Developing Leadership with International Cricket Council

Overview

The International Cricket Council is the governing body of the world’s second most popular spectator sport. In 2017, they came to us to help them develop a global leadership academy that would lay the foundation for the future of the game.

Challenge

Cricket originated in the 16th century, but longevity doesn’t guarantee a place in a world where Fortnite and SnapChat are competing for the attention of millennials. We partnered with the ICC to develop a Global Leadership Academy to create a community of leaders that could address modern challenges and help the sport thrive in a landscape of constant disruptive change.

Strategy

  • We developed and implemented a wide range of custom built, culture-agnostic programs designed to immerse leaders and high potential talent from all over the world in skill-building environments, including 12-month leadership deep dives.
  • We exposed the ICC’s leadership cohorts to new cultures and perspectives. Our ‘Executive XI’ and ‘Trail Blazers’ programs spanned the globe, bringing leaders together in strategically relevant cities like Dubai, Mumbai, Seattle, and Dublin, where they learned to collaborate with their colleagues without the limitations of borders. Cultures collided in an environment of understanding and support. Antiquated ideas were discarded, and best practices were combined in new and unique ways.
  • We provided access to some of the most innovative organizations in the world, allowing our teams to peer inside businesses like Slack, AirBnB, Redbull, and Vox Cinemas.
  • In addition to our physical workshops, we created online masterclasses. A digital design discovery wall was also used to guide participants through an end to end design challenge, culminating in a leadership hackathon – in which they pitched innovative ideas for the future of the game to members of the ICC executive.

The Global Leadership Academy was designed to be an evolving, ongoing resource for the members of the ICC:

  • Tailored personal coaching, peer groups, and measured 360 feedback all continue to be critical to the academy’s success & growing sense of community.
  • In 2018 we extended our Academy offering with a series of catalyst events designed to give alumni an opportunity to put all their training to work. At ICC conferences in Jakarta, Nairobi, Paris, Dubai & Antigua, Leadership Accelerators were delivered by participants in the Leadership Academy.
  • We launched Game Changers, a tailored experience for ICC Associate Members’ Chairs and Presidents to hone and execute on their strategic vision for the game.

Results

“The ICC Global Leaders Academy Executive XI is a truly transformative 12-month leadership programme that I believe is unprecedented in world sport. Across 352 days with in-depth sessions in Dubai, Mumbai and Seattle we were immersed in the Leadership teams across Corporate, Sport and Communities which delivered a unique platform for learning from global pioneers in innovation, values and culture….Such an innovative and game-changing program that has not only had a profound impact on our personal leadership journey but accelerated and embedded the connection between ICC countries like never before.” -Katie Twomey, Head of Venue Business at Cricket Australia
 
 

What We Learned

  • The return on investment is amplified over time. The slow burn of programs lasting from 3 to 12 months leads to, as Katie Twomey reflected, “life-changing” outcomes.
  • Shared immersive experiences (some of which are surprising and unexpected) open people up to new ways of thinking and viewing themselves and their world. With that mindset, anything is possible.
  • Multiple learning pathways and support networks need to be embedded in the program to address the many different learning styles of people from different cultures.