61. The Accidental CEO - Niamh O'Connor

“I never had ambitions to be a CEO. I think I probably just fell into it.”In this episode, I sat down with Niamh O’Connor, the accidental CEO of Western Force, whose journey from growing up in Ireland to leading a professional rugby organisation is anything but conventional.We dive into:🏉 Why her path to CEO wasn’t linear — and why that’s her strength🚨 The misconceptions people have about leadership roles in elite sport⚖️ The weight of responsibility when your decisions affect real lives and families🇮🇪 How growing up in Ireland shaped her work ethic, humility, and resilience🧠 Why self-awareness — not status — defines great leadershipThis episode peels back the curtain on leadership in high-performance environments — and why the best leaders are often the ones who never chased the title.Follow Niamh on LinkedIn here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/niamh-o-connor-a4128531/