Todays episode is on Great Team Work, and I am joined for the discussion by 2 great coaches.

The first is Lisa Alexander.

Lisa was the coach of the Australian Netball team, known as the Diamonds, from 2011 to 2020. During that time She oversaw gold medal successes at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and 2015 Netball World Cup, as well as silver medals at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and 2019 Netball World Cup.

And the second is John Kessel

John was the Team Leader for the 2000 USA Olympic Beach Volleyball Teams in Sydney, which brought home one gold medal, and for the 2004 USA Paralympic Women’s Sitting Volleyball Team in Athens, which came home with the bronze medal.

He is the author of over 12 books, including the IMPACT coaching manual, which is now in its 33rd edition. in 2024, he was inducted into the Volleyball Hall of Fame and today travels around the world talking about coaching, particularly in the youth space.

Q: how do you describe great team work?

Q: How often do you catch people doing good; versus calling out areas for improvement? 

If you would like to send us any feedback or if you know a great coach, who has a unique story to share, then we would love to hear from you, please contact us at [email protected] or contact us through our website thegreatcoachespodcast.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There is no algorithm for leadership. So we ask the world's great coaches how they do it.

In this episode, we sit down with world-champion player and renowned international field hockey coach Jamilon Mülders. From beginning his coaching journey at the age of twelve to leading national programs across Germany, China, and the Netherlands, Jamilon shares a deeply reflective perspective on what it means to lead with humility, empathy, and authentic connection.

We explore the profound shift from a traditional, hierarchical "joystick coach" model to a truly player-centered approach where the human being is kept firmly at the center of attention. Jamilon opens up about his personal "aha moment" in 2022 when he finally learned to coach authentically, shedding the rigid expectations of what a head coach "should" look like in favor of a calm, casual, and supportive presence.

Key Topics Discussed:

• The Coach as a Servant: Why the greatest leaders act as servants to the group, focusing entirely on what the athletes and organization need to thrive.
• Learning from the Future: A powerful framework for setting an overarching vision years in advance, then reverse-engineering individual development plans to guide personal and tactical progress.
• Building Psychological Safety and Trust: The critical importance of establishing a strong personal relationship and common ground before delivering challenging or critical performance messages.
• Embracing Vulnerability: Moving past perfectionism to create environments where showing weakness, admitting mistakes, and learning from failure are actively respected.
• Beyond Wins and Medals: Why true coaching success lies in nurturing social competence, mental health, and personal growth, ensuring athletes walk away as more complete human beings long after their competitive careers end.

Q: What routines do you have in place to deliver tough messages?

Q: To what extent do you agree with the idea of being a servant to the group as the leader?

Q: Has there been times when you have been ‘blind-spotted’ by a goal

If you would like to send us any feedback or if you know a great coach, who has a unique story to share, then we would love to hear from you, please contact us at [email protected] and if you would like to receive our newsletter with 5 ideas to help you improve your leadership, then sign up at: The Great Coaches Newsletter

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There is no algorithm for leadership. So we ask the world's great coaches how they do it.

In this episode, we dive deep into the concept of Thriving—a term that has seen its popular interest and media relevance double since 2016. Host Paul Barnett sits down with two exceptional guests to break down what it means to move past mere survival and truly optimize both individual performance and collective growth.

Our Guests:

• Valorie Kondos Field ("Miss Val"): Legendary former head coach of the UCLA gymnastics team, 7-time NCAA Champion, and PAC12 Coach of the Century.
• Dr. Gavin Weeks: Doctor of Psychology, Associate Fellow at Oxford Saïd Business School, and author of an integrated model of individual thriving.

