- The Great Coaches: Leadership & Life
- Posts
- Nell Fortner
Latest Podcast
Today’s episode of the Great Coaches podcast is an energetic one, featuring an interview with basketball coach Nell Fortner.
Nell has over 40 years of experience coaching at high school, college, pro and international levels, but before she began coaching she was also a successful basketball player who went to the University of Texas and led them to the #1 national ranking. She also spent time playing for the USA.
Highlights of Nell’s coaching career include a Big Ten champion (1997) and a SEC champion (2009) as well as leading the USA national team to gold medals at both the 1998 FIBA World Championship and the 2000 Olympic Games (in that same year she was also named the 2000 USA Basketball Coach of the Year).
Currently, Nell is the Head Coach of Georgia Tech, using all that she has learned from leading Team USA to unite her team through the power of goals. Nell also ensures that she is mindful when giving feedback to her players, as she has long since realised that the first thing you say when giving feedback is often the thing that stays with someone the longest.
Nell is a coach who has discovered the line between positivity and accountability, and her enthusiasm and upbeat approach is evident in both her coaching style and in the way she talks about her career.
As she shares during our interview, Nell believes that there are tonnes of coaches who are greater than her when it comes to technical knowledge, but none who are better when it comes to giving energy.
On Leadership Identity
On Wednesday we released a special episode on ‘Leadership Identity’, featuring popular guest Allistair McCaw.
As many of you will know, Allistair is one of those people who excels in multiple different areas and disciplines; not content just to be a best-selling author, he is also an in-demand speaker, runs a top podcast, and has also worked as a consultant for a number of big, well-known companies.
This episode turned out to be a fantastic discussion about assessing your leadership abilities, addressing your weaknesses, and learning to take feedback from others (something that I’m sure very few of us enjoy doing).
Make sure to take some time to listen to the full episode - I think it might inspire you to carry out a bit of self-reflection and make some positive changes to the way you approach your leadership.
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The Setback Or The Bounce-Back?
When Irish hurling manager Liam Sheedy joined us for an interview earlier this year, he shared a number of fantastic insights that really resonated with our listeners.
This clip features one such insight, with Liam sharing how he approached being let go from a position and having to ‘dust himself down’ before starting again.
There’s a misconception that things become a bit more stable and secure when you take on a leadership position, or that you have more control over your future and situation than the people you lead.
As any experienced leader will tell you, this is far from the truth. There will be setbacks - some bigger than others - and the true test of your leadership will often be how you respond to them.
The Game of Life
If you enjoy The Great Coaches, then this book should appeal to you, as the motivation behind both the book and our podcast is very similar.
Christian Klemash spent two years tracking down 34 top coaches from across college, professional and Olympic levels in order to interview them on life.
The result is a really great read that shares a number of insights and chunks of wisdom that apply not only in the world of sport, but also in daily life.
Elevated Leadership
We believe there is no algorithm for leadership, but there is a way to align your values, vision, and behaviour to elevate your leadership style.
Our coaching is rooted in our experience as CEOs, parents, and partners.
Drop us a note today if elevating your leadership is something you are interested in.
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