March 21, 2025 Hi Reader The crowd says play it safe. But the crowd is very often wrong. How often do you see leaders & their teams make decisions their rivals call "career suicide" or even "competitive malpractice."? Those same rivals quite quickly then quietly model those exact approaches. This isn't about being different for show. It's about having the courage to see what others miss. Because here's the truth most won't admit: In sports leadership, following best practices guarantees...
13 days agoĀ ā¢Ā 6 min read
March 14, 2025 Hi Reader Ever notice how you can often feel stuck? But that the men and women you consider to be successful sports leaders seem to see things others miss? In my own career and in working with head coaches, managers & other leaders within sports teams/clubs Iāve seen that it's rarely about having better answers. It's about asking better questions. The gap between the chasing pack and the good & great often hides in plain sight - in the questions you never thought to ask. The...
20 days agoĀ ā¢Ā 5 min read
March 7, 2025 Hi Reader Have you ever felt like you're running harder but moving slower? Yeah, Iāve been there too. Both with the clients I coach and in my own life. Itās more common than anyone thinks; youāre having a good season or staring at trophies youāve just won. Success markers everywhere. But inside? You feel a bit empty, kinda joyless and like youāre on a downward slide. Complete burnout in other words. It might feel like it but this isn't about failure. It's about the invisible...
27 days agoĀ ā¢Ā 5 min read
February 21, 2025 Hi Reader One of the great benefits of what I do professionally is that I get to work with smart people and I come out of our conversations with pages full of notes that act as reminders & prompts for myself and fuel for sharing in this newsletter. Recently, I sat down with a client, a Division 1 manager. He shared something surprising after a 3-0 loss. His team's performance metrics looked really good - more possession, more shots on target, better passing accuracy. But...
about 1 month agoĀ ā¢Ā 4 min read
February 14, 2025 Hi Reader Happy St.Valentines Day ā¤ļø I watched a client, Sarah, make a Ā£22 million decision in under a minute last week. No spreadsheets. No committee meetings. No endless pros & cons and debating. I sat at the back of a boardroom, observing. The room fell silent. It was fascinating. A few senior executives shifted in their seats, clearly uncomfortable with the speed and weight of what just happened. But here's what interested me ā Sarah was smiling. Not the nervous smile of...
about 2 months agoĀ ā¢Ā 5 min read
February 7, 2025 Hi Reader I think curiosity is great. But sometimes mine takes me down unusual rabbit-holes. A catchy story synopsis title caught my attention last Sunday; āSherlock Holmes and The Dog That Didnāt Barkā. Of course I had to go deeperā¦.but Iām glad I did because it reminded me of a lesson that I needed a refresher on. And Iām pretty sure youāll value it too. Bear with me for a second. Imagine this. Itās match day. Your stadium or ground is humming. Your team/club is locked in...
about 2 months agoĀ ā¢Ā 6 min read
January 25, 2025 Hi Reader I'm a day late this week - apologies. I spent yesterday travelling back on a circuitous route from the UK to Majorca but it did give me time to revisit one of the most interesting chats I had this week. A head coach I work with shared an interesting concern with me on Monday afternoon. Jump into her world for a second. Sheās standing on the sideline, watching her team warm up for an important match. Theyāve worked hard and well all week. Sheās set the tactics and...
2 months agoĀ ā¢Ā 6 min read
January 17, 2025 Hi Reader On Monday I facilitated a small-group coaching session with the coaching team from a lower league football club in the UK. We went off script, as often happens, and ended up in deeper waters than I had planned. Based on what I was hearing, I sensed the time was right to ask "What's the cost of winning??" "Why ask that" you might say. Ok, well, picture this. Itās championship final day; the two best teams left to duke it out in a winner-takes-all battle. With 15...
3 months agoĀ ā¢Ā 5 min read
January 10, 2025 Hi Reader Well we're truly back to the grindstone now after the Christmas and New Year festivities. One thing I've committed to doing in 2025 is to meet at least one new person, face-to-face, each week across 2025. And in today's edition there's someone I'd like you to meet. A guy you've likely never heard of; but someone whose work can teach you some valuable experiences to bring into your own coaching, management or business world. Have you ever heard of Claus Riedel? This...
3 months agoĀ ā¢Ā 5 min read