Key Takeaways from the Discussion:

• The Anatomy of Thriving: Thriving is defined as the joint experience of development and sustained success. While "flow" is often a fleeting, momentary experience during an athletic performance, thriving is long-term and sustained.
• Resilience vs. Indomitable Mindset: Miss Val shares how her athletes felt "indomitable"—a state of being so thoroughly prepared mentally, emotionally, and physically that fear and concern vanish entirely.
• The Team Leader’s Blueprint: Facilitating a thriving culture requires a delicate balance between granting individual autonomy and maintaining a shared connection to a larger purpose. It involves celebrating the distinct individuality of each person rather than forcing rigid compliance.
• Silencing the Noise: True long-term growth requires building a personal sanctuary and anchoring choices to a strong moral foundation, entirely independent of external validation or others' opinions.
• The Power of Everyday Practices: Shifting focus away from unpredictable end-of-season outcomes and toward "controllables"—such as a daily 1% improvement mindset and starting with collective gratitude—unlocks a team's true brilliance.

Q: How does your organization experience thriving? What can you do to facilitate this?

If you would like to send us any feedback or if you know a great coach, who has a unique story to share, then we would love to hear from you, please contact us at [email protected] and if you would like to receive our newsletter with 5 ideas to help you improve your leadership, then sign up at: link

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There is no algorithm for leadership. So we ask the world's great coaches how they do it.

In this episode, we sit down with legendary NBA assistant coach Ron Adams to explore his deeply impactful philosophy of "people building."Drawing from his unique childhood growing up on a farm in California's Central Valley, Ron compares the continuous, daily cultivation required in agriculture to the dedication needed to unlock human potential in sport and business.

Ron shares invaluable insights from his illustrious career, spanning over five decades across major universities and elite NBA franchises—including his current championship run with the Golden State Warriors.He dives deep into the evolution of coaching from a rigid, dictatorial model to today's collaborative, relational environment where an athlete's voice is highly valued.We also unpack the heavy crown of being an authentic "truth teller" for high-pressure head coaches, the transformative power of leading a team with true joy, and why he views defensive strategy as a form of altruistic giving.

Key Highlights:

• The Agriculture of Coaching: Why real leadership requires a seven-day-a-week commitment to nurturing, fertilizing, and patiently watching your team grow.
• Painting a Greater Picture: How to help your team members see a grander vision for themselves that exceeds their own self-imposed expectations.
• The Three Mantras of Golden State: A look inside the culture of the Warriors and how Steve Kerr leverages joy, mindfulness, and fierce competition to build an environment that bends but never breaks.
• Leading From the Bottom Up: A powerful lesson on how developing your bench or lower-level employees can shift an entire organization's ecosystem.
• The Lifelong Journey of Formation: Why a growth mindset means accepting that no one is ever truly "fully formed"—whether they are an 18-year-old rookie or a 70-year-old veteran.

Q: What role does Joy play in your organisation?

Q: What support do you have to help you discern well?

Q: To what extent does fealty exist in your team?

If you would like to send us any feedback or if you know a great coach, who has a unique story to share, then we would love to hear from you, please contact us at [email protected] and if you would like to receive our newsletter with 5 ideas to help you improve your leadership, then sign up at: link

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There is no algorithm for leadership. So we ask the world's great coaches how they do it.

In this episode, we connect with Shane Jurgensen, former first-class cricketer turned elite international coach. From his early playing days across multiple Australian states to his time guiding the national teams of Bangladesh, Fiji, and New Zealand, Shane has developed a deeply reflective and human-centric approach to high performance. Currently serving as the Head Coach of the Wellington Firebirds, Shane reflects on his journey and the core principles that define his leadership strategy.

Key Takeaways From the Episode:

• The Battle of Boring: Shane discusses the necessity of embracing the daily grind to establish rock-solid fundamental skills before attempting to innovate.
• Servicing People Through Empathy: Discover how a genuine interest in a player's life outside of sport serves as the ultimate differentiator, building a "sandcastle" of trust that supports tough conversations.
• Dispersed Leadership: Insights into the New Zealand Black Caps' environment during their inaugural ICC World Test Championship run, where long tenures and player-led accountability shared the leadership load.
• Your Job Description is the Minimum: Why going above and beyond your defined role is crucial for fostering a collaborative, elite team environment.
• The Power of Connection Over Strategy: How intentional team rituals—ranging from personal icebreaker questions to breaking bread—can dismantle egos and build collective selflessness.

Key Questions:

·     What routines do you use to open team meetings? How they can be used to deepen seflessness within the group?

