Cricket had never seen anything like it. It was the baking summer of 2005. The Australian cricket team was in England – and, as so often, they were winning. The first Test was comfortably theirs. The Ashes seemed to be Australia’s already. One man above all others shouldered the responsibility for turning around the Test series: England’s captain and opening batsman, Michael Vaughan.
Leaders find themselves in adversity and for Vaughan, there could have been nothing more daunting than a brilliant Australian team that had held the Ashes for 18 years and already had a one-match lead. But Vaughan dug deep. And what happened over the following four Test matches was little short of miraculous.
Vaughan spoke to Chris Hirst, CEO of Havas Creative, in this special live recording of the No Bullsh*t Leadership podcast. They talked about what leadership skills and tactics Vaughan used that summer to steer England to a stunning, thrilling victory. How did he handle huge personalities like Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen? How did he help his players find confidence and courage in the face of ferocious bowling and brilliant batting? And how has Vaughan used these lessons in other parts of his life since that glorious summer?