No Dickheads Allowed: Exploring All Blacks Winning Culture with James Kerr
September 25, 2025
What makes a team win for more than a century, and what can leaders outside the sports world learn from it?
On this episode of Humanity at Scale, host Bruce Temkin sits down with James Kerr, bestselling author of Legacy, the book that captured the ethos of the All Blacks, New Zealand’s legendary rugby team, with an 80% win rate across 125 years. James unpacks the 15 mantras that shaped their culture, from the blunt standard of “No Dickheads” to the humble ritual of “Sweep the Sheds.” Along the way, he shares lessons from Everest and the Gurkhas, explains why rituals and cohesion beat raw talent, and shows how leaders can toggle between a bold vision and the discipline of winning the moment. Whether you’re leading a company, a team, or your own household, this episode will challenge you to rethink what leadership really means and give you a blueprint for leaving your “jersey” in a better place in whatever field you play in.
What makes a team win for more than a century, and what can leaders outside the sports world learn from it?
On this episode of Humanity at Scale, host Bruce Temkin sits down with James Kerr, bestselling author of Legacy, the book that captured the ethos of the All Blacks, New Zealand’s legendary rugby team, with an 80% win rate across 125 years. James unpacks the 15 mantras that shaped their culture, from the blunt standard of “No Dickheads” to the humble ritual of “Sweep the Sheds.” Along the way, he shares lessons from Everest and the Gurkhas, explains why rituals and cohesion beat raw talent, and shows how leaders can toggle between a bold vision and the discipline of winning the moment. Whether you’re leading a company, a team, or your own household, this episode will challenge you to rethink what leadership really means and give you a blueprint for leaving your “jersey” in a better place in whatever field you play in.
What You’ll Learn:
- Why the All Blacks’ 80% win rate over 125 years comes down to culture, not talent
- How the rule of “No Dickheads” protects cohesion, motivation, and long-term success
- The power of small rituals, like sweeping the shed,s to embed humility and identity
- Why leaders must toggle between a bold vision and the discipline of winning each moment
- How asking questions instead of giving orders creates ownership and future leaders
- What the Gurkhas’ Everest story reveals about resilience under crisis and uncertainty
- Why efficiency can erode effectiveness, and how connection is the leadership skill of the future
- What it really means to “leave the jersey in a better place” in business, teams, and life
James Kerr is the global bestselling writer, speaker, and leadership expert who helps create high-performance cultures for elite teams and organisations. He is the author of the global best-seller ‘Legacy’, which provides a unique insight into the culture of most successful sporting team, the New Zealand All Blacks, and has worked with some of the world's most exceptional organisations - from Tier One Special Force units to Premiership Football Teams, Formula One to America's Cup, Goldman Sachs to McKinsey & Co. His forthcoming book, ETHOS, The Legacy Playbook, is a practical playbook for high-performance leadership and how to turn vision into action and purpose into practice. He is a regular contributor to TV, radio, and print media, and lives in London, England.
Episode Resources:
- James Kerr on LinkedIn
- James Kerr Website
- Legacy: What the All Blacks Can Teach Us About the Business of Life
- The Legacy Playbook
- Bruce Temkin on LinkedIn