Any Given Team
Issue: Volume 29 Number 3
Any Given Team
Improving Leadership and Team Performance
Ray McLean
Athlete Development Australia, 2006
222 pages
RRP: $24.95 (including GST)
How often have we all heard “That team/club needs to change its culture!”? Easy to say, but far from easy to do. Ray McLean’s recently published book explains his approach to how this can be done. Not a comfortable process necessarily, there are risks to be taken and at times there are certainly costs.
McLean’s book is not simply a prescriptive ‘step by step’ approach but more of a thought provoking introduction to the possibilities offered by an alternative ‘model’ of leadership and teamwork. His approach is unique and has now been adopted across different teams and sports including the Australian Football League, National Rugby League, National Basketball League and Rugby Union Super14 teams and a number of businesses. The book uses primarily football examples however the processes and issues are applicable across all team environments.
Any Given Team is an easy read, written in a down to earth conversational style. Having had the opportunity to personally experience Ray McLean’s work as part of a team, I found this book true to that experience.
It is recommended for any coach keen to move forward by raising the bar and challenging the existing culture of a team and club.
