Meg Lanning, the former Australia women's captain who stepped away from international cricket in November 2023, believes her leadership style has undergone a profound shift since leaving the national team. Now captaining Manchester Super Giants in The Hundred, she presents a strikingly different leader compared to her days commanding the Southern Stars, driven by a deeper understanding of her teammates.
During her time leading Australia, Lanning delivered five T20 World Cup titles, two 50-over World Cups, and a Commonwealth Games gold medal. Her captaincy was built on a winning mentality and composure under pressure. Yet in recent reflection, she opened up about a critical gap in her approach to people management, one she has deliberately worked to address.
"I always used to do like 360-degree reviews and stuff like that on your personality, and I was always very low on empathy. That was always very low. I think with more experience and stuff like that, I think you get better at understanding those situations," said Lanning on the Wisden Women's Cricket Weekly Podcast.
Why has openness become central to Lanning's leadership approach?
The Australian credits her journey toward greater empathy to a willingness to be vulnerable with those around her. During her international years, she maintained a guarded demeanor, rarely showing weakness. She recognised that being more candid and transparent about personal struggles created meaningful connections with teammates.
"I think it probably just came down to me being a little bit more open with people around me. I think you sort of work out that if you can be a little bit more open and honest and upfront and actually around things that aren't going well or you haven't done as well as you would have liked, then I think that that sort of opens the door a little bit more and it just helps to sort of build those connections and relationships a little bit better, which I think is where sort of like that empathy sort of grows from. So that's probably been something that I've had to consciously think about," said Lanning.
How has delegation strengthened Lanning's captaincy?
Beyond empathy, the Australian has identified delegation as a cornerstone of her evolution as a captain. Rather than shouldering every responsibility herself, she now empowers her support staff and players to take ownership of their roles.
"I think one of my strengths is actually being open to delegating and letting other people help out rather than feeling like I need to do everything. I think that actually makes the group run a lot better because people are invested and really buying into what you're trying to do because they're having some control over what that looks like. So that's something that I think I got a lot better at, and it really is one of my strengths in that regard," said Lanning.
Lanning has been appointed as captain of Manchester Super Giants for The Hundred 2026. The 34-year-old continues to play across multiple domestic and franchise leagues following her international retirement, bringing these refined leadership qualities to her new franchise role.
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