I found the decision to retire so difficult, despite all my success, that it took an unprecedented set of global circumstances and the unvarnished truth from a 5-year-old boy to make me see that I was finding any excuse to keep playing to avoid retirement. But there was nowhere to hide anymore, and over the course of that year I came to accept that my days as a professional rugby player were over. Leadership is a skill that can be learned and developed, and in any strong organisation you need leaders “all over the team.” Dan says that he had to practise and train to be a better communicator; clear, precise and direct. He also learned to demand excellence from others, and have the uncomfortable conversations that this entails. With the “no individual is bigger than the team” as a core value, he did this in the best interests of the team. He also stresses that it all starts with listening – really tuning into what’s being said. Whether you're a business looking to work on your culture, a leader on a steep learning curve, a person navigating change in their life or just someone of any age trying to get that little bit better every day, I hope that my experience can spur you on to greater heights, and master the art of winning. I wanted to be vulnerable about the difficulty of finishing something that you love and you feel like you were put on this planet to do. It's quite a challenging process, and not just for sports people. I wanted to document it, and I talked to various people to help me navigate this change.”

His autobiography tells of that redemption, and gets you up close and personal with one of the most celebrated sportsmen of our time. Throughout my playing career I’d always known what my purpose was. When I got out of bed each day I was striving to improve upon the player I was yesterday, to be the best rugby player in the world. It meant setting relentless standards for myself. And it also demanded great sacrifice: at times putting my career and my pursuit of excellence first, and my family second. Dan says if you’re not evolving you’re standing still. And, if you’re standing still, the competition can catch you up. Key to successfully scaling your next peak in an ability to embrace a beginner's mindset, to be humble enough to accept that you’re beginning again and you need to learn new skills and start over. You also need to have a growth mindset – to see opportunities when circumstances and challenges come along. Dan says for teams and organisations, consistent success means ensuring you have the people and attributes to get you where you want to go – not just those that have got you this far. I first thought seriously about retirement in 2013, at the age of 31. Suffering from constant injuries, I felt that my body was giving up on me, no longer able to cope with the demands of professional rugby. But retirement was a dirty word to me, conjuring up the kind of images no one needs in their head: Washed up. Has-been. No good anymore. I dreaded retirement, feared it, avoided it at all costs.There’s something poignant about this super-achiever’s search for purpose and passion. Beneath the smooth surface of the words Kevin Roberts has helped him find, you can still detect the tug of anxiety. Suddenly, everything was put into perspective for me. Hearing this from my son, a 5-year-old whose only take is that he gets to have his dad around again, crystallised the thoughts that had been swirling around my head for years now. When is the right time to go? I was an aging athlete who had achieved everything I’d wanted to in the game. What exactly were my reasons for wanting to continue playing? Having Growth Faculty membership grants your employees 12 months of unlimited access to masterclasses and interviews with world-class coaches and thought leaders, engaging events, networking opportunities and an on-demand library of leadership resources. (See our 2023 line-up of live virtual and in-person events )

At a time when many people are contemplating the next step in their career, working hard towards achieving their goals, those of us in sport are contemplating the end. Will it be a career-ending injury? The dreaded tap on the shoulder from the coach? Or will we get to choose the manner of our departure? Everyone wants a fairy-tale ending: only a privileged few achieve it. In this book, I take you inside a journey that has forced me to look inwardly in a way I've never had to before. It's been challenging, frustrating, rewarding and left me full of gratitude. And then there was the anxiety, the self-doubt. I’d dabbled in business during my sports career, but if that was where I saw a future, where would I fit in? I never went to university, and a part of me had always thought, “I don’t deserve to be in these important business meetings. I’m not smart enough. My input doesn’t matter because I’m just a rugby player.” This book is your new bible for life. This is the book that is going to give you the words of wisdom, the messages, everything you need to navigate your everyday life. It's not a book about rugby, it's a book about life. * Jake Humphrey, author of 'High Performance' * When I returned, I’d lost my place in the team and had to settle for a spot on the bench. But I learned to adapt to a new role within the squad rather than face up to the writing on the wall. And then I joined Kobe Steelers in Japan, on what I knew would be my final contract, where I was reunited with my coach and mentor Wayne Smith. We won the Japanese Top League in my first season, and I felt I was playing great rugby again.

Select a format:

My experiences held value not only in rugby, but beyond. My confidence grew when organisations like AstraZeneca, who were trying to develop a Covid vaccine at the time, and a team at the Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, part of the University of Oxford, wanted to hear my thoughts on managing pressure. I also spoke in Paris with the general managers of Louis Vuitton, at the invitation of their CEO, Michael Burke, about the importance of humility in a team environment.