Four premierships. Five grand finals. And now, as the Penrith Panthers head into another NRL finals series — having secured their spot in the top 8 — one dynasty continues to grow.
Earlier this year, I got a call from the Head Coach of the Penrith Panthers, Ivan Cleary:
“Cas, we want to do something different this preseason. We want to build a legacy no team has ever achieved. Can you help us?”
The answer was definitely a yes.
So, I took the Penrith Panthers up into the Blue Mountains for a fully-tailored team offsite designed to push them physically, mentally, and culturally. What I witnessed, what I learnt, were invaluable lessons on true success that don’t just belong on the sports field. They belong in business, leadership, and any team chasing high performance.
This blog is the first in a three-part series sharing The Success Code: 15 lessons from one of Australia’s most dominant sports teams.
Lesson 1: The Trust Factor
When Ivan Cleary asked me to design and deliver the Panthers’ 2025 preseason camp, I expected to be working closely with him throughout the preparation. Four premierships in five years don’t happen without a meticulous leader, right?
But here’s what surprised me.
Every detail, every plan, every adjustment was handled not by Ivan, but by his Head of Wellbeing and Head of Performance. For weeks, those were the only two people I spoke with. Ivan didn’t step in once.
Finally, just one week before camp, Ivan called me. Fifteen minutes. That’s all. He checked alignment, ensured I had what I needed, and simply said: “Perfect. Let’s go.”
That trust created speed and clarity. No micromanagement. No bottlenecks. Everyone was empowered to deliver.
In business, micromanagement kills momentum. Delegation fuels performance. Where are you still clutching the reins too tightly?
Lesson 2: Accountability
After my keynote, one of the players named Mitch Kenny quietly approached me.
“Cas, loved your talk… but I spilled some milk on the floor. Do you have a napkin?”
I brushed it off. “Don’t worry, my team will get it.”
But he shook his head, grabbed a napkin, and cleaned it himself.
A small act? Maybe. But it spoke volumes about accountability. It’s not about slogans or posters on the wall. It’s about the small, unseen actions that build trust and culture.
In business: Accountability isn’t a buzzword. It’s lived in the details—the things most people overlook. If your people can’t trust you to own the small stuff, why would they trust you with the big ones?
Lesson 3: Leading from the Front
At the edge of a 200-metre cliff, fear was written across the faces of players about to abseil. Their head coach, Ivan Cleary, could have stayed back, arms folded. But he didn’t.
He clipped in. Hands trembling. Heart racing. And he went first.
The team watched their leader step into fear and followed.
In business: Teams follow courage, not commands. Leadership is action, not a title. What’s one moment this week where you can go first, instead of staying on the sidelines?
Lesson 4: The True Meaning of Team
When most people picture a rugby league team, they think of the 17 players on the field. But at camp, it wasn’t just players. Coaches, physios, analysts, admin staff — 55 people in total. Everyone abseiled, canyoned, and faced challenges together.
No hierarchy. No “support staff” left behind. Everyone in.
In business: True unity comes from inclusion. Too many organisations sideline roles that don’t look “frontline.” But when everyone is in the mission, culture deepens and performance multiplies.
Lesson 5: The Sherpa Effect
Some of the players had multiple premiership rings. Easy to put them on a pedestal. But their role wasn’t to shine — it was to guide. They became “Sherpas”: carrying the load, mentoring younger players, and helping the whole team summit together.
In business: Great leaders don’t just perform; they lift others. Where are you being the star when you should be the Sherpa?
Dynasties aren’t built by chance. They’re built by culture.
Part I of The Success Code shows us that trust, accountability, courage, inclusion, and service are the bedrock of sustained high performance.
In Part II, I’ll share the next set of lessons, from humility to calm under pressure, and how they shape teams that win consistently, on the field and in business.
