The British & Irish Lion’s tour of New Zealand kicks off this weekend, the squad has been picked and all focus now is on which players will make the starting XV.

Before the First Test at Eden Park on Saturday 24th June coach Warren Gatland has just six warm-up matches to see all his players in action before finalising his preferred team.

Pundits agree that the squad is the strongest ever assembled in Lions history for a tour of the Southern Hemisphere, with quality and strength in depth providing Gatland with plenty of options in every position.

Sounds like a good selection headache to have, if there is such a thing.

Inevitably there will be much speculation in the media about the starting XV between now and the First Test but ultimately it’s Gatland’s call, and Gatland’s decision alone, that matters.

If Gatland’s initial 41-man squad is anything to go by, there may be a few surprises in store.

But should we be stunned if Dan Biggar starts ahead of Jonny Sexton at Number 10 or Courtney Lawes or Iain Henderson get the nod at Lock and not the formidable Maro Itoje?

Whilst the Home Nations may be blessed with an abundance of talent at present, victory isn’t guaranteed by throwing them together on the pitch. If it was that simple, we would all make good coaches!

Gatland’s task at hand extends beyond that. If uniting a group of players who are used to competing against each other isn’t a difficult enough task, he then has to turn them into a team in matter of weeks. Not just any team, however, one that is capable of defeating the number one team at the world, double world champions, and a team that no Lions squad has defeated in a series since 1971 in their own backyard.

Of course, he has to pick players that can perform moments of brilliance. Match-winners are invaluable. But rather than solely focusing on individual past performances he has to pick players that are best suited to each position and who he believes will gel together to carry out his game plan and strategy.

Instead of choosing arguably the most skilled players, Gatland needs to consider different attributes. He needs players he can trust, leaders who can motivate and inspire others, and players who will feel empowered to perform on the big stage and will back this up by consistently making the correct decisions in key pressure moments.

The collective whole has to be greater than the sum of its parts. If it means making unpopular decisions and leaving out some big names to achieve this, then so be it.

Gatland is no stranger to making tough calls throughout his 28 years’ experience as a coach. During the last Lions tour of Australia he controversially dropped one of his star men, Brian O’Driscoll for the third and deciding Test. It was a decision which once again saw him pilloried in the media but one that was vindicated when the Lions sealed the series 2-1.

Sports metaphors are commonplace in business. But if sport has taught us one lesson over the years, it’s that a team made up of great individuals on paper doesn’t always win, regardless of the talent on show.

Forcing players to play out of position simply to accommodate them is like placing square pegs in round holes – it simply never works.

How many England managers tried and failed over the years to accommodate two of England’s best players at the time, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, in the same team?

In contrast, let’s look at Leicester City. On paper, nobody expected Leicester City to win the Premier League last season, but they managed to deceive odds of 5000-1 to do so. They weren’t the most talented players to ever lift the trophy but combined to create a formidable force. They knew their strengths, had a game plan which brought the best out of their players and, above all, a team spirit which meant on any given day they could beat anyone.

The big question is this, in business are we recruiting the right people or are we recruiting the people who look like the right people?

What are the statistics for success? In sales, are your best sales people the most attractive and popular people? Or are they the hardest working? Or are they simply lucky!

What are the key success attributes of your top performers? Let’s not just look at the immediately obvious visual traits.

There is a lack of ready-made talent out there for the roles we need, but it doesn’t mean that talent isn’t available, it’s just not in the shape or form that we need today. As leaders, managers and recruiters we need to identify the key attributes for success in our business in our industry, with our products and try and attract people with these attributes.

And once we have found them, we need to train and develop these skills and attributes to bring out the best of our workforce collectively, just like Warren Gatland is hoping to do with his Lions selection.

If the Lions are triumphant in New Zealand, who are we to question him.

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