Pressure and care
Boma, founded and led by Kalia Colbin, offers transformational learning experiences for leaders. One of its specialised development courses is the Crusaders Leadership Programme.
Kaila Colbin never expected to be involved with rugby. Originally from the USA, she trained with Brené Brown and Al Gore and built her business, Boma, to focus on intentional, intelligent, courageous leadership.
But when she connected with the Crusaders franchise, she was surprised – and delighted. “I spent so much time in boardrooms and C-suites helping people better understand how to bring individuals together to perform as a team. Turns out there’s no daylight between what’s needed in a business context and what’s needed on the rugby field.”
Boma joined forces with the Crusaders to create the Crusaders Leadership Programme™, a two-week virtual course for any coach or team leader. They knew it had to be special, reflecting the best of the best in the club’s legacy.
“We get to share insights from real legends: Kieran Read, Sam Whitelock, Sir Wayne Smith, Robbie Deans, and Scott ‘Razor’ Robertson. And it’s amazing how generous they are – they go into a huge amount of detail and specificity about how they build winning teams.”
As a Certified B Corp, Boma needed to make sure the values of the club were aligned. “Razor talks about ‘pressure and care’: the idea that we can strive to perform at our absolute best while also caring deeply for one another. This idea is at the heart of what Boma stands for and at the heart of our commitment to Sustainable Development Goal #4, quality education,” Kalia says.
So far, more than 900 people from more than 30 countries have participated in the programme. And it hasn’t been just rugby coaches either: they’ve had people from other sports, IT managers, CEOs, youth workers, and more. “The insights about how to get the best out of people, how to support your people to thrive, how to see the person first and the performer second... These aren’t about rugby. They’re about leadership.”