Boards Should Roar Like the Lions on Tour!

Every four years, a unique sporting phenomenon takes place: the British and Irish Lions tour. Drawing players from England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, historically fierce rugby rivals, the Lions must transform a group of opponents into a united, high-performing team in a matter of weeks. For association boards, often composed of individuals from diverse professional backgrounds, sectors, geographies, and ideologies, the Lions offer a compelling model for team building, bonding, and success.

1. The Power of Shared Purpose

The Lions don’t come together simply to play rugby, they come to win as Lions. What unites them is not just the goal of victory but the pride of wearing a shared jersey that transcends club and country. This is a powerful lesson for association boards. Board members, often nominated by different constituencies or elected from competing interest groups, must see beyond parochialism and embrace a shared commitment to the association’s mission. Success comes when directors prioritise the collective goal (advancing the profession, supporting members, or delivering public value) over their own allegiances.

2. Accelerated Team Bonding

Lions teams have minimal time to gel before facing the best teams in the Southern Hemisphere. As such, coaches prioritise team bonding from day one. From informal social gatherings to shared rituals and immersive experiences, they work hard to forge trust quickly. Association boards too often assume that collegiality will emerge organically over time. But effective boards need to be intentional about team formation. Onboarding should include time for relationship-building, not just governance briefings. Regular away-days, informal dinners, and moments of shared reflection are not luxuries, they're investments in trust.

3. Role Clarity and Selection on Merit

Lions squads are not built on seniority or politics. Instead, they are selected on form, fitness, and function. Players understand their role within the squad, even if it’s coming off the bench or supporting from the sidelines. In contrast, association boards sometimes fall into the trap of rewarding tenure or representation over capability. Directors need to understand their individual and collective responsibilities and how their particular skills contribute to the board’s success. Having the right people in the right roles, from Treasurer to Chair to committee leads, is as vital to board effectiveness as it is on the pitch.

4. Adaptive Leadership

Lions tours are led by a head coach and captain, but leadership is shared among senior players who model the values and culture of the team. Leadership is situational—different voices rise at different moments. In association boards, the Chair is key, but the most effective boards distribute leadership. Chairs who create space for others to lead, whether in risk oversight, stakeholder engagement, or innovation, enable a culture of ownership. This adaptive, flexible model avoids over-reliance on a single figure and encourages broader accountability.

5. Feedback and Continuous Improvement

On tour, Lions players receive constant feedback, through video analysis, performance metrics, peer review. It’s constructive, not punitive, and oriented toward the shared goal. Association boards often shy away from feedback, especially peer evaluation, fearing awkwardness or confrontation. Yet effective boards engage in regular reflection, self-assessment, and performance reviews. What are we doing well? Where are we falling short? How can we improve as a governing body? Just as a rugby team watches the replays, boards must review their own performance to stay sharp.

6. Culture Is Everything

More than tactics or star players, it’s culture that defines a successful Lions tour. Past captains speak of humility, respect, and putting the team before oneself. Culture is cultivated deliberately, through rituals, behaviours, and shared narratives. The same applies to boards. A culture of curiosity, respectful challenge, integrity, and open dialogue doesn’t happen by chance. It must be set from the top and reinforced in every interaction. Dysfunctional cultures, marked by ego, passivity, or factionalism, can paralyse a board regardless of talent.

7. Temporary, But Impactful

A Lions tour is short-lived (no more than eight weeks) but its impact can be lifelong. The same is true for board terms. Directors are stewards, not owners, and their window to make a difference is finite. The best Lions make every match count. Similarly, great board members approach their term with urgency and intentionality: they focus on legacy, succession, and contribution from day one.

The British and Irish Lions prove that a team of rivals can become a band of brothers when they unite behind a common purpose, build trust quickly, and commit to collective success. Association boards, often tasked with complex decisions under time pressure and competing interests, have much to learn from this model. If they can embrace the spirit of the Lions (intentional bonding, merit-based selection, shared leadership, and continuous learning) they too can deliver extraordinary results. After all, excellence in governance, like excellence in rugby, is ultimately a team sport.