Maggie Alphonsi: From London roots to rugby royalty

Renowned for her powerhouse performances on the field, Maggie earned 74 England caps, lifted the 2014 Rugby World Cup, and secured seven straight Six Nations titles. Off the pitch, she continues to break new ground as one of the UK’s most sought-after inspirational leadership speakers.

In this exclusive interview with The Champions Speakers Agency, Maggie discusses her leadership philosophy, the evolving landscape of women’s sport, and what it takes to build inclusive, high-performing teams.

Q: Corporate recognition of cultural events like Black History Month has grown in recent years, but what does meaningful recognition actually look like within a business setting?

Maggie Alphonsi: “I would say the best way businesses can recognise Black History Month would be to have events, get people to share their stories. I think that’s very important. And trying to spotlight on the good work that’s currently being done, as well as acknowledging, you know, some of the areas where there’s been challenges or areas that need improvement.

“Some of the best work that I’ve seen from a lot of businesses has been just to put on events, get people to share their stories, and it’s a lot of celebration. I think we need to continue to shine a spotlight on some of the good work that has been done—on people’s journeys, what they’ve achieved along the way. But again, we must not shy away from where we need improvement as well.

“And as businesses, how do we ensure that we are being transparent and also talking about what we need to do to move forward?

“So I would say the best way for businesses to acknowledge Black History Month is to put on events, work with their diversity and inclusion working groups if they’ve got that, or Black networks to find ideas and the best way to ensure that they really learn the month and get different voices and different stories across from within the business.”

Q: Why is embedding diversity and inclusion into the fabric of a workplace essential not just for equity, but for business success?

Maggie Alphonsi: “Diversity and inclusion is important to a workplace because it’s an opportunity for people to bring their whole selves to the workplace. I think that’s very important. We need people to feel like they can be acknowledged and recognised within the business environment, regardless of what are perceived to be their differences.

“And by that I mean, you know, gender, race, sexuality, faith, disability—whatever it may be. We want people to bring their whole selves to work, to feel that their perspectives and their voices are being heard or being acknowledged.

“And, you know, research has shown, greater diversity in roles—in leadership roles in particular—creates better businesses. You know, we’re acknowledging our members, we’re acknowledging those that are our clients and those that are our customers as well.

“So it’s important because we need to hear different voices and understand different perspectives, and diversity brings them.”

Q: You’ve spoken about the importance of high-performing teams throughout your career. What key principles do you believe underpin such teams, both in sport and the workplace?

Maggie Alphonsi: “The key attributes to creating a high-performing team are, from my perspective, collaboration. You know, the best teams are able to work together and utilise every member or every person in a team’s strengths. So collaboration.

“I would say the next key thing would be to create emotional connection. And by that I mean understanding every team member’s whys. You know, what drives them? You know, what’s their motivation? And understanding them. If you can build up that emotional connection, all of a sudden you have the word trust. Build trust within your team.

“So, collaboration, emotional connection, and then to add on to that trust, I would also say the best teams that I’ve been a part of that have been high-performing teams are teams that are not afraid to check and challenge. So what they say, create good conflict.

“If you’ve got good conflict and you’ve got it from a safe space, all of a sudden you’re not afraid to push each other—but you’re pushing each other in a way that you’re trying to create improvement. So that would be another area that would be very key.

“And I guess I would say that another high-performing trait would be that level of accountability—so being able to recognise when, you know, things have gone well and you’ve been part of that, and other people have been a part of that, and acknowledging that.

“But also, when things haven’t gone so well—and actually, how do team members own their mistakes, but not in a way that’s going to create negativity, but again about how we create problem solving and moving forward?

“And there are various different models out there that talk about high-performing teams and how to create a high-performing team. It’s easier said than done. It does take time and it is important to get, you know, buy-in and that shared goal as well—that shared vision that everyone feels like they’re moving in the right direction.”

Q: What practical steps can leaders take to ensure their teams are not just diverse, but genuinely inclusive and representative in their decision-making processes?

Maggie Alphonsi: “The advice that I would give to create a more inclusive team would be to make sure leaders hear different perspectives from different people within the team.

“Sometimes we have a tendency of hearing perspectives but making our own decision. As a leader, how do we ensure that we hear from everyone, and that we answer problems in a way that ensures that we’ve taken everyone’s perspectives or experience into account? So that creates a level of inclusivity.

“You know, when we talk about diversity and inclusion, they say diversity is, you know, inviting people to the dance—but actually, inclusion is about inviting people to dance. And that’s really important. How do we ensure that we are asking the right questions to seek understanding?

“How do we ensure that everyone’s voice is being heard to enable us to make the right response, to provide the right answer to a question? So it’s important that we actually do seek the views of those around us.”

This exclusive interview with Maggie Alphonsi was conducted by Chris Tompkins of The Motivational Speakers Agency.

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