Anonymity is one thing Richie McCaw finds hard to come by. Being able to wander down a street without a barrage of fans keen to meet disputably New Zealand’s most famous resident is an unfamiliar novelty for the All Black captain.
He is currently trying his hardest to be anonymous, travelling the world during his six month sabbatical. But travelling is not the only endeavour that will fill McCaw’s time during the break.
It’s no secret that McCaw is contemplating life after rugby. His remaining years of playing can most probably be counted on the fingers of one hand, so it comes as no surprise that he is looking into ventures outside of the sport.
When old primary school friend Robbie McIlrath tapped McCaw on the shoulder and offered a chance of investing in a Canterbury recruitment agency, McCaw was keen to investigate further.
“I grew up with Robbie. We went to primary school together and played rugby and all that sort of carry on. We went to different secondary schools but played against each other as we were both in Dunedin,” McCaw says.
The business is Stellar Recruitment, an agency that specialises in staffing companies in the mining, oil and gas, renewables, and building and civil infrastructure fields. The company was set up in 2006 by two former Otago University Alumni, one of them Robbie, and is now operating in Australia, New Zealand, Asia Pacific, Africa and the Americas.
“He (Robbie) was thinking about setting up an office in Christchurch, we had a bit of a chat about it and then after the February one (earthquake) he thought now was a good time to do it and asked me if I wanted to be involved in opening the Christchurch office,” McCaw says.
There is no doubting that McCaw has a parochial nature. His allegiance to his country and dedication to lead the national team by example cannot be questioned. It is this parochial spirit that was one of the reasons he wanted to be involved in this business venture. “The business is going to be quite heavily involved with the rebuild of Christchurch – you know to be involved in that in a small way is pretty cool.”
There have been other investments for Richie. A quick glance at the Companies Office register exposes his investments in retirement homes. But as McCaw points out this time the financial input will be backed up with a bit of work on his behalf.
“The retirement homes are just an investment – I have no real input into how they are run or how the business is operated. This is going to be more hands on. Learning about how business operates.”
“Well the first year or so is firstly to try and learn a bit about it. I want to get up to speed with how it all works. Obviously I don’t have a lot of time at the moment, but down the track when I’ve got more time I want to definitely be more involved.”
Stellar Recruitment New Zealand manager Ryan Mahalm believes McCaw’s leadership qualities are easily transferred into the business world.
“McCaw brings a unique contribution to our international leadership and executive structure. We have some very talented people leading our business, but to incorporate the views and experiences of such a respected leader of high performers to our strategy through Richie’s presence as a shareholder is absolutely invaluable.”
How the company conducted its operation was also of importance to McCaw. “During the early discussions the directors invited me to a session in Brisbane with the leadership team,” McCaw says. “The values they embrace as an organisation, along with their success, had some real appeal and alignment with my career in rugby. To find a company I can be a part of that has a similar sense of values and a culture of success is a great thing.”
Getting the right staff for any job but particularly those needed for the Canterbury rebuild efforts, is crucial for success. Mahalm says the emphasis is to not only attract and recruit the right talent, but to engage, develop and retain – to justify and maximise the human resource investment.
“Staff turnover is an added threat to employers in such a competitive market. The recruitment challenges can be tackled creatively and effectively, but the top performing companies we work with create environments people aspire to be in. Not only do people stay, but prospective employee enquiries increase, often alongside increased company performance.”
The conditions observed through fluctuations in the global economy, varied rates of the global financial crisis recovery and trends in commodity prices in the resources sector as well as the direct effects of worker shortages and other challenges facing the Canterbury rebuild, has seen Stellar provide increased consultation on both recruitment and workforce strategy.
Its training workshops for the New Zealand Civil Contractors Federation had a key focus on the full employee life cycle – maintaining employers should remain centred on strategic investment in the workforce, a commitment to developing robust processes around recruitment, engagement and retention, while also proactively maintaining and preserving a unique and respected company culture, Mahalm says.
“The investment employers make in the recruitment process is significant, especially when faced with critical candidate shortages, high work volumes, a need to recruit a high standard of employee and the increasing variety of avenues in which employers now attract prospective employees.”
You could draw many comparisons between McCaw and the situation in Christchurch at the moment. The uncertainty of what lies ahead, the need to reinvigorate and the determination to get it right. As McCaw continues his sabbatical, there is no doubt he will be contemplating a multitude of options for his future on and off the field.
McCaw is a goal setter. In his book The Open Side, McCaw describes how even at a very young age, he went about setting targets and striving to achieve them.
When his parents dropped him off at boarding school in Dunedin before starting the 3rd form (the equivalent of year 9), they told him it was a big opportunity that their son had to make the most of.
It wouldn’t be too presumptuous to say that any project McCaw commits to, he does with this philosophy in mind – whether it is on the rugby field or in the business world. So his commitment to Stellar Recruitment and the Canterbury Rebuild should not be taken lightly.
His determination and work ethic are two characteristics McCaw has bucket loads of.
He chose not to find out just exactly how bad his foot injury was during the Rugby World Cup in 2011. Instead to prevent everyone, especially the opposition and media, becoming aware that he could barely walk, he chose instead to hide away for the duration of the tournament, only making appearances when absolutely necessary and even playing down the pain he was in to his teammates.
Yet he continued to give 100 percent in those games, never once letting an injury, which later turned out to be effectively three breaks in his foot, stop him from achieving his goal.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder and no doubt McCaw is hoping this present break from the sport will reignite his passion for the game, spurring him on to maybe even take part in the All Blacks next World Cup campaign.
At this particular interview, in late 2012, he is dressed in a tee shirt and denim shorts. He is relaxed and has his usual open smile – he looks like a boy from Kurow who is about to set off on an adventure.
As he points out quite categorically during the interview, “Rugby isn’t going to be around forever,” and so he is happy to look towards the future at options that will allow him to develop further and learn different skills.
Regardless of how many more times dons the black number seven jersey again, McCaw’s drive to be the best he can will no doubt spur him on to succeed – which will be of great benefit for not just Stellar Recruitment but for many in Canterbury.