As the deadline for entries to the 2006
Leading Wales Awards approaches, David Wyn Evans, director
of operations for the Commonwealth Games Council for Wales,
shares his experience of life as a leader in Wales.
Understanding the challenges that face
us is the greatest challenge of all. I discovered this when
I took the lead on preparations for the Welsh team to compete
in the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games. With just 11 months
to go, I wasn’t in a position of experience to understand
the scale of the task ahead. Preparing a team to compete
on the other side of the world is a vast challenge, to say
the very least.
Finding the right people is paramount
and they will become your strongest asset. Having committed,
motivated and enthusiastic people on board makes a leader’s
life much more enjoyable. We needed a diverse team with
plenty of relevant experience and expertise – not
a simple task. As well as transport, including land, air
and freight, there were finance, HR , marketing, PR, medical,
pre-games training and outfitting issues to deal with, to
name but a few.
As a leader, you should be able to control
yourself before you are able to influence and lead others.
You have to have the ability to handle your own pressures
before you can even think about influencing others. I quickly
learnt this when I captained Cardiff RFC for two years in
the early 1990s. It was my first taste of leadership and
it’s something I still carry with me today.
Leading means dealing with different personalities,
problems, pressures and situations in order to develop people
and build a strong, stable team. As a captain, I quickly
learnt this lesson and it still applies today in my role
with the Games.
Communication is fundamental to success.
As Director of Operations for Melbourne 2006, I have to
oversee every aspect of operation, which involves 14 different
sports. I take care of the accreditation process and liaising
with board members and all the competing sports, and each
and every one of them must be fully aware, understand and
agree to every single step in the process. It is a huge
logistical challenge but that is where good leadership plays
a part.
Keeping a cool head and a positive attitude
goes along way in this game – and it doesn’t
just apply to the athletes. Although I feel the nerves nearly
every day, staying positive is infectious and will rub off
on your team. It’s easy to feel the strain. After
all, we have to ensure the team arrives on time, get over
the jet-lag, are entered into the right events, have the
right clothing and equipment, get the right preparation
and perform to the best of their ability.
Team Wales is relying on us to a large
degree. It’s a huge responsibility but we all have
the same common goal to focus on, whatever level we are
at - to deliver the best prepared Welsh team to the Commonwealth
Games. It’s my job to make sure everyone in the team
understands his or her role, feels motivated and gets the
encouragement needed to achieve our common goal.
I believe the principles of leadership
apply in any role where you are influencing people. In that
case, we have many, many great leaders in our team, who
are all helping to create a medal-winning environment for
our athletes.
Another thing about leadership in this
role is how many figures there are to think about. 136 -
that is the number of days to go until the opening ceremony
in Melbourne. 31 - that is how many medals Wales won at
the Manchester Commonwealth Games in 2002 and the figure
we hope to beat in Australia next year. 100 per cent –
that is my confidence in our team.
Nominations for The Leading Wales Awards
2006 are open. To nominate a great leader at any level in
an organisation log on to www.leadingwalesawards.com. Deadline
for entries is Friday 11 November 2005.
DAVID’S TOP FIVE LEADERSHIP TIPS
1. Practice personal power NOT authority power
2. Use self control, inner calm and confidence
3. Build open, honest, respectful and trustworthy relationships
4. Use effective verbal and non-verbal communication
5. Listen and encourage. Be positive wherever and whenever
possible
DAVID’S TOP FIVE DON’TS IN
LEADERSHIP
1. Undervalue staff
2. Poor communication leads to confusion, conflict and poor
teamwork
3. Be dishonest
4. Be overconfident which can lead to arrogance
5. Over delegate
