On this episode of Build Better Brands, Danielle Clarke is joined by Kate Richardson-Walsh, ex-GB hockey captain and national record holder, to talk about how to use her on-pitch expertise with team building in the coaching and business world.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• We all find ourselves in challenging situations and the majority of times we pull ourselves through somehow, someway to the other side, and sometimes it takes a long time. During surgery for a broken jaw during London 2012 I really relied on my support network and the team around me to get me through, I’m not sure I would have done had it not been for them. They literally gave me all their energy.
• I grew up seeing leadership as one person at the front shouting at everyone else, very “I say you do”. Leadership looked like the most alien thing in the world, I was really shy as a teenager and didn’t want to use my voice at all, which is actually really common in the teams I’ve been in since or have coached. I prefer connecting with people, understand them and each other and build out those different spaces that people really need. But, sometimes not speaking at all is totally fine, just taking things in, taking time, going away to think about it and bring your thoughts back to the team.
• We need to look at other people’s experiences and what they’re holding back because of the negative narratives and stereotypes that have been built by the white patriarchy that have put us in these positions and are holding us back. Managing our state and emotions is important, but at the same time there also needs to be an understanding that unless we hear from people about they’re feeling and experiencing, how are we ever going to move on as a society. The moments that I’ve experienced homophobia or sexism or where I’ve experienced someone else experience racism or ableism are the moments I wish I’d spoken up more and it’s something I’m trying to get better at. Otherwise those people carry on in their lives thinking they’re right and have the dominant voice, we all need to challenge that status quo.
• Mission statements, goals or values often live in the meeting or on the piece of paper they’re written on, they wouldn’t transcend that time we were discussing them. But having more time to talk about it helps embed it into our processes, habits, how we behave, interact with and show up for one another.

BEST MOMENTS

‘The culture we created in the team was that everybody was leading themselves and leading the team, it was the most amazing thing to see and be a part of.’
‘We’ve got to celebrate our differences. Wouldn’t life be so boring if it was all the same, we need to lift difference up.’
‘In 2012 our vision was gold, it was simple – athletes have simple minds! Some of the women couldn’t even say the word “gold”, the fear of failure was real for a lot of people because we’d failed a lot. When we built out a behavioural framework, things started to change because we could see what we could challenge each other against and celebrate our successes as well.’
’10-11% of organisations operationalise their values into behaviours which kind of blows your mind, but when you think about it it’s obvious. You can really tell the ones that do. They’re engaged and in tune with who they are., but there’s not many that have it.’

ABOUT THE GUEST

Kate Richardson-Walsh, OBE is an Olympic Gold and Bronze Medal winning English field hockey player. She was capped a record 375 times for her country and was the England and Great Britain Captain for 13 years.

An inspirational and charismatic leader she has been widely credited for helping build the incredible team ethos and commitment that drove the GB team to victory at the Rio Olympic Games.  In winning gold Kate also made history in other ways, becoming one half of the first same-sex married couple to win an Olympic medal playing in the same team.

Having retired from international hockey following Rio, Kate is now turning her experience towards coaching, encouraging the grassroots development of the game and applying the leadership and performance lessons of a career in elite sport to the corporate environment.

She currently serves as a Patron for the Women’s Sport Trust and UN Women, supports disability hockey as an ambassador for Access Sport, and sits on the International Hockey Federation’s Athlete’s Committee.

With the pressures of international hockey behind her she is also indulging a few of her other passions, including travel, fashion, cooking and Manchester United.

Website: http://www.katerichardson-walsh.com

PODCAST DESCRIPTION

The Build Better Brands podcast is to inspire small business owners and help them realise that they don't have to be Nike to have a great brand, and the sooner they start to focus on making it better, the sooner they can improve their lives and the lives of others.

On the show I’ll be talking to business owners that have built brands from the ground up. Branding is how you present your best self to your audience consistently. And if they can do it, so can you!

ABOUT THE HOST - DANIELLE CLARKE

Danielle Clarke is a Brand and Marketing Consultant, University Lecturer and Business Owner. She spends her time consulting and working with business owners to help them attract and retain their best customers.

WORK WITH DANIELLE TO HELP BUILD THE BRANDING AND MARKETING STRATEGIES YOUR BUSINESS NEEDS TO GROW: https://calendly.com/hello-danielle-clarke-creative/free-15-min-discovery-call

CONNECT WITH DANIELLE ON LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-clarke-creative-brand-designer-marketing-consultant

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