Know yourself inside out

"I really think doubt is an important part of any sort of leadership role. You make a call and you're never quite sure whether it's the right call. But you've got to make a call."

-John Buchanan

My guest for this episode is John Buchanan, teacher, innovator, coach.

Seven first-class games for Queensland. Then Australian cricket coach for eight years. Never wore the baggy green as a player, but oversaw 70 wins from 89 Tests, a 79% win rate, two World Cups, and 16 consecutive Test victories. The coach who never played, leading the best players alive.

When he applied for the Queensland Bulls job in 1994, Queensland had been chasing the Sheffield Shield for 69 years. The Holy Grail. Every season the same headlines: Is this the year? Buchanan told the interview panel he wasn't interested in the Holy Grail. He said it was an anchor. His vision was 10 years of dominating domestic cricket. They gave him the job. Queensland won the Shield in his first season.

Run along the river

Before he coached a game, Buchanan used to run along the river in Brisbane. He'd think through his philosophy. His values. His principles. His cornerstones. What he stood for. Why he thought the way he did. He traced it all back, backyard cricket dreams, teachers, coaches, the one ordinary season for Queensland where ambition and ability never met, years teaching in TAFE, becoming a father. By the time he walked into that interview, he could articulate his framework in 30 seconds.

"You should be able to get up in front of everybody here now and explain what your leadership philosophy is in 30 seconds or less," he says. "Everybody has a philosophy. Most people just haven't worked out what it is. And that's the basis of trust. That's the basis of a relationship. People need to know who you are, what you stand for. Like it or not."

The crumpled paper

In his first season at Queensland, Buchanan brought computers into cricket. No one had done it. He wasn't a tech expert, but he knew data and video could change how they analysed games and gave feedback to players. After a couple of wins, he handed out sheets in the dressing room, hard data, match analysis, all laid out.

Allan Border sat in his corner. The champion. Buchanan stood taller as Border walked toward him with the sheet. What have you got, Allan? Give it to me. Border crumpled the paper and threw it at him.

Later, Border told him: "I know how to play this game. I don't need data to show me what I'm doing. Provided you don't overload me with this stuff, we'll be fine."

Every person is an individual. Every person prepares differently. The lesson wasn't to abandon the vision. It was to retreat, wait, and bring it back when the players were ready. Confidence dented. Vision intact.

Doubt is the entry point

When I ask Buchanan if he ever doubted himself, he doesn't hesitate. "I really think doubt is an important part of any sort of leadership role. You make a call and you're never quite sure whether it's the right call. There's very few times where there's simply one solution. Leadership coaching is complex because you're dealing with people and changing circumstances and a lot of things outside your control."

In 1995, Queensland were in Tasmania, chance to host the Shield final. They had a terrible first day. The players dragged themselves off the field, shoulders hunched, heads down. Buchanan saw the ghosts of 69 years walking into that room. He deliberately got himself angry, stormed in, slammed the door, and singled out Border. Tore into him. Border ripped back. The young players sat frozen. Buchanan had no idea if it was the right call. They won the game. Hosted the final. Won the Shield.

"You cannot learn what you think you already know," he says. Doubt is the work.

Prepared to lose the job

In 1998, Middlesex offered Buchanan the coaching role. Lord's. Home of cricket. He went over for pre-season, sat down with the players, talked about culture. One thing stood out: capped players got cars, better accommodation, higher pay. Uncapped players shared rooms and wore a number two on their cap. Buchanan said if they were a team, they'd get rid of the designation.

The England players came back from tour. Mark Ramprakash, the new captain, called him over. "You don't make any changes in this club. If there are any changes to be made, I make them." The tension lasted eight weeks. In the end, it was Buchanan or Ramprakash. Buchanan held his line. Lost the job.

"Once you establish your philosophy and principles and values, you've got to be prepared to lose your job," he says. "That's always easier said than done. But if you compromise once, you'll never get it back."

This is a conversation about what it takes to lead when you don't have the credentials, to hold standards when it's easier to walk past them, and to find courage in clarity about who you are and what you stand for.

Notebook ready.

Play on!