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BIOGRAPHY
After his talent with a cricket bat was spotted at Cambridge, Ed signed for his home county. In just one month with Kent he scored six centuries - including an innings of 203. He went on to captain Middlesex and represent England, becoming a popular and highly respected figure.
When an ankle injury forced his retirement from the first class game Ed replaced bat with pen, following in the footsteps of his novelist father Jonathan. While living for a year in New York he wrote Playing Hard Ball, comparing cricket and baseball and their relationship with national myth and identity. He followed this with On and Off the Field and What Sport Tells Us About Life - an exploration of the role of sport, its psychological and cultural effects and the moral lessons it teaches us.
Ed wrote the weekly MindGames column in the Daily Telegraph, and is now a features writer on The Times covering anything from education to 'Renaissance Man.' He has also presented a series on Peak Performance for Radio 3 and an episode for the BBC's Inside Sport.
Ed talks about promoting change by winning over the waverers, rather than wasting too much time on intransigent opponents. He also encourages an inquisitive attitude, to ensure continual improvement. "Good teams have to stay light on their feet, always adapting. You can't afford a mindset of 'we've got this dead right, all we have to do is repeat what we're doing forever.'"
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Q & A
JLA: How can you re-build confidence when the situation seems hopeless?
ES: The first phase is clarity of analysis. The second is broadening the consensus about how to make things better. The key is understanding that some people will grasp it intellectually, others intuitively, some not all - they need to be carried along by momentum. To achieve cultural change as a leader you need a majority of people on your side - but not absolutely everyone. Instead of concentrating all your time and effort on intransigent opponents, devote that energy to winning over the waverers. In a team of 11, if you have 5 supporters, 2 detractors and 4 undecided, it might be better to isolate your problem players by working closely with the 4 in the middle. The temptation is to drive yourself crazy banging your head against a brick wall with the detractors.
JLA: How do you help your team adapt to changing circumstances?
ES: Good teams have to be light on their feet, always changing and adapting. You can't afford a mindset of 'We've got this dead right, all we have to do is repeat what we're doing forever.' Instead, you want to encourage inquisitiveness and a continual quest to get better.
January 2011