High Performance Leadership Programme Flourishing

Munster Rugby’s High Performance Leadership Programme is proving a big hit with companies and individuals across Ireland and beyond.

The unique two-and-a-half day course, led by Munster Rugby Head of Enterprise Enda Lynch and based at the state-of-the-art High Performance Centre at the University of Limerick, has become a huge success since the pilot course last March.

The programme is set to really take off this year with a second course taking place last month and further programmes being held this May, September and November. Lynch, who previously held the role of Munster Rugby’s Head of Commercial & Marketing, has developed the High Performance Leadership Programme and is delighted with the results so far.

“It’s tailored for senior executives of companies,” he says. “People who would have management responsibilities and would be reporting to the CEO, or else somebody who the company feels would be moving into that type of position in the future.

“The course is very intensive. The people who attend are senior leaders in their organisations and we have precious little time with them so we work incredibly hard and there’s a lot to take on board. The maximum number of people on any course is 16. It’s a personal journey, you learn an awful lot about your own physical, nutritional and mental wellness. You learn about your style of leadership and how that impacts those around you so there are many personal elements to the journey.

“Feedback has been great, it has given people the chance to put a little time into themselves and they get many valuable learnings from it because we get to cover a number of disciplines.”

Munster Rugby Forwards Coach Jerry Flannery is one of the expert speakers along with leading staff from the University of Limerick and CEO’s from organisations across Ireland.

Before participants arrive on the course, they must complete a Life 360 review encompassing that person’s impact on their work, home and their community. They also have their energy, movement levels and sleep patterns tracked to understand what type of individual is coming, which enables the programme to be tailored accordingly.

“This isn’t about the wider business, this is about you,” explains Lynch. “That’s why we don’t go with big numbers because we need time to spend with every person individually. We see where people are in their life, from physical fitness to mental wellness so there are a lot of things that we test and help you to understand. It’s one thing to know where you currently are but what we try and do then is to empower you, the attendee, to make decisions about how you improve when you leave us because that is the true success of the programme – making the changes that enable you to perform at a higher level.

“For the programmes we have run, people have told us that it is a very holistic journey and they’re finding out an awful lot about themselves.”

The course itself is also quite unique as Munster Rugby and the University of Limerick pool their resources to provide a programme unlike any other in Ireland. Lynch says: “The unique selling point is that it mixes two great organisations – Munster Rugby and the University of Limerick. We are not aware of any sports organisation and university developing such a high intensity programme for senior leaders. It’s combining Munster Rugby and the University of Limerick’s unique talents.

“Munster Rugby knows how to prepare players to be leaders and thinkers in high intensity situations on the pitch every weekend, we want to transfer that mental and physical resilience into the boardrooms of Ireland and further afield.

“We have a CEO section in the final part of the programme focused on authentic leadership. This allows individuals to gain a greater understanding of the strengths of their own voice and thought process. This in turn allows you to nurture your strength and become a better leader that way, rather than mimicking leaders that you have worked for. When you are true to yourself, you are always a stronger leader. All four leadership sessions are based around that theme and we also have CEOs from across Ireland and abroad that contribute. People like Anne O’Leary from Vodafone; Steve Rowe from Marks & Spencer; Niall FitzGerald, the former Group Chair of Unilever; they are all going to be joining us for one-hour sessions to give us their insights. People get to hear from senior leaders who have achieved and who are authentic voices that believe in wellness in the workplace.

“Everyone that went on our programme last year already have or are in the process of moving onto senior roles. They feel that this is a big part of the journey for them in realising their bigger potential and performing at a higher level. As one attendee, John Brennan, now a Director with Tesco said, ‘it changed my life’.”

For more information on Munster Rugby’s High Performance Leadership Programme, click here.