Leadership Philosophy from a Champion Squash Player

The best books and films tell the story of a character overcoming an impossible obstacle despite all the odds. The truth of a character is revealed in the choices they make.

Duncan Kerr’s story encapsulates this sentiment, a leader who started life as a young boy from Dunfermline in Fife with big dreams of an international sporting career.

Duncan found “his home to be in sport” and at the age of 14, set his goal to play full International squash for Scotland “My dream was to be in the adult team and I did that aged 18, I obviously didn’t dream big enough”.

Recalling one key performance during the World Championships in Australia ensured that dream was fulfilled. “I still remember the winning point – I stood there thinking ‘wtf just happened?’”

Stretching your ability by training with players better than yourself is a life lesson that he has maintained. “Today, I learn so much from people outside my own sector”.

Duncan reflected on his career chapter as a squash player and his current role as CEO for Wave Leisure Trust. “I always played better for Scotland than I played for myself - an interesting point when you apply that to my work.”

Duncan receiving the award for the Most Innovative MD from Bill Taylor of Design Specific Duncan’s competitive squash career came to an end at the age of 23 when a congenital heart defect started to impact on his fitness. “I didn’t want to dabble, I needed to be able to commit totally or not at all so after an honest conversation with my consultant, I went home and put my racket in the wardrobe. If I’m honest, it was a very sad point in my life, one day I was playing in the world championships and the next, I was a part-time barman.”

Duncan always asked ‘what next?’ even at that vulnerable point. The ‘what next?’ was Heriot-Watt University, to coach and train squash players which led to him setting up the Scottish Squash Academy. His lucky break came after failing to get an Assistant Director of Sport job in Edinburgh and successfully applying for Director of Sport at the University of Reading.

The squash court has provided many lessons for Duncan which has shaped his approach to life. “In sport, winning demands performance, often on the

“I sometimes reflect on my career path, wondering how I got here. After all, I was just a wee boy hitting a ball against a wall.”

www.waveleisure.co.uk

1Dream Big – bigger than you think is possible and then bigger again.

2Be ‘all in’ and, no matter what the game, play to the last second.

3Failure hurts but use it to energise your next move.

4Ask for help, especially when you feel vulnerable and hang on to the good people in your life.

knife edge of your physical, mental and emotional capability and often taking risks, to push beyond the point of comfort, but also knowing when not to”.

Regarding Duncan’s long term health outcome, that understanding meant choosing an experienced South African surgeon in Durban rather than a pioneering procedure closer to home.

A year on from his operation, Duncan took on the challenge of MD at Gosling Sports Park – “a job I loved”. Here he learnt the importance of cost control but also that you cannot grow by simply cutting costs, you need a vision, a road map and an investment plan. “We borrowed £5 million to fund our growth enforced closure, Duncan is full of renewed vigour and energy to build on the massive opportunity for the leisure trust sector to have a role in primary care. “The Chief Medical Officer made the connection between fitness and chances of survival clear, so our ambitions are bigger than those pre-Covid”.

Duncan’s motto is to dream big, maintain relentless resilience and learn from failure.

Winner of the MDHUB Most Innovative MD Award in 2019, Duncan shows that he is one determined, passionate Scotsman who uses every grain of experience to be a better person and help others.

plans but what I didn’t realise at the time, was that they were investing in me, my idea and my ability to drive it.”

Today, community health is at the cornerstone of the vision and plan for Duncan and his team at Wave Leisure. Actively working to encourage everyone to take care of their health. “60% of adults in the UK are overweight or obese not because they are lazy but because they are not making their health a priority. Our job is to help and support people on their health journey.

Many have discovered physical activity during lockdown but the fear is that it won’t continue with all the other choices opening up. After a year of ‘hell’ and