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Pressure has a funny way of revealing what’s underneath. When things get tough, people don’t rise to the occasion; they fall to the level of their preparation. I remember running training sessions where we’d deliberately add a bit of pressure. Maybe shorten the time, use game position scenaros, increase the pace, or throw in unexpected challenges. […]

There’s nothing quite like the noise of a big win. The cheers, the handshakes, the buzz in the changing room. But once the noise fades, the real work begins. Leadership can feel like that too. Early on, there’s energy, feedback, and attention. People notice your efforts. But over time, the crowd gets quieter. The applause

Before every match, I used to gather the players together. It wasn’t a long speech, just a few minutes to centre everyone on what mattered most that day. Sometimes it was about focus, sometimes trust, sometimes just reminding them to enjoy the game. That short talk often made the biggest difference. It gave direction, energy,

When I coached my kids’ soccer team years ago, I remember how every game looked the same. The moment the ball moved, the whole team sprinted toward it. All seven of them crowded in, legs everywhere, chasing the ball like a swarm. It was chaos — no space, no shape, no strategy. They were putting

We spend hours learning how to speak with confidence, persuade others, or deliver a message but the real magic happens when we stop talking. Because listening isn’t passive.It’s powerful. It’s what tells your team, you matter.It’s what helps you catch what’s not being said.And it’s often what turns tension into trust. When I was coaching,

When I was coaching, I noticed something about players who missed training. They’d always have a reason. A sore knee. A late night. A busy week. They’d tell themselves they’d be fine once the game started. But you could always tell who’d skipped training once the whistle blew. Their timing was off. Their decisions were

One thing I’ve always expected from my players is simple. If you get injured, you still turn up to training. Even if you can’t run drills or make tackles, you’re still part of the team. You might help set up cones, talk through plays, or share what you notice from the sideline. You’re still adding

After one particularly close rugby match, our team walked off the field gutted. We’d given it everything, but still came up short. The easy option would’ve been to blame the ref, bad luck, or a missed call. But instead, we sat down the next week and reviewed the game together — play by play. It

In sport, not all the players stay on the field for 80 minutes without rest. Substitutes bring fresh energy, change the pace, and give the team a lift when fatigue sets in. Leadership is no different. Burnout happens when leaders and teams never rotate, never rest, and never bring in new energy. As a leader, if

A frustration employees often tell me is, “We never know how we’re doing; we just get told to work harder.” That’s like asking players to try harder without them knowing what the scoreboard says. Teams need to know the score. In sport, it’s obvious: it’s up on the board for everyone to see. But in leadership,