Joe Root: My 3 tips for creating cultures that allow people to thrive

Key takeaways:

• Whether in business or sport, leadership roles can often come with pressure and scrutiny.

• Joe Root, England cricketer and Vitality ambassador shares some advice for cultivating a positive culture, on the field and in business.

• Find out more about creating a culture your team can buy into, leading with consistency and compassion and the importance of getting to know your team.

Leadership often comes with a high degree of pressure and scrutiny. Whether in business or sport, leaders are often expected to make difficult decisions, perform under pressure and inspire those around them.

It’s a challenge that Joe Root, England cricketer and Vitality ambassador knows all too well. Having recently returned as England Test Captain, Joe has experienced first-hand the demands of leading in a high-pressure environment.

While few workplace teams face the crowds of packed-out stadiums and a national audience, the challenges of today’s workplace can still place significant pressure on line managers.

In fact, 71% of middle managers said that they “sometimes” or “always” feel overwhelmed, stressed or burned out at work – a figure which is even higher among those aged 35-years-old or younger (75%)[1].

Whether it's balancing workloads, driving high performance or navigating difficult conversations, managers are often required to juggle competing demands whilst being under pressure themselves.

So, what can leaders learn from elite sportspeople about managing in pressured environments?

1. Create a culture your team can buy into

For Joe, one of the biggest lessons of leadership isn’t just about winning – it’s about creating a supportive culture that allows his team to thrive.

Reflecting on his earlier years at the helm of English cricket, he said: “I loved my time as captain. I enjoyed trying to create an environment and culture that everyone could buy into – something that we could judge ourselves against that wasn’t results-based.

“[It] felt like it took the pressure off and gave us consistency in high pressure environments; the highs we were seeing that came to life and, off the back of it, seeing the team come together and achieve some special things on the field,” Joe added.

For leaders, this serves as a helpful reminder that culture and success shouldn’t solely be measured by targets or short-term results.

Instead, focusing on effort, collaboration, and continuous learning, rather than solely on short-term wins, could help leaders to manage teams under pressure and get better outcomes from their people.

Get to know Joe Root

Find out how professional cricketer Joe Root spends a typical day before the start of cricket season.

Watch the video:

2. Lead with consistency and compassion

As Joe sees it, being able to lead well under pressure comes down to two key principles: “consistency and compassion go a long way,” he says.

Creating an environment of stability rooted in active listening, empathy and support can help to reduce feelings of stress in the team, but it can also help to build trust.

In the workplace, access to support from line managers can also bring about positive outcomes.

In fact, according to research, employees who feel well supported by their line manager are 3.4 times more likely to feel engaged at work[2].

Getting to know your team, and understanding their personal values away from work, are useful traits for leaders to embody, Joe says. “[It can] help in knowing how to get the best out of them,” he added.

"I enjoyed trying to create an environment and culture that everyone could buy into..."

Joe Root, England cricketer and Vitality ambassador

3. Get to know your team – and help them to thrive

Whether it’s heavy workloads, tight deadlines or packed calendars, there are several situations that may cause employees to feel stressed at work.

For leaders managing teams in high-pressure environments, it’s as much about helping colleagues to respond in the right way as much as it as about alleviating the pressure altogether.

“Create a culture and environment that allows people’s skills to come out and thrive; something that’s consistent and that you can hold people accountable to but isn’t purely, or even at all, results based,” Joe says.

But, for Joe, a big part of this comes back to “taking the time to know your team on an individual basis.”

When leaders have a better understanding of the preferred work styles, strengths, and challenges of their direct reports, it can be easier for them to foster strong relationships and provide support.

Whether leading a team in cricket or in business, navigating challenging environments is inevitable.

But, as Joe’s experience shows, the best leaders don’t just manage pressure – they cultivate environments that enable their teams to thrive.

[1] Capterra's 2023 Middle Manager Survey was conducted in December 2023 among 340 middle managers around the world to learn more about their experiences and challenges in their current role. Respondents had to be full- or part-time employees at the management level in one of four English-speaking countries: Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom (U.K.), or the United States (U.S.).

[2] Employees are three times more engaged when they supported by managers, study shows, People Management, November 2022

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