The Springboks have become South Africa’s most consistently successful institution, and author PJ Claasen believes part of their winning formula can be replicated far beyond the rugby field.
In his book The Bok Way, Claasen examines what the Springboks’ success can teach businesses and other organisations about leadership, culture, trust and accountability.
Speaking to CapeTalk, Claasen described SA Rugby as one of the country’s best-run institutions and pointed to the dramatic turnaround in its fortunes over the past decade.
He recalled a period when the Springboks were struggling on the field and the organisation itself was in a difficult position.
Looking at the transformation since Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber returned, Claasen said the change had been remarkable.
“Just eight or so years later, it’s a massive shift,” he said.
But Claasen argues that there are lessons in that turnaround for people who have nothing to do with professional rugby.
The simple rule behind Springbok trust
One of the central themes of The Bok Way is trust, something Claasen believes the Springboks have built through surprisingly straightforward behaviour.
He said he asked players he interviewed about the biggest difference they noticed when the new coaches took over.
The answer came down to transparency.
“They tell you the truth. When they say something, they actually do it.”
For Claasen, that provides a lesson that can be applied in workplaces and other organisations: if you make a promise, keep it.
He used team selection as an example.
If the Springbok management tells a player he will play that weekend, Claasen said, he plays. If he is told he will start in three weeks because the coaches are planning ahead, they stick to that commitment.
That contrasts with environments where people are given promises that are later broken in an effort to keep everyone happy.
“I really think it starts with something as simple as if you make a promise, you actually keep the promise,” Claasen said.
“That is where trust starts.”
He said the Springboks also build trust by bringing people into the organisation and ensuring that everyone is being told the same story rather than receiving information second-hand.
Trust, however, does not mean people cannot question decisions.
Claasen pointed to the concept of “trust and transparency”, saying people should be able to ask questions while respecting the responsibilities and expertise of others.
“You are allowed to ask the physio why you are doing a certain thing, but you do it with respect,” he said.
“It is the physio’s job to do their job. Your job is to do your job.”
That makes personal accountability another important part of building a successful culture
“It is asking yourself whether you are actually doing your best,” he said.
“And that is a big, difficult question for us to answer. But we know deep down inside whether we are taking shortcuts [or] we’re actually doing our best.”
A winning example South Africans can see
Claasen believes the Springboks’ significance also extends beyond how the team itself operates.
Their success provides South Africans with a visible example of an institution that works.
“I think we need to see things that work. We all need that,” he said.
The players, he argued, are people South Africans can identify with, making their success something that can be emulated rather than viewed as unattainable.
“They show us that we can do this sort of thing if we get our act together.”
Claasen said those lessons need not be confined to companies. They can apply wherever people work together, including schools, churches and other organisations.
For him, the Springbok brand’s ability to bring together people from different walks of life is another sign of how much has changed.
He recalled travelling recently and noticing the variety of people wearing Springbok hats and jerseys.
“That is a thing that shows everybody has bought into this, which I absolutely love, because it was not always that way.”
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