match, Steve demonstrated all of his

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doggedness and determination in scoring 108 in the first innings, followed by an equally stubborn

116 in the second. Australia won by 268 runs and went on to win the Series 3-2.

8 . Anothe r Wor ld Cup (vs Sou th Afr ica in England in 1999)During the 1999 World Cup, Australia and South Africa met twice: once in the Super Sixes and

once in the now famous tied Semi-Final. During the Super Sixes encounter, Australia was

seriously struggling at 7 for 174 in pursuit of South Africa's score of 272. All seemed lost for

Australia! But not to Steve Waugh. Somehow, he once again rescued Australia and steered them

to victory. His innings of 120 off 110 balls was paced perfectly and will undoubtedly remain one

of the very best innings to be played in a World Cup match.

9. Another Ashes Gem (vs England a t The Oval in 2001)

Nothing brings out the best in Steve Waugh more than an Ashes tussle. In the Trent Bridge Test,

Steve tore a muscle in his leg that would have kept most mere mortals out of the game for a

month at least. However, nothing was going to prevent Steve from playing his last Test on

English soil some three weeks later. When he came to the wicket with the score on 292 for 2, he

could easily have been forgiven for taking things a little easy. Not Steve Waugh. Severely

hampered in movement, he proceeded to smash 21 fours and 1 six in his score of 157 not out. The

only time England came close to getting him out was when he took off for a quick single on 99.Waugh scurried down the other end and dived head-first into his crease. When the dust settled,

Steve lay on the pitch with his bat held above his head. It was also one of the very few times that

Steve actually displayed a hint of emotion on his face! And a few million Aussies grinned with

him!

10. Last Time Against the Old Foe (vs England at Sydney in 2002-

03)

In his very last Test match against England, Steve Waugh somehow stage-managed one of the

most dramatic and suspense-filled finishes to a day's play in the history of Test cricket. After a

poor series by any standards, and with many calling for his sacking as Australian captain, Steve

edged closer and closer to his century as the last overs of the day ticked by. With one ball to be

bowled by Richard Dawson, Steve found himself on 98. As Dawson ran in to bowl, thousands of

SCG fans prayed and millions of television viewers held their collective breath. They didn't have

to really. Steve Waugh calmly slotted the ball through the covers for another boundary. The SCG

and television rooms around the country erupted. Even the usually subdued and ice-cold SteveWaugh couldn't hide his jubilation!

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It is very rare to encounter a sporting identity who has reached legendary status in a high profile

sport, and who has largely remained unaffected by the hype, glamour and close media scrutiny

that goes with the job. Steve Waugh is such a person. He is still very much the same person whoset out on an international cricket career almost twenty years ago.

One thing is certain though. Steve Waugh hasn't changed much, but the game of cricket certainly

has. And it could be said that Steve Waugh and his Australian team have been the main catalyst

for much of this change.

The type of cricket played at Test level today is brighter and more exciting than we have seen for

decades. Cricket spectators want to see a Test match finish in a result. They don't want to see a

dull, predictable draw that is dragged out over five tedious days. Steve Waugh's Australian team

have played the type of cricket that people want to see. More importantly, other teams are now

beginning to follow the Australian lead. South Africa, New Zealand, India and Pakistan are now

scoring their runs at a much faster rate. Perhaps the next thing that needs to happen is for Test

captains and cricket administrators to ensure that over rates are also improved dramatically.

Sports Card World would like to congratulate Steve Waugh on a wonderful career. We believethat he is the most influential cricketer to have played the game over the last decade. We also

believe that history will lift his status higher in the future.

Some might disagree with this claim. Names such as Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar would no

doubt figure prominently in any argument on the subject. Certainly those two rank higher on pure

batsmanship. You wouldn't get an argument from us on that point. However, we believe that if

you consider the whole package and weigh up all considerations, there is only one name for us.

And that name is: Stephen Rodger Waugh.

