The Great Coaches: Leadership & Life

Our great coach on this episode is John Speraw.

John is an American Volleyball coach. He played volleyball for UCLA and was part of 2 NCAA championship teams. After graduating he worked as an Assistant coach at UCLA before moving to UC Irvine as the head coach in 2002. Over 10 years he there he lead the team to 3 NCAA championships. In 2012 he returned to UCLA and has led the team to 2 NCAA championshps. He was an assistant coach for the USA Men at 2008 Olympics when the team won Gold. He subsequently led the team to Bronze medals at the 2016 and 2020 Olympics. He presently serves as the serves as the President and CEO of USA Volleyball

Here are 3 self-reflective questions based on the interview:
1.What are one or two strengths I naturally bring to a team, and how could I use them more intentionally?
2.what routine or mindset could help me stay composed and useful in high pressure moments?
3.Who has helped me see a possibility for myself that I could not yet see, and how can I now do that for someone 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

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This episode is a recording of our book club. The book we discuss is Why Die? The Extraordinary Percy Cerutty, 'Maker of Champions' by Graem Sims (Author).

Percy Cerutty was an Australian athletics coach who transformed distance running in the 1950s and 1960s. Based at his rugged Portsea training camp, he developed the Stotan philosophy, blending Stoic discipline, Spartan toughness, natural diets, sand-hill running, weight training and intellectual growth. Best known for coaching Herb Elliott to world records and Olympic gold, Cerutty inspired athletes to pursue physical excellence and personal mastery.

Our discussion is led by Dr David Turner, a Senior Lecturer in Sports Coaching at Anglia Ruskin University in the United Kingdom, and we are also joined by Andrew Gunn the author of Percy Cerutty: Life Lessons From A Remarkable Coach by Andrew Gunn.

I scribbled down these 3 self-reflective questions:

· Where in my life could I benefit from choosing growth over comfort?
· What is one challenge I have already overcome that shows I am capable of reinvention?
· How do I personally measure success: by outward achievement, or by how far I have come from where I started?

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 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


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Our great coach on this episode is Mick Byrne

Mick is a Rugby Coach but his career astarted as an Australian Rules Football player where he won a premiership with Hawthorn in 1983. After retirning he moved into Rugby coaching and by 1999 was an Assistant coacxh with the Australian National Team. He would then go on to join the the New Zealand National team known as the All Blacks and was with them for their World Cup victories in 2011 and 2015. In 2012 he was appointed as the inaugural head coach of the Fijian Drua, leading the team through its first three Super Rugby Pacific seasons from 2022 to 2024 and reaching the finals in 2023 and 2024. The in 2024 He was appointed as head coach of the Fiji national team

Three self-reflective questions based on this conversation:
1.Where in my own leadership do I need to create better preparation, so that I can “sleep when the wind blows” and respond calmly when pressure arrives?
2.Am I telling people what to do too often, or am I asking the kinds of questions that help them discover the answer, build confidence, and take ownership?
3.What part of my leadership has grown most over time?

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 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

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Our great coach on this episode is Adam Voges.

As a cricketer Adam represented Australia at Test, One Day and T20 level. In 2017 he became the coach of the Western Australia team and the Perth Scorchers
He would ultimately go to lead them a three-peat of Sheffield Shield titles in 2022, 2023 and 2024 as well as guiding WA to the one-day trophy in 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2024. As well as winning the BBL twice.

Here are 3 self-reflective questions I took from the interview:
•Where am I trying to do too much myself, instead of trusting and empowering the people around me?
•Do the people I lead feel genuinely brought along on the journey, or am I asking them to follow decisions they had no part in shaping?
•When pressure rises, do I become more helpful and clear — or do my emotions make the situation harder for others?

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

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Todays episode is on The Magic of Sports and I am joined by the 92 year old Dr George Selleck who has just written a terrific new book by the same name. In 1956 he was drafted by the NBAs Philadelphia Warriors. He rejected the offer though and went to have a long and distinguished career as a psychologist and coach. He is a member of multiple Halls of Fame including Stanford Athletic, is the founder of 3 not for profits focused on sports and education and this current book is his 5th.

We are joined for the discussion by Georges friend Alan Gregerman who is the bestselling author of the book “The Wisdom of Ignorance.”

Here are three self-reflective questions to take away from this episode:
1.Where in my life am I treating sport, work, or leadership as only a competition, when it could also be a place for growth, belonging, learning, and joy?
2.What kind of environment do I create for the people around me, and does it help them grow as human beings, not just perform better?
3.When I face setbacks or big decisions, how deliberately do I pause, reflect, and listen to my head, body, and gut before choosing my next step?

vIf 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 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
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