06/07/2026
A lesson in Leadership
Being a Competitor... While Sponsoring Your Biggest Rival
When I was 23, I started my surf brand called Instinct. My vision was to build a company that captured the feeling of riding inside the tube, but I also wanted to use the business to support me in my pro surf career and after, and also sponsor and mentor the next generation of surfers, much like my father had mentored young surfers in South Africa.
One of the athletes I brought on to sponsor was an incredibly talented young Australian surfer named Tom Carroll - raw power, unrestrained aggression and creativity, and a sparkling personality.
Fast forward to the 1985 world tour. I was surfing better than ever and led the global point standings for the entire year. Everything came down to the very last event of the season. The only person standing between the World Championship and me was Tom Carroll.
The surfer wearing Instinct, my brand logo. The surfer I was actively paying to compete.
Tom beat me in that final event at Bells Beach in Australia. He took the world title, and I finished second.
It was a bittersweet moment. I had just lost the ultimate prize in my sport to a young surfer I was actively supporting. How do you reconcile being a fierce competitor while backing your biggest rival?
The answer is that if you want to be a great leader, you have to be willing to develop others, even when their growth threatens your own position.
In later life I have become fascinated with the art and science of leadership - how to inspire, influence and empower people to attain a collective goal - I even went back to university to learn more and completed a Master of Science in Leadership at Northeastern University - 2 years of hard yet fulfilling work to learn the science behind what I have been doing for so many years.
When you lead with generosity, you discover that the true purpose of leadership is to elevate those around you. And sometimes it is a tough pill to swallow.
Leadership is about creating a positive impact that outlasts your own wins. You drop a stone, you create a ripple, and eventually, you build a wave...
If the people you lead, coach, mentor or sponsor eventually outgrow you or even surpass you, you have not failed. You have actually done your job right.