The aim here is to demonstrate the value of existential philosophy for management education by

showing that existential reflection is central to management practice. It will show how existential

reflection offers managers the opportunity to develop a greater awareness of their own practices

and how existential forms of reflection can help managers who experience themselves as stuck in

their existing routines to open up the possibility for new sets of management practices.

Furthermore, implicit in the paper is the view that management educators can use existentialexperiences as opportunities for management education. For by tuning into the existential

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experiences of management students management educators are tuning into the emotional

dimensions in which management students are asking questions of their own practices in an

emotionally vital and dynamic way.

We will use the experiences of Steve Waugh, the ex-captain of the Australian cricket team to

bring out the significance of existential questioning for leadership.

Existential questioning is a certain form of questioning. It is questioning under conditions of

estrangement; questioning under conditions where a person can no longer take the common sense

or habitual ways of doing things for granted. In this sense existential questioning, unlike

disengaged rational reflection, is a questioning in the context of action. Existential questioning

occurs where we can no longer go on with our everyday ways of doing things. The disruption in

our everyday way of doing things is the spring board for reflection in the context of action. We

reflect because we become perplexed with our own practices. We need to understand the

relationship between our everyday way of doing things and perplexity to understand the

existential form of questioning.

In a move away from traditional philosophy and science, existential philosophers hold that the

human beings primary relation to the world is not one of thinking about the world but one of acting in the world. This is expressed in various ways by different existentialists. For example,

claims that we become who we are not by abstract deliberation but by being engaged in the

world. Only as we act do we become. Thus he says that there is no such thing as a heroic or

cowardly personality. We become heroic or cowardly through the actions that we perform:

There is no such thing as a cowardly temperament...What people feel obscurely, and with

horror, is that the coward as we present him is guilty of being a coward. What people would

prefer would be to be born either a coward or a hero.

Similarly we become the kinds of managers that we are not by abstract thought about the concept

of management but by the way in which we engage in the process of management. It has referred

to this as the sink or swim approach to management. It is by being thrown in at the deep end that

we learn to become managers; that both our identities, practices and philosophies of management

develop in fact scholars argue that professional knowledge in general is developed by the ways

in which we act in situations. We develop a sense of know how through our action. We begin

with the assumption that competent practitioners usually know more than they can say. Theyexhibit a kind of knowing-in-practice, most of which is tacit.

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From Sartres perspective action has a particular dynamic. It is not simply by being present in a

passive way in a situation that we become who we are, that is, it is not through a passive process

of responding to stimuli that we become who we are. Central to action are the notions of choice,commitment and responsibility in a situation. We become who we are through the kinds of

choices that we make: In life, a man commits himself, draws his own portrait, and there is

nothing but that portrait. Man makes himself; he is not found ready-made; he makes himself by

the choice of his morality. We define man only in relation to his commitments.

An example of this is the ex-captain of the Australian cricket team Steve Waugh. When he

became captain of the Australian cricket team, he was overwhelmed by the honour of the position

and in some ways felt unsure as to whether he was up to the task. The way that he dealt with the

anxiety of not feeling up to dealing with the task was by playing the role of being the captain. He

tried to be like a number of the previous captains of Australia, imitating their way of doing things

by reading up about them and trying to follow the manual on what it meant to be a captain.

However, the more he tried to be a captain, the less in tune he was with the immediacy of the

situation. He found that he lost his spontaneity; his intuition and sense of himself as a captain. As

one commentator says Waugh did what others before him had done. He listened to former players, captains and commentators. He took advice from anyone who was willing to give it and

there were many. He collated it all in his head and the result was, well, uninspiring. Ian Chappell

recalls, Waugh captained the side in a conservative fashion, and that is not the style best suited to

Australian cricketers.

