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Mark Taylor discusses leadership, 2008

Audio Mark Taylor discusses leadership, 2008

TLF ID R10000

This is an edited sound recording of former Australian cricketer Mark Taylor outlining his views on leadership in general and specifically on leadership in cricket. Taylor indicates the personal value he places on communication in leadership. He states that while he was the Australian national cricket captain, he recognised that matches were not life-or-death matters. He also states a belief that the more successful cricketers - even those who depend on the sport for a living - are those who can maintain such an outlook. The recording was made in October 2008.

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Educational details

Educational value
  • This recording gives the views on leadership of a man widely regarded as one of the best captains of the Australian national cricket team. After making his Test match debut in 1988 against the West Indies in Sydney, Taylor (1964-) proved his talents as an opening batsman and a slip fielder in the following few years. He took over the captaincy from Allan Border (1955-) in 1994.
  • When he retired in 1999, Taylor had been captain through 50 Test matches. Of these, Australia had won 26 and lost 13, with 11 draws. Australia had retained 'The Ashes' against England three times. He had kept his position as the Test captain despite an 18-month slump in form in 1996-97. Taylor was named Australian of the Year in 1999 in recognition of his outstanding leadership of the national team.
  • In this recording, Taylor says that making mistakes is part of life, and people should learn from them and move on. He first outlined this attitude at the time of a controversy in 1998 involving two senior teammates - Shane Warne (1969-) and Mark Waugh (1965-) - who admitted accepting cash from a bookmaker in 1994 in return for information about weather and pitch conditions. Taylor indicated that both Warne and Waugh would learn from their mistake.
  • An act of leadership that won Taylor much praise came in 1998 in the final over for the day in a Test against Pakistan, when he equalled the Australian record set in 1930 by the legendary batsman Sir Donald Bradman (1908-2001), of 334 runs in a single innings. Taylor was encouraged to keep batting the following day to break the record, but instead chose to maximise the Australian team's chances of winning by declaring. The match ended in a draw.
  • In this recording, Taylor states his view that a good leader needs to be a good communicator, and the best communicators are those able to listen, so they can learn of other people's problems. He also states that he does not know whether people are 'born leaders', but that leadership skills can be acquired. He suggests that his own development as a leader was helped by being given positions of responsibility.
  • Taylor reveals his attitude to carrying the weight of responsibility for realising the hopes of Australian cricket fans by trying to lead the national team to victory. He states that he knew he was under scrutiny when he was Australian captain, but he was a 'realist' and a match was 'never that serious'. His attitude could be regarded as surprising, given the emphasis that the Australian public places on success for the national cricket team.
Topics Decision making Competition (Human relations) Sportspeople Cricket (Sport) Leadership Leadership styles Leadership role Sporting culture

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  • Person: Mark Taylor
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  • Name: Education Services Australia Ltd
  • Organization: Education Services Australia Ltd
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  • Address: VIC, AUSTRALIA
  • URL: http://www.esa.edu.au/
  • Name: Education Services Australia
  • Organization: Education Services Australia
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  • Person: Mark Taylor
  • Description: Author
  • Copyright Holder
  • Name: Education Services Australia Ltd
  • Organization: Education Services Australia Ltd
  • Address: VIC, AUSTRALIA
  • URL: http://www.esa.edu.au/
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  • Name: Education Services Australia Ltd
  • Organization: Education Services Australia Ltd
  • Description: Publisher
  • Address: VIC, AUSTRALIA
  • URL: http://www.esa.edu.au/
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  • Name: Education Services Australia Ltd
  • Organisation: Education Services Australia Ltd
  • Address: AUSTRALIA
  • URL: www.esa.edu.au
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  • © Education Services Australia Ltd, 2013, except where indicated under Acknowledgements.