Name: Rick Gawdat

Title: Business Owner

Organisation: Spirit Sport & Events

After a successful and fulfilling 30-year career in the Technology and EdTech sectors, I am now channeling my energy into building my own ventures in the Sports and Entertainment industries. Leveraging my extensive background in various sports, I have co-founded Spirit Sports Management, a growing majority Indigenous-owned sports management company.

At Spirit, we specialise not only in managing the athletic careers of our clients but also in preparing them for life after sports, no matter what path they choose. Many athletes face significant challenges when their playing days are over, and too often, they receive limited support from managers, clubs, or sports associations during this critical transition. With our diverse expertise and a broad network of partners, we help athletes successfully navigate the often-challenging shift to a new chapter in their lives after their professional sports careers conclude.

Thank you to the 2,000 leaders who’ve generously done the 7 Questions on Leadership!

We’ve gone through the interviews and asked the best of the best to come back and answer 7 MORE Questions on Leadership.

I hope Rick's answers will encourage you in your leadership journey. Enjoy!

Cheers,

Jonno White

1. As a leader, how do you build trust with employees, customers and other stakeholders?

For me, it comes down to 4 factors: 1. Honesty, 2. Empathy 3. Consistency & 4. Calmness The last lever 'calmness' that I always use has served me very well. As emotional beings, we can all fall into reacting in many different ways when faced with a situation. I have found that staying calm under whatever situation I am faced with allows me, and the others involved in the situation, to take an unemotional, rational approach to understanding and solving the problem. Additionally, it removes the risk of fear, particularly when it comes to a subordinate raising a difficult situation with their leader.

2. What do 'VISION' and 'MISSION' mean to you? And what does it actually look like to use them in real-world business?

I have a textbook interpretation of vision and mission. Simply put, vision is the destination, and mission is the journey. I don't have a complicated, esoteric interpretation. My simple interpretation of management or team leadership provides clarity and purpose without leaving anything open to alternate interpretations.

3. How can a leader empower the people they're leading?

Firstly, by giving them a voice and respecting their opinions and views, even if they differ from yours. Everyone is entitled to their position and has a right to voice it.

Secondly, living by the 'golden rule' has worked for me. I don't like being disrespected, ignored, or excluded. Nobody does. I always try to live by this rule both in my professional and personal life.

I also like to share knowledge and information if I have it. The people around you will never reach their full potential if you are a hoarder.

I tend not to panic when a team member makes a mistake. Everyone does. My preference is to acknowledge the error, work with the team member to understand why it was made, and put a strategy in place to avoid repeating the mistake.

4. Who are some of the coaches or mentors in your life who have had a positive influence on your leadership? Can you please tell a meaningful story about one of them?

I had a leader once who taught me the value of 'being in the moment.' This was compelling for me. I am the type of person who is doing multiple things all at once. Always thinking, planning, reviewing, and adding new tasks and challenges to my life. It's just the way I am wired. I love a challenge. But what that ultimately creates is the potential to seem or to be disengaged at times when you're having a one-to-one, as your mind is racing in several different directions all of the time. This can be annoying or even disconcerting to others.

This leader had an incredible ability to focus on the now, be completely wired-in to the conversation he was in, and the person he was engaged with. This was incredibly empowering, and I learned a lot from him. Not surprisingly, he has become a very close friend and confidant inside and outside of my professional life.

5. Leadership is often more about what you DON'T do. How do you maintain focus in your role?

Everything that happens to us is a learning experience. I try to reflect on every win, failure, near miss, and repeated error. I try to work out what happened and why. I try to find patterns and trends in my behaviour or that of others. I also try to surround myself with as many positive people as possible, and cut ties with negative, energy-sapping people that cross my path.

6. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Everyone plans differently. How do you plan for the week, month and years ahead in your role?

Mike Tyson once famously said, "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face." I love this because life is never linear. I like to plan and set business and personal goals, but I don't get too hung up on them. There are so many variables that are out of my control that can impact and derail my plans, and there's nothing I can do about them. I am realistic about this, and so while I plan meticulously, I also take a pragmatic view that I may/will have to change these plans if I need to. I think that being flexible and adaptable is more important than being fixed on a plan, no matter what external forces are impacting them.

7. What advice would you give to a young leader who is struggling to delegate effectively?

Be respectful to everyone around you. Try always to put yourself in the other's shoes and see their perspective. Stay calm, consistent, and polite, even when delivering tough news or critique. Be thorough and clear with your messages, and welcome questions from direct reports.