·     What is the level of dispersed leadership across your team?

·     How are your development plans spread across improving base capabilities versus growing new ones?

If you would like to send us any feedback or if you know a great coach, who has a unique story to share, then we would love to hear from you, please contact us at [email protected] and if you would like to receive our newsletter with 5 ideas to help you improve your leadership, then sign up at: https://thegreatcoaches.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There is no algorithm for leadership. So we ask the world's great coaches how they do it.

In this episode, we sit down with Scott Roth, the inaugural head coach of the Tasmanian JackJumpers, who famously led a newly formed expansion team to the NBL Grand Final in their first year and to a championship title by year three. With over two decades of experience in the NBA as both a player and coach, alongside a rich history in international basketball across Europe and China, Scott brings a deeply reflective and unconventional philosophy to modern leadership.

We explore his evolution from a high-intensity sideline strategist to a calm, people-first mentor who prioritizes character, emotional transparency, and deep cultural alignment over tactical complexity. Scott opens up about how profound personal loss and navigating the pressures of elite sport reshaped his definition of success, prompting him to completely block out external noise to focus on what truly matters: human connection and long-term legacy.

Key Takeaways:

• The Power of Vulnerability: Why leading with empathy and allowing your team to see the authentic "you" unlocks next-level commitment and mutual trust.
• Building Culture from the Ground Up: The story behind the JackJumpers' first practice at a local apple orchard, and how embedding a team into the blue-collar identity of its community builds an unbreakable bond.
• Managing the Mindset: Overcoming the "death walk" of comparison and ego, and shifting focus toward winning the day rather than chasing the next job or scoreboard result.
• The Reality of High Accountability: How setting clear, uncompromising boundaries—promising only to coach hard and make people uncomfortable—attracts individuals with high character and a collaborative drive.
• Connecting Heritage to the Present: Establishing structural cultural elements like the administrative "bloodlines" group to connect regional sports history and drive organizational sustainability.

Question: How do you manage the outside influences that can, in Scotts words “drag dirty feet through your mind?”

Question: How do you find the balance between telling people the truth, but also exhibiting care?

Question: What routines do you use to connect your team to the identity that shaped it?

If you would like to send us any feedback or if you know a great coach, who has a unique story to share, then we would love to hear from you, please contact us at [email protected] and if you would like to receive our newsletter with 5 ideas to help you improve your leadership, then sign up at: link

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There is no algorithm for leadership. So we ask the world's great coaches how they do it.

In this episode, Canadian National Championship-winning basketball coach and author Chantall Vallée discusses her book Dare to Win and shares her unique perspective as a researcher who transitioned directly into a highly successful sports practitioner. She unpacks the four foundational categories of coaching excellence discovered through her years of academic research and field experience: developing a core vision, maintaining meticulous organizational skills, fostering individual athlete growth, and expanding a leader's personal character traits.

Chantall opens up about the demanding realities of a 100-hour work week during the competitive season, detailing how she preserves her personal well-being and team performance through structured boundaries and a dedicated weekly rest day. She highlights the strategic use of mental performance tools, such as metaphors and visualization, to significantly reduce nervous system stress and enable athletes to focus strictly on execution.

The conversation delves deeply into the personal evolutions required of high-performing leaders. Chantall reflects honestly on the moments she realized she was the limiting factor for her team's success, explaining how seeking external mentorship and establishing a "one voice" protocol under pressure transformed her coaching. She explores the psychological dynamics of athletic performance, introducing her "traps versus truth" exercise to combat athlete negative self-talk, and emphasizes the critical importance of choosing truth over harmony when defining team roles. Finally, Chantall outlines her inspiring shift toward business investment and advocacy aimed at creating professional parity, financial stability, and visibility for women in sports.

She has captured her learnings from that journey in her new book Dare to Win.

If you would like to send us any feedback or if you know a great coach, who has a unique story to share, then we would love to hear from you, please contact us at [email protected] or contact us through our website thegreatcoachespodcast.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gilbert Enoka on Becoming Unstoppable: Coaching, Vulnerability, Belonging, and High-Performance Leadership.