In Sartre terms he was in bad faith. Bad faith, for Sartre, is a certain kind of response to anxiety

or the uncertainty of an unfamiliar situation. In bad faith we attempt to avoid the risks entailed in

expressing ourselves by identifying with the role that we are playing. We hide ourselves in or

role. Steve Waugh is not the only leader who in the uncertainty of an unfamiliar situation hid

himself in his role. Jack Welch writes of a similar kind of experience of bad faith when he

became vice chairman of GE: At one of my earliest board meetings in San Francisco shortly

after being named vice chairman, I showed up in a perfectly pressed suit, with a starched white

shirt and a crisp red tie. I chose my words carefully. I wanted to show the board members that I

was older and more mature than either my 43 years or reputation. I guess I wanted to look and act

like a typical GE vice chairman. But he goes on to say that this strategy of coping with theuncertainty of the unfamiliar by playing the role did not work: Paul Austin, a long time GE

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director and chairman of the Coca-Cola Co., came up to me at the cocktail party after the

meeting. Jack he said, touching my suite, this isnt you. You looked a lot better when you were

just being yourself. Thank God Austin realized I was playing a role and cared enough to tell

me. Trying to be somebody I wasnt could have been a disaster for me.

His bad faith is to be found in his desire to look and act like a typical vice chairman rather

than being himself. The more he played at being a vice chairman, the less the spontaneity of his

self could emerge and indeed the less attuned he was to the situation. The notion of bad faith is

not a moral but a psychological category indicating a state of being emotionally and existentially

withdrawn from a situation in which a person is in and thus not alive and present to the

possibilities inherent in a situation. In a situation of bad faith a person is either frozen in their role

or frozen in a state of emotional detachment but in both cases they have lost their capacity for

situational appropriate responding. They have lost their responding-ability. They are not

there in what they are doing but are withdrawing. Steve Waugh describes the experience of

feeling distant from his own team and function as a captain: I could see not only my strength as a

leader fading by my absence, but also a team that was losing focus and direction.

Presence of mind is vital to being a captain who needs to be able to trust his judgment in

situation. The issue came to a head for Steve Waugh when on a tour of Sri Lanka he broke hisnose in a game. In the moment of disruption he became aware of the fact that he had been playing

the role of being a captain. For until this point he was not aware that he had been playing the role

of being a captain. Paradoxically, he had been too absorbed in playing the role of being a captain

to be aware that he was playing the role of being a captain: I was sitting in the hospital with my

nose smashed everywhere thinking `Jeez, if I never play a Test again, I havent done what I

wanted to do as captain. I havent really got stuck in and led from the front the way Id like to

have led. Ive sort of been a prisoner to other people and other ideas rather than going for it

myself.

Putting this in Sartres terms: After breaking his nose, he became aware of himself as playing role

of being a captain. Paradoxically, it can be said that whilst he was playing the role of being a

captain, he was not aware of himself as playing the role of being a captain. He was again

paradoxically; too busy playing the role to see that he was playing the role. It was only when

through breaking his nose he was jolted out of his practice of playing the role that he came to see

that he was playing the role. And it was only when he came to see that he was playing the role of being a captain that he could move beyond playing a role to a new possibility; to the possibility of

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trusting himself. He became a different kind of captain; one who led from his own intuitive

understanding. As he puts it: I decided to go on my gut instincts, to believe in my ability and go

with that. I wanted to be loyal to myself and follow my own instincts rather than someone elses

that takes a while to work out. Waughs resolve was the point of departure for someone who isnow recognised as one of the greatest captains in Australian cricket. In fact he has recently been

recognised as the Australian of the year.

The experience of authenticity is described as an individualizing experience. It is one in which a

person becomes present in situation, spontaneous and open to the possibilities in a situation by

shaking off doing things in a particular way because one is supposed to or expected to do

them in that way. Such an experience is individualizing because in it a person cannot rely on

anything other than themselves. Machiavelli in his analysis of the relationship between David and

Goliath describes the situation of authenticity most vividly: When David offered himself to Saul

to go forth and fight Goliath, Saul armed him with his own armour, which David as soon as he

had put it on, rejected, saying that with these untried arms he could not prevail, and that he chose

rather to meet his enemy with only his sling and sword. In a word, the armour of others is too

wide or too straight for us; it falls off us, it impedes us, or weighs us down.

