All Blacks mental skills coach Gilbert Enoka has revealed how he introduced a 'no dickheads' policy, which is operated by the players themselves.
Enoka says the point of the policy is to wean out inflated egos and make everything about the team, with his central belief being you can’t 'be a positive person on the field and a prick off it'.
'A dickhead makes everything about them,' he told adidas’ Gameplan A. 'They are people who put themselves ahead of the team, people who think they’re entitled to things, expect the rules to be different for them, people operating deceitfully in the dark, or being unnecessarily loud about their work.
'Often teams put up with it because a player has so much talent. We look for early warning signs and wean the big egos out pretty quickly. Our motto is, if you can’t change the people, change the people.
'The management might not spot these counterproductive behaviours. The players and leaders themselves should call others out for their inflated egos.'
Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images
