The Great Coaches: Leadership & Life

Our great coach on this episode is Samantha Bird.

Sam is a Netball Coach. As a player she represented England but retired at 24 after a knee injury. She then carved out a long career as a lawyer working with the London Metropolitan Police. In 2005 the United Kingdon Netball Super League was formed and Sam started as an Assistant with the London Mavericks. She became the team head coach in 2014. In 2016 she was appointed as the head coach for the new franchise the Severn Stars. In 2019 she then became the Head Coach of the London Pulse leading them to the treble of the Super League title, Super Cup, and NPL tournament in 2025.

3 questions the interview with Sam challenged me with were:
•Is my organization the type of place where people know somebody will have their back if they are having a bad day?
•Am I engaging with me mentors enough to frame challenging questions of myself
•Am I calling out example of ambition and bravery enough?

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
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Mickey Arthur is a cricket coach.

Mickey has coached 4 of the 12 test cricket playing nations in the world. South Africa, Australia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Key highlights from his career include leading the South African team to be number one in all cricket formats. Coaching the South Africans when they scored a record 438 in a One-Day International against Australia. And Taking Pakistan to number one in the T20 and test format while also winning the Champions Trophy with them.
He was the first non-Australian to coach the Australian Test team, and has been the head coach for Jamaica in the Caribbean Premier League, the Karachi Kings in Pakistan and the Rangpur Riders in Bangldesh. He is presently the head coach of the Derbyshire County Cricket Club and the Rangpur Riders.

Q: I don’t use non-negotiables as a leader and it made me wonder whether I should?
Q: This challenged me to consider whether there are times that I overtalk as a leader?
Q: This made me reflect on who I should be challenging more in my 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] or contact us through our website thegreatcoachespodcast.com
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Todays podcast is on the topic of Connection. And to explore the topic and the impact it can have on team performance I am going to use audio from 10 of the 214 Great Coaches we have interviewed on the podcast.

Their voices will complimemnt and amplify each other and at the end of this episode my hope is that you have a few ideas on how to improve the connection in your own sporting, work or community groups.

· What are you doing when you are apart, to prepare for the times when you will come together?
· What can you do to be more authentic with each other?
· How can you share more information about yourself with each other in a way that deepens your understanding of what drives each of you?
· How can you use daily, small moments to stay connected?
· What more could you do to understand the linkages between the people who support you?

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



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Our great coach on this episode is Anders Tortensson.

However this is not just a story about Anders, its also about the triumph of his team Mjallby in winning the Swedish top tier football competition in 2025.

Mjallby is a town of 14,000 people with a budget that is only 12% of the richest club in the league, Malmo. Their stadium holds only 6000 people, and many of the players live in flats together and car pool into training.

In 2017 they were in the 4th flight of Swedish football, and now after theirn victory they have qualified to take part in the Champions League qualifiers.

They are led by Anders. A former school principal and miltary officer who has been involved with the club on and off since being a player there in the 1980’s. In 2023 he became the head coach on a full time, professional basis and has led them to a a championship that many believe is one of the greatest underdog stories in European football.

What can I do better to work with people's inner and outmer motivation?
How can I use my voice better to convey a sense of calm?

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
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Todays episode is On Leadership and I am joined for the discussion by 2 great coaches.

The first is Mike Dunlap. Mike is a basketball coach who has led teams in US Colleges, the NBA and in Australia. He was also an assistant with the Milwaukee Bucks when then they defeated the Phoenix Suns to win their first NBA Championship in 2021.

The second is Rugby Union coach Franco Smith. As a player Franco represented South Africa as well as playing for clubs in South Africa, Italy, France and Wales. As a coach he has led teams to National Championships in Italy and South Africa and is presently the head coach of the Glasgow Warriors.

Q: How do you mitigate the loneliness you might feel as a leader?
Q: What philosophy guides you as a leader
Q: What did you do today to lead by example?

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.