The Great Coaches: Leadership & Life

Liam is a former Irish Hurling player and now Coach.Liam played 13 senior games with Tipperary over 10 years. He retired in 1999 and in 2002 began coaching Tipperary youth teams. In 2007 he was appointed senior coach, and in 2010 he led to team to their 26th All Ireland Victory. Liam then took a year break from coaching at the highest level to spend more time with his family, as well as to coach local teams. In 2018 he returned to coach Tipperary and in his 2nd year won the All Ireland final again.His challenge on whether you focus on the setback or the bounce back and how this idea flows through his story and the championship teams he has led.His belief that a perfect day is when you give to somebody who might never be able to repay it. And his focus as a leader on creating an environment where the person gets to flourish.How the great coaches are innovators and focused on creativity so that they can get to the future before anybody else.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 paul@thegreatcoachespodcast.com or contact us through our website thegreatcoachespodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Graham is a Rugby Union Coach.He started coaching in 1975 while teaching at Auckland Grammar school. His coaching and teaching continued and in 1993 he was to win the first of 4 consecutive Provincial Championships with Auckland. In 1996 he resigned as a headmaster to take up full time coaching with the Auckland Blues, leading them to back to back Super 12 titles in 1996 and 1997. He then took on the role as Head Coach of Wales and In 2000 led them to the 6 Nations Championship and the Grand Slam.While coaching Wales he also led the British and Irish Lions on a tour of Australia. In 2003 he was appointed coach of the All Blacks and went on to lead them to the 2011 World Cup. In 2012 he was awarded a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (KNZM) in services to rugby.[17] In this terrific interview some of the key highlights are: The way the teams culture was built from its purpose which was to be the best sporting team in the world. And the role that humility played in bringing this to life.  How by the time he was appointed All Blacks Coach he had learnt the importance of empowerment and moving from a coach driven environment to a team driven environment. And how this was the catalyst for the leadership groups he put in place. The way the difficult decision he has made in his life have gone on to benefit him in the longer run. And how in his words “’learning about yourself under pressure” has been a key part of his development as a leader. 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 paul@thegreatcoachespodcast.com or contact us through our website thegreatcoachespodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our Great Coach on this episode is Tim Sheens. Tim Sheens is an Australian Rugby League coach. He played 166 games for the Penrith Panthers and then moved in to coaching in 1984. He coached the Canberra Raiders to Premierships, in 1989, 90 and 94 and then in 2005 led the Wests Tigers to the premiership.He has also coached the NSW team to the 1991 state or origin series win and the Australian team to the 2013 World Championship.Some of the key highlights are:The philosophy he borrowed from an American coach of “being consistent in treating everybody differently.” And how as a result he doesn’t see people management in black and white terms.How Tim identifies 3 things that effective teams need to be doing every week: working on their public perception, thining about the opposition and making sure that small groups within the organisation don’t start talking negatively about other small groups. How the best coaches are good recruiters, and they select people who are going to suit their style.  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 paul@thegreatcoachespodcast.com or contact us through our website thegreatcoachespodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kelly is an American Volleyball coach. He started coaching volleyball in his teens, helping out at summer camps. He then went on to Assist at High School level before getting his chance as an Assistant at the University of Houston in 1997. He was given his first Head Coaching role at the University of Albany in 2001 and led them to 3 regular season championships. In 2012 he was appointed as Head Coach of the University of Wisconsin and has led them to 5 Big 10 Championships, 4 NCAA Final Fours and the 2021 NCAA Championship.Some of the highlights of our discussion were:His view on the importance of his teams environment teaching life lessons at a critical time in peoples lives.The way he talks about balancing optimism and positivity against just cheerleading and the story he shares about rubber wrist bands to illustrate this.The importance of removing the worry the players may have about the coaches mood.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 paul@thegreatcoachespodcast.com or contact us through our website thegreatcoachespodcast.com  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Becky is an American soccer coach who has just retired after leading the University of Florida Gators for 26 years.She was the inaugural coach in 1994, and went on to win the NCAA title in 1998. She retired with a winning percentage of 75, and ranks second in total number of all-time wins among Division I coaches. In her time at Florida she also led the team to 14 SEC championships.With her colleague Brett Ledbetter she also runs the very successful What Drives Winning conferences that bring together Great Coaches from all over the world.In this interview some of the key highlights for me were:·     Her belief that there is no task that is so important or critical that it should stop you from her bringing your best energy to the team.