The Great Coaches: Dom Starsia

Dom Starsia: Consistency Is True Toughness

Our Great Coach this week is Dom Starsia, an American Lacrosse coach.

Dom represented the USA at the 1978 World Lacrosse Championship as a player, whilst also coaching in a variety of roles at his alma mater, Brown University.

In 1982, he became the Head Coach of the Brown University men’s lacrosse team and led them to 2 Ivy League Championships. He then moved to the University of Virginia in 1993, leading the Cavaliers to 4 NCAA championships over 23 seasons.

Dom retired in 2016 as the winningest division 1 men’s lacrosse coach. He was inducted into the Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2008.

This was a fantastic interview that covered some of the topics that listeners repeatedly find relevant to their own work and sports environments, such as:

• Authentic leadership, and how this comes from being comfortable in your own style while learning from others.

• Successful teams, and the role of selflessness, sacrifice, and a shared commitment to the group.

• Consistency, and how showing up every day and doing what needs to be done is the true mark of toughness.

Make sure to keep reading to explore the questions that the episode raised for host Paul, and as always we hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed recording it!

Listen Now: Apple | Spotify

Some key questions raised from today’s episode:

• Where in my life am I trying to copy someone else’s style rather than trusting my own authentic way of leading or contributing?

• What does “toughness as consistency” look like for me, and where do I need to show up more reliably each day?

• When could I choose more positive or patient language, rather than criticism or sarcasm?

Find all of our past interviews with some of sport’s most successful coaches and leaders on our website.

Coaching With Values

In this section of our newsletter, we like to bring attention to the topics and areas of leadership and coaching that can pose the biggest challenges and problems, and to share a small lesson or interview clip that can help you to assess your own approach to them.

This week we’re looking at values-driven leadership, which is a topic that often comes up in our interviews. It can be difficult to establish an authentic leadership identity such as the one that Dom discusses in this week’s episode. This is where values come in; by establishing and understanding your own core values, you can form a leadership style that is both authentic and achieves your goals without compromising on what you believe.

In the video below, Great Coaches host Paul Barnett shares several insights and clips from past interviews on the topic of coaching with values, and discusses how these insights can be applied to your leadership styles both on and off the pitch.

You can find the video here on our Youtube channel, alongside many other lessons, interviews, and insights designed to be shared and used by leaders and teams.

We combine videos of the Great Coaches that we have interviewed with our experience as corporate and sporting leaders in order to bring insight, energy, and ideas to your teams.

The Story of Sinner

This interesting and interactive article from BBC Sport looks at the life and career of Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner, who currently ranks as the world’s number 1 player.

From his sporting beginnings to his Grand Slam win, this article looks at what it takes to create such a successful sporting career through the eyes and words of those who know him and have supported him along the way.

A fantastic and inspiring read that will resonate with many of us as we watch the Wimbledon games this weekend.

Challenge Yourself with the Macquarie MBA

This newsletter is brought to you by Macquarie University Business School’s MBA program. Designed to empower, challenge and transform, the Macquarie MBA gives you the business skills and knowledge you need to succeed in an evolving global economy.

The program bridges the gap between theory and real-world application, bringing together world-leading professors, executives and industry partners to teach you how business can be used for good.

I have started working with the team at Macquarie on some projects and can attest to the quality of the people and material. To find out more, search for Macquarie University Business School’s MBA.

Find out more: https://www.mq.edu.au/macquarie-business-school/

Elevated Leadership

If you’re looking to improve your own leadership skills, get in touch with us at elevatedleadership.com.au 

Our team of executive coaches — including The Great Coaches host, Paul Barnett — bring a wealth of experience as international CEOs who have faced the challenge of stepping forward in uncertain moments.