So too with Steve Waugh: by shaking off the armour of previous Australian cricket captains, hewas able to develop his own armour and by developing his own armour he was able to smite

his enemy which included being able to read the game in the contingency of the situation and

being able to respond in the context of action. He was existentially present and alive to the

opportunities and possibilities present in each situation. He was not in a state of existential

detachment or withdrawal such that he first needed to consult his manual before he could act.

The example of Waugh allows us to see that from the existential perspective, it is in the context

of relationship that we become who we are; whether this be leaders or managers; that it is a

particular attitude in relationship that is important, that is the choices and commitments in the

face of uncertainty are crucial for the development of our judgment or situational appreciation

and that it is the disruption of our experience or relationship that our experience becomes open

for reflection. For it is in the disruption of our experiences that we begin to see our experiences

for the first time. For the most part we are absorbed in our experiences rather than attuned to our

experiences. Existential reflection is the process of being estranged from our experiences in such

a way that we step back from them and become reflectively aware of them.

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An existential thinker who has developed the theme of relationship is Kierkegaard. Indeed, so

frustrated was Kierkegaard with the disengaged rationality of Hegel, that he came to argue that

there is no truth to be found in abstract speak but that all truth depends on the set of relationships

that we are in; that something becomes true only as we enter into relationship with it and that it isour relationship that shapes what we see in the first place. In some ways this is a theme that has

been taken up in quantum physics which maintains that an atom is seen as a wave or particle

depending on the type of relationship we have to it. So too for Kierkegaard, the existence of God

is not a matter of objective truth but a matter of relational commitment. Similarly the way I

experience another person depends on my relationship to them. As my relationship changes so

my understanding of the other changes.

Part of the notion of relational truth for Kierkegaard is that it involves a leap into the unknown; a

leap which requires what Kierkegaard called faith. It would be incorrect to understand faith as

being blind for Kierkegaard. Although it is not based on objective knowledge, it is grounded in an

inward certainty in the face of objective uncertainty. This is quite clearly evidenced in the case of

Steve Waugh. When he had given up trying to captain the Australian cricket team by the

textbook, Waugh did not have at his disposal an objective concept or image of what it meant to

be a captain. Indeed he did not have a well-developed and detailed linguistic representation of

what it meant to be a captain. Rather he had his gut instinct. He trusted his intuition and hetrusted it in the context of objective uncertainty. He did not first know what he was going to do

and then do it. On the contrary, it was only as he did that his knowledge emerged.

In Kierkegaards terms, Waugh had faith in himself and through acting in terms of his faith he

came to develop as a captain and he began to develop a concept of what it meant to be a captain.

Here we see a central existential theme, that is, that both our identity and our concept of what we

are doing develops in the context of action. It is not by pure thought that our thought our

philosophy of being a captain, a manager, a leader develops. It is in the context of our actions that

our philosophy develops.

We would like to sum up the existential positioning terms of the philosophy of martin Heidegger.

For Heidegger the human being discovers its world not firstly through thought but by being

involved in the world. To continue the cricket analogy, it is not by thinking about a cricket bat

that we develop an understanding of a cricket bat but it is by using it. It is not by analysing a ball

that e develop a sense of bowling, it is by bowling that we develop a feel for the ball. No amountof abstract thought will ever convey the feeling of bowling a ball and the feeling of bowling a

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ball cannot be captured in a disengaged cognitive way. Similarly from a Heideggerian perspective

we develop an understanding of mother or father brother or sister not by first thinking about

the concepts of these beings but it is by standing in relationship that we develop a sense of these

beings. Once we have developed a sense of them through our involvements, we may turn to adictionary to clarify their meanings and gain a precise definition but no amount of starring a

dictionary in abstraction is going to give us a sense of them.

