Performance Strategies & Stumbles

In this episode of Performance Strategies and Stumbles, I'm joined again by Tom Clough for a conversation about the mistakes that have shaped our careers and in particular, the ones that happen in the interview room.

At the heart of this one is a reframe that runs through everything Tom says: mistakes should shape us, not define us. Interviews get treated as a test you pass by being composed and measured, when in practice they're a very short window in which energy, passion and authenticity do most of the work. Tom is candid about how often that got him early on how a demeanour he thought read as calm and considered was interpreted as disinterest, and how many opportunities went elsewhere before he understood what was actually being assessed.

From there we get into the practical side of that: why preparation isn't about scripting answers but about being able to recall the right examples under pressure, and why role-playing common questions out loud, with someone else, not in your head, is the difference between having the experience and being able to convey it. Tom also turns the lens the other way and looks at the interviewer's job, which is harder than it's given credit for, especially online where building any genuine connection in forty-five minutes is a real challenge. He's not sparing about job descriptions either, and makes a strong case that the rigid, sprawling, twenty-point person specification is quietly filtering out exactly the candidates you'd want to meet.

The conversation lands on feedback, giving it and asking for it and the argument that it's a gift rather than a verdict. It's the thing most likely to fast-track a change you'd otherwise take years to make on your own, and Tom's willingness to talk openly about where he got it wrong is the clearest illustration of that in the episode.

 

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In this episode of Performance Strategies and Stumbles, I'm joined by Tom Clough — Head of Performance at Newcastle Red Bulls — for a conversation about systems thinking and what it actually looks like in a performance sport environment.

At the heart of this conversation is a simple but powerful reframe: systems thinking isn't a problem-solving technique, it's a way of seeing. Most of what we treat as problems are really symptoms of interactions we haven't mapped — and until you look at the whole system rather than its individual parts, you end up solving the wrong thing well. Rather than starting with solutions, Tom starts with the question of whether the problem has even been correctly identified — and this episode is a detailed look at what that philosophy involves in practice.

We get into why identifying the actual problem is harder and more valuable than generating answers to it, and why the instinct to simplify a complex problem is so often the thing that keeps it unsolved. From there, Tom walks through feedback loops and how they shape behaviour in a department whether or not anyone is paying attention to them, the practical use of causal loop diagrams to get those interactions out of your head and onto paper where a group can interrogate them, and the role leadership plays in building a culture where this kind of thinking is possible rather than theoretical. He also makes the case for collaboration as a genuine input to better decision-making, not a nice-to-have.

There's a real thread of curiosity running through this conversation — the idea that practitioners don't need better answers so much as deeper questions about the environments they work in, and that awareness of how the parts interact tends to do more for outcomes than any single intervention.

Episode Sponsor — Absolute Performance

This episode is supported by Absolute Performance — gym facilities designed to inspire, built to perform. Absolute Performance design and build performance spaces that push boundaries, set standards, and inspire greatness, maximising potential and performance for people and teams in every space they touch.

Their website is HERE.

Stay up to date about our future performance workshops!

Get first access to upcoming workshops built for high performance coaches and practitioners. Real-world skills, applied immediately. Click here to learn more https://collaboratesports.activehosted.com/f/79

In this episode of Performance Strategies and Stumbles, I'm joined again by Peter Hughes — a rehabilitation specialist at the Gallagher Chiefs in New Zealand — this time for a conversation about the mistakes that shaped him.

At the heart of it is a reframe that runs against how most practitioners are trained to operate: mistakes aren't something to be minimised or hidden, they're the primary mechanism by which you actually get better. Peter is refreshingly open about his own, and this episode is a detailed look at what he took from them.

We get into the early-career trap of believing more is always better, and why that belief is so seductive for young coaches. Peter walks through the single stressor approach in rehab — why isolating one variable at a time is often the only way to know what's actually driving a problem — and how he manages expectations with coaches when athlete welfare and selection pressure pull in opposite directions. He also makes the case for mentorship as a genuine accelerator, and for self-reflection and journaling as practical defences against confirmation bias.

There's a real thread of humility running through this conversation — the idea that trust with athletes is built through genuine care rather than technical credentials, and that a team culture only grows when people are willing to challenge each other respectfully and be challenged in return.

In this episode of Performance Strategies and Stumbles, I'm joined by Peter Hughes — a rehabilitation specialist at the Gallagher Chiefs in New Zealand, whose role uniquely combines physiotherapy with strength & conditioning to deliver a truly performance-driven approach to rehab.

At the heart of this conversation is a simple but powerful reframe: rehabilitation isn't just about restoring what was lost — it's one of the biggest opportunities for performance gains an athlete will ever have. Rather than treating rehab as a holding pattern, Peter builds programs designed to return athletes better than they were before injury — and this episode is a detailed look at what that philosophy involves in practice.

We get into why understanding the injury mechanism is the foundation of effective rehab, including assessing the movement patterns that existed before the injury ever occurred. From there, Peter walks through his approach to intensity in rehab (and why it doesn't simply mean adding load), the value of early exposure to game-like scenarios for reintegration, and how he isolates individual qualities before integrating them back into the whole. He also makes the case for why movement quality is so often sacrificed for quantity — and what a whole-system approach to rehabilitation really looks like.

There's a real thread of pragmatism running through this conversation — the idea that the best rehab plan isn't the one that simply clears an athlete to return, but the one that restores, rebuilds, and enhances their capabilities so they're genuinely ready for the demands of the game.

Episode Sponsor — VALD Performance

This episode is supported by VALD Performance — makers of the NordBord, ForceFrame, ForceDecks and HumanTrak. VALD Performance systems are built with the high-performance practitioner in mind, translating traditionally lab-based technologies into engaging, quick, easy-to-use tools for daily testing, monitoring and training.

Their website is HERE.

Collaborate 360 — Our First In-Person Event

Collaborate 360 is coming this July. A full day built around applied practice, group thinking, and getting hands-on with technology that can genuinely change how you work. If you want to be in the room, see what we have planned and grab your ticket HERE!

What happens when a coach is willing to admit what they got wrong? In this episode, Les Spellman, founder of Spellman Performance, opens up about the mistakes that shaped his coaching — and why vulnerability, not certainty, has been the real driver of his development. Having worked with athletes across the NFL, NCAA, MLB and Olympic sport, Les has earned the right to be confident in his methods, which makes his honesty about where he's got it wrong all the more valuable.

At the heart of the conversation is the danger of rigidity — how being too wedded to targets, technology and technical drills can quietly hold athletes back. Les reflects on his early mistakes in speed training and the shift towards a more holistic approach, including the role of eccentric work in keeping athletes fast and healthy. We also get into why context is everything in performance training, how feedback from teams has sharpened his coaching, and the often-overlooked challenge of hiring and managing staff in the private sector — and what it takes to build an environment where both athletes and coaches thrive.

Output Sports are the sponsors of today's episode. One portable sensor, one platform — helping coaches test, track and programme athletes with velocity-based training and real-time performance assessment. They'll be at Collaborate 360 this July, so if you're coming along, you'll have the chance to get hands-on with the technology in person.

If this episode got you thinking about how you reflect on and evolve your own coaching, that's exactly the territory we'll be exploring at Collaborate 360 in July.  Early bird tickets have sold out, but if you're a listener of the pod, use the code event25 at checkout before the end of the month and you'll get that early bird price. Link below.

Collaborate 360 tickets: www.collaboratesports.com/360

Enjoy the episode!