The autobiography of the England rugby team’s head coach may not be the obvious place to look for lessons in Christian leadership. But there is much to learn about leadership from this book, and much of this could be applied to thinking about training for self-supporting ministry and seeking to shape the future of the Church.
Born to a Japanese mother and an Australian father, Eddie Jones grew up in one of the poorer suburbs of Sydney. He grew up playing rugby union at Matraville Sports High School with the Ella brothers, Gary, Glen, and Mark and fell in love with the sport. He played hooker for Randwick, one of the most successful Sydney clubs, but never made it into the Australian rugby team, perhaps the biggest disappointment of his early life. Alongside his playing career he worked as a teacher, and quickly took on leadership roles. Shortly after giving up played he faced a choice between continuing to work in education or taking the much riskier option of trying to become a full time coach. He chose to take a risk and went on to become one of the most influential and successful coaches of his generation.
One of the most striking things about Eddie Jones’ coaching career is its international scope. He’d coached in Australia, Japan, South Africa and England, and enjoyed great success in all four countries. There’s a clear sense in the book that context matters, but at the same time there’s a sense that the fundamentals of being a good rugby coach transcend cultural difference. In fact, one of the lessons for being a good coach might be an understanding that context matters. Beating South Africa with Japan in 2015 was a very different challenge than trying to win the World Cup with England in 2019, but he was able to draw lessons from one experience that applies to the other. Interesting Jones comments on similarities between British and Japanese societies and suggests that the English, in particular, are even more attracted to strong leadership.
After suffering a relatively mild stroke while working in Japan, Eddie Jones started going to Church. ‘I have never been a practising Christian,’ he writes, ‘but I found peace in church. It was not some dramatic conversation – but, rather, a place where I could reflect and give thanks for my returning health, my family, and my work. I began to strongly believe that there is a purpose for all of us in our lives’ (247). It is the sense of purpose and commitment, more than any overt statements about belief or faith that for me resonated most with a vocation to Christian leadership. Every day, it seems, Eddie Jones wakes up and asks ‘how can I be a better rugby coach?’ This is not necessarily the way I’ve been thinking about a vocation to self-supporting ministry, but perhaps it should be. ‘How can I be a better Church leader?’ Asking that at the start of each day may help me seek out experiences, conversations, and opportunities to reflect that will keep me improving. It’s not an easy approach to life, and Eddie Jones has frequently found himself needing to pick himself up and dust himself off following a bad loss. His motto is don’t listen too much to the praise during the good times or the criticism during the bad times. But do keep learning and trying to improve.
At the end of the book, Jones writes that ‘the art of good coaching is turning an idea in your head into reality on the field’ (421). This fits nicely with the classic definition that leadership is having vision and making it happen. What are some of the lessons in leadership from the book? Don’t get comfortable. Always think you can improve. Context matters – coaching in Japan is not the same as coaching in South Africa. Make strong connections with the influential personalities in a group. Don’t give up. Get knocked down but keep getting up again.
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