Similarly, from the Heideggerain perspective we develop a sense of manager or leader not by

thinking about the concepts of this phenomenon but by being in relationship to managers and

leaders or by being managers and leaders. No amount of just staring at and re-reading the

definition of manager, leader, mother or father is going to give us a sense of these concepts. In

the same way we develop a sense of organizing from being involved in the activities of

organising. No amount of staring at an organization is going to give us a sense of an organizing

mainly because there is in fact nothing to look at. There is no such thing as an organization. It

does not have the ontological status of an object. It is, from the Heideggerian perspective through

our involvements; through our being-in the activity of organizing that we develop a sense of

organizing.

For Heidegger the human being is not only involved in the world. There are occasions on which itstands back and puts its world into perspective. There are moments in which it comes to see itself

as being involved in the world. It must be stressed that for Heidegger whilst we are involved in

the world, we are not explicitly aware of the world in which we are involved. Our being involved

in the world is a background factor whilst we are involved in the world. It is only when we are

estranged from our involvements that they are fore grounded and thus that we become present to

them. Estrangement from our involvements is the crucial step in the act of reflection. To be

estranged from our involvements is to be taken out of our involvements. In moments of

estrangement we do not feel part of what we had historically been involved in. We see ourselves

or our activities as though from a distance. An example of this would be a person who has

historically been religious sitting in a church, mosque or synagogue, feeling weird and estranged

from what had historically been a taken for granted commitment. Suddenly the familiar appears

as being strange and unfamiliar. But it is precisely in the strangeness of what was once familiar

that existential questioning emerges. Camus describes this as an experience of the absurd.

As Douglas-Mullen has stated this experience of reflection through estrangement from thefamiliar is not an aberration or abnormality butt is an essentially human possibility: "One feature

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peculiar to humans is the ability to detach ourselves from our lives and see ourselves as if we

were `just one of them.' For some of us the thought of this comes more often and stays longer.

This type of person is described as `reflective,' `self-conscious,' 'neurotic,' `ironic,' `pensive,'

`deep' etc."

Nelson Mandela gives a good example of such estrangement when he sat on a flight from

Ethiopia: We put down briefly in Khartoum, where we changed to an Ethiopian Airways flight to

Addis. Here I experienced a rather strange sensation. As I was boarding the plane I saw that the

pilot was black. I had never seen a black pilot before, and the instant I did I had to quell my

panic. How could a black man fly a plane? But a moment later I caught myself: I had fallen into

the apartheid mind-set, thinking Africans were inferior and that flying was a white man's job. I sat

back in my seat, and chided myself for such thoughts.

In the context of the philosophical process what Mandela is saying is that he had a certain

experience or perception of black men being unable to fly. However, instead of simply taking this

belief for granted, he stood back from it and questioned it. The basis upon which he came to stand

back and question it was a moment of disruption, or, as he puts it, an experience of a strange

sensation. This strange sensation was the disruptive mood which allowed him to question and

then to free himself from his assumption. Without the experience of the strange sensation it isdoubtful that he would have questioned the convention of black men being unable to fly. The

strange sensation was the mood that alerted him to his own dis-ease. Perhaps what is crucial in

the case of Mandela is that he was highly attuned to the disruption, to the moment of a strange

sensation. And because he was attuned to it, he was able to ask the question that was begging

him to ask.

It is important to emphasise the relationship between questioning and the mood of a strange

sensation. Mandela questioned his assumption because he experienced a sensation that invited

him to question the assumption. Without this sensation of strangeness he would not have even

noticed that there was a question to be asked. Rather he would not have even known that he had a

prejudice. For by definition we do not simply notice our blind spots: we cannot even make an

effort to see what we are blind to, for we do not know that we are blind to it. We need to be

alerted to our blind spots. One way of being alerted is through the experience of strange

sensations.

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Steve Waugh