·     Her view on the importance of courage as a coach.·     That the way you treat people is more important that the tactics you deploy.·     And the story she shares about how she controls her emotions during a game. Which I think has great applicability in the work place.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 paul@thegreatcoachespodcast.com or contact us through our website thegreatcoachespodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As a player, Sean was a Goalie at Springfield and was twice names All American.Sean coached Endicott University from 1998 to 2015, leading them to 8 CCC Championships, as well as taking the Division 3 school to as high as 5 in the National rankings. He has coached 21 All American players. And in 2020 led the the Cannons in the Premier Lacrosse League, to the Championship.Sean is a terrific leader and role model and in this interview some of the highlights for me were:The role that positivity plays in correcting and sustaining cultureThe pillars of respect, trust and accountability that shape his teams; and how he talks about bringing these things to life in everyday actions.And The story he tells about starting as a head coach at 26 years old with a team and writing to each player individually, and then maintaining that connection over the years. 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 paul@thegreatcoachespodcast.com or contact us through our website thegreatcoachespodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Professor Cliff Mallett, an Olympic-winning coach and sports psychology expert, teams up with Professor Sergio Lara-Bercial, an international basketball coach and renowned educator, to discuss insights from their new book on serial winning coaches. They dive into the importance of building connections before corrections in coaching and cultivating a shared purpose. The conversation also highlights the significance of trust, accountability, and self-reflection in developing strong team dynamics and fostering personal growth within coaching.

Kevin is an American paralympic athlete and now Wheelchair Rugby coach.As an athlete he won 2 Bronze medals at the 1988 Paralympics, before transitioning into coaching Wheelchair Rugby in 1992. His team, Lakeshore then went on to 5 consecutive National Titles. This led to him being appointed Team USA coach where we won a silver at 2002 World Championships and a Bronze at the 2004 Paralympics. In 2009 he was appointed coach of the Canadian National team and led them to a silver medal at the 2012 Paralympics and gold at the 2015 World Wheelchair Rugby Challenge. He is presently the head coach of the Japan Wheelchair Rugby team where he led them to Bronze at the 2022 world Championships.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 paul@thegreatcoachespodcast.com or contact us through our website thegreatcoachespodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our Great Coach on this episode is rugby's Damian McGrath.Damian started life as a teacher, but then in his words “took a gamble” and moved into professional coaching. He has now coached teams across multiple countries, in both rugby league, Rugby union, as well as Rugby sevens. He has coached at Club level with the Leeds Rhinos in England’s Super League and was England’s Assistant Coach at the 2000 Rugby League World Cup. In 2015 he became Head Coach of the Samoan National 7s team leading them to a Cup success in Paris. He then took over as Head Coach of the Canadian National 7s team leading them to a historic Cup success in Singapore. He also coached national Rugby 7’s teams of Germany and Kenya.He has just released a new book: Can You Be Fluent In Success?The highlights are:  How he uses the play by Thomas Moore, A Man for all season to describe the roles a coach must play.The story she he shares about the bass player Herby Flowers who played the famous riff on Lou Reeds son Walk on the wildside. To illustrate how coaches get the most from the options available to them.His theory on the doubt percentage and how he uses this to find that little bit extra in people.And the idea of a mental highlights reel and how he has used it during his career to fortify his confidence.  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 paul@thegreatcoachespodcast.com or contact us through our website thegreatcoachespodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Muffet is an American Basketball coach who led the women’s team at Notre Dame for 33 seasons.In all she led the team to 9 final fours, 7 championship games and 2 NCAA champion ships in 2001 and 2018.She was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and Legends of Coaching award in 2017. Some of the highlights include: Her thoughts on empowering young women and doing this through a mixture of listening and encouraging them to use their voice to talk about things that are important to them. How believing in people after they fail at something is one of the most important things a leader can do. Her view that women are often not taught that it is not OK to be competitive and ambitious, and the work she does to help women understand that it is OK to be like this on the court.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 paul@thegreatcoachespodcast.com or contact us through our website thegreatcoachespodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.