There is no algorithm for leadership. So we ask the world's great coaches how they do it.

In this episode, Paul Barnett and Jonathan Cole sit down with legendary mental skills and performance coach Gilbert Enoka (Bert) to unpack the core philosophies behind his historic 23-year journey with the New Zealand All Blacks. Drawing from his book, Become Unstoppable, Gilbert shares profound insights on what truly separates good teams from historically dominant ones across sport, business, and life.

He has just captured his learning and insights from this career in a book called Become Unstoppable.

Q. Am I leading from who I am, or from where I sit?

Q. Am I creating an environment where people feel safe enough to be vulnerable — or am I letting silence become the killer?

Q. Am I competing in a way that lifts the whole team — or am I running a "super flock"?

If you would like to send us any feedback or if you know a great coach, who has a unique story to share, then we would love to hear from you, please contact us at [email protected] and if you would like to receive our newsletter with 5 ideas to help you improve your leadership, then sign up at: https://thegreatcoaches.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There is no algorithm for leadership. So we ask the world's great coaches how they do it.

Our guest on this episode is Professor Adam R. Nicholls from the Department of Sport, Health, and Exercise Science at the University of Hull, UK. Adam is a leading researcher in stress, appraisal, and coping among athletes, having published 3 books and over 80 peer-reviewed journal articles. In this conversation, we explore the core principles of his latest book, Psychology in Sports Coaching: Theory and Practice, and discuss how coaches and leaders can effectively integrate psychological insights into their leadership style.

Key Takeaways:

• Mastery vs. Performance Climates: Discover how a mastery climate—which rewards effort, individual improvement, and mutual support—fosters higher well-being, increased enjoyment, and lower anxiety compared to a performance-focused environment.
• Building Authentic Confidence: Learn how confidence is directly linked to competence and how coaches can reinforce this by consistently reminding athletes of their strengths and accomplishments.
• Fostering Team Cohesion: Understand the crucial factors that build a cohesive team, including shared goal acceptance, high environmental standards, and perceived fairness or justice from leadership.
• Transforming Negative Self-Talk: Insights into how leaders can intervene to help individuals stop disruptive, negative internal dialogue and pivot toward positive, actionable self-statements.
• Reframing Perfectionism: Identifying the warning signs of perfectionistic tendencies—such as overcompensating and excessive reassurance seeking—and how to pivot the focus toward a healthier pursuit of excellence.

If you would like to send us any feedback or if you know a great coach, who has a unique story to share, then we would love to hear from you, please contact us at [email protected] and if you would like to receive our newsletter with 5 ideas to help you improve your leadership, then sign up at: Subscribe to Newsletter

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There is no algorithm for leadership. So we ask the world's great coaches how they do it.

In this episode, we sit down with Colm Nally, an experienced Gaelic Football coach and designated GAA Master Coach Tutor. Colm shares his rich journey across youth and senior teams at both club and county levels, offering a profound perspective on what truly sets great leaders apart.

Key highlights from the conversation include:

• The "Insight Hook": There is a transformative opportunity to optimize player performance by focusing on the person first. Colm explores his guiding principle that when you genuinely affect the individual, you inherently elevate their performance.
• Cultivating Positive Team Culture: A standout reflection on why the best team environments prioritize development and positive reinforcement over analyzing failure.
• Team vs. Individual Coaching: An analytical breakdown of the unique strengths of team-oriented strategists versus individual development mentors, and how both are critical to building cohesive teams.
• Bespoke Development: Colm details his structured approach to Individual Learning Plans (ILPs) across different ages and stages, highlighting how to organically plant seeds for growth and empower self-solving decision-making on the pitch.
• The Evolution of Training: A deep dive into transitioning from rigid, linear drills to open, games-based activities that embrace the creative chaos of real-match scenarios.

If you would like to send us any feedback or if you know a great coach, who has a unique story to share, then we would love to hear from you, please contact us at [email protected] and if you would like to receive our newsletter with 5 ideas to help you improve your leadership, then sign up at: The Great Coaches Newsletter

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.