How many times have we sat in windowless meeting rooms and searched the walls for inspiration ahead of our next leadership retreat? How about… lessons learned from geese? Done that! The straws and marshmallows building game? Done that too (and eaten the marshmallows).
In 2023, James Graham’s stage production about Gareth Southgate’s transformation of the England men’s football team came to the stage. I was privileged to get tickets to Dear England and was enthralled by the play. I would talk about it enthusiastically in my leadership training sessions but, of course, few people outside of London, or even with an interest in football, had seen it.
A play about leadership and culture
With Sir Gareth’s tenure with the England team now behind us, the play has been given a substantial rewrite with some new characters. And it’s this new version that will be available as a recording on National Theatre Live, with a national tour to make the play available to a wider audience.
At its heart, Dear England is about culture. Southgate took the managerial position after a catalogue of disappointing performances and inherited a toxic culture. He faced a challenge that many leaders will recognise: how do you turn around a legacy system with deeply ingrained behaviours and keep people onside?
Southgate didn’t start with tactics – he started with trust.
To help you create compelling discussion points for your next leadership workshop, here are three leadership takeaways from Dear England to consider:
1. The power of psychological safety
Southgate brings in psychologist Pippa Grange to help with the training sessions and transform the dressing room into a place where players are able to speak openly without fear of humiliation about pressure, failure, or the trauma of past penalty shoot-outs.
In many organisations, fear of failure leads to protecting egos, compliance and underperformance. The England players were encouraged to confront their fears and reframe them. The result? A team that became more resilient, adaptable and cohesive.
Reflective question: Does your team feel safe enough to speak up?
His vulnerability is an act of leadership – a willingness to show that he, too, has stumbled.
2. Vulnerability builds credibility
I was in the crowd at Euro 96 with my head in my hands when Southgate missed his penalty. In a scene that took me right back to that moment, Southgate opens up about that infamous miss in the play. His vulnerability is an act of leadership – a willingness to show that he, too, has stumbled.
In today’s high-change workplace, leaders who claim to have all the answers lose credibility fast. Dear England is a reminder that by owning our mistakes, we give others permission to learn, innovate, and try again.
Reflective question: When did you last admit you got it wrong?
3. Values over victories
Southgate encourages his team to rediscover what it means to play for England – not for glory, but for something deeper: connection, meaning, identity. This is what we mean when we talk about purpose. When our people understand what is required of them, when they believe it is right, and that it matters – performance follows.
Reflective question: What’s the deeper ‘why?’ behind your team’s work?
Dear England is a reminder that leadership is more than strategy – it’s story.
Tell the story, not just the strategy
Using theatre in leadership development isn’t new. But Dear England is a reminder that leadership is more than strategy – it’s story. For leadership trainers and HR professionals, the relaunch of Dear England offers an opportunity.
Perhaps the next time you plan a leadership retreat, consider a screening of Dear England, with reflection sessions on the play’s themes. It might be the unexpected coaching session your team didn’t know they needed.
