November 01, 2023

#67: John Quinn - Lessons from the Crusaders and NZ Rugby on Building High Performance Cultures and the Formula for Creating a Winning Mindset

1 hour 37 minutes

John Quinn is mental skills trainer for the Crusaders, who have won the Super Rugby title an incredible 7 times in a row. He is also the mental skills trainer for Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay, who won the recent Japan Rugby One competition. John's impressive roster also includes national sporting organisations in cricket and softball, and he has guided countless athletes to world titles and Olympic glory.

John is a seasoned expert who draws on leadership skills, positive psychology, and wellbeing research. As the Director of Performance Wellbeing, his mission is clear: Unleashing the passion and strengths within individuals and teams for optimal results. John challenges his athletes with unique experiences like underwater breathing and dance classes to nurture their ability to be vulnerable and take risks on and off the field.

In this episode Andrew and John discuss:

3:15 Winning titles, rugby talent coming out of New Zealand, and differences between coaches/coaching around the world.

10:00 John’s education and career path, working with youth and getting comfortable with failure.

19:15 Rewarding children’s effort not success, 6 pillars that underpin world-class teams and the lifespan of an athlete’s career.

28:15 Vulnerability in sporting teams, getting athletes to stretch outside their comfort zones and the impact of social media on team dynamics.

35:15 Teaching mental skills to kids, the shift in player’s priorities and being able to step back and taking a macro view.

42:15 John’s success over the past 7 years, creating a winning team culture at the Crusaders and how NZ Rugby inspired the idea to collaborate and work together to all become better.

52:15 How John reinvents himself, the brilliant basics, and working in Japanese rugby.

1:05:15 Pressure and personal identity, using different colours in coaching (red and blue) and knowing how to use the right skills at the right time.

1:16:45 Performance Uncovered.

1:29:00 Andrew and The Wizard’s reflections.

You can find John at his Website: https://performancewellbeing.co.nz/

Or at his Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/performance_wellbeingnz/

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By Andrew May

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