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- The Great Coaches: Sam Bird
Sam Bird: Somebody Will Have Your Back
This week’s podcast guest is Netball coach Sam Bird.
In her playing days, Sam represented England until retiring at age 24 with a knee injury. From there, she carved out a long career as a lawyer, working with the London Metropolitan Police.
When the United Kingdom Netball Super League formed in 2005, Sam began acting as an Assistant with the London Mavericks. By 2014 she had become the team’s Head Coach, and in 2016 she was appointed as the Head Coach of a new franchise: Severn Stars.
In 2019 Sam joined the London Pulse as their Head Coach, leading them to the treble of the Super League title, the Super Cup, and the NPL tournament in 2025.
This was a fantastic interview, and Sam shared some wonderful leadership insights. A few that really resonated with me were:
How the support and kindness that athletes receive as they build careers through youth teams results in loyalty and a sense of connection, as well as the message that somebody will always have your back on a bad day.
The power of mentors (in Sam’s case that was Great Coach Lisa Alexander) who can use the right questions to help you form your own decisions.
The value of promoting ambition and being brave, regardless of what others might say.
Make sure to give the interview a listen — as always, I’d love to hear what parts particularly stood out to you.
The key questions raised from today’s episode:
Do the people in your organisation feel that somebody will have their back on a bad day?
Are you engaging with mentors enough to frame challenging questions about yourself?
Are you frequently recognising and highlighting examples of ambition and bravery?
Find all of our past interviews with some of sport’s most successful coaches and leaders on our website.
When Things Get Rough
In each episode of our newsletter, we look at a different lesson that you can take and use within your own leadership.
During this week’s interview, Great Coach Sam Bird spoke about how the kindness and support shown to athletes in London Pulse youth teams translates into an assurance that somebody will have their back on their hardest days.
Similarly, in the clip below, past guest Dr Troy Urdahl spoke about how his children’s teammates supported them and ‘showed up’ for them when they were facing the loss of a grandparent.
This sense of community and belonging is as important in adulthood as it is during youth, and it’s something that leaders should seek to encourage and develop within their teams. From team-building exercises to moments of openness and honesty when individuals can be encouraged to be vulnerable with others, there are a number of ways that this sense of connection can be fostered.
Looking for ideas on how to create a team that can support and rely on one another? Take a listen to our lessons on Connection, Great Teamwork and Thriving Teams — they’re available wherever you normally listen to the podcast!
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“A good coach will make his players see what they can be, rather than what they are.”
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.
Sporting Success, Revolutionary Tech
It’s impossible to go through your day without hearing about (or using) AI nowadays, and while the technology continues to change the way we work, it’s also having an impact on the world of sport.
For this article from BBC Sport, two journalists explore how AI is being used by the England men’s football team to help strengthen performance and proactively approach upcoming challenges — including penalty taking, improving player welfare, and uncovering opponent weaknesses.
It’s an interesting take on the technology, and also raises some very important questions about how AI could widen gaps between teams with different financial situations and how it could impact sports-industry jobs in the future.
Stop Wasting Time
Sport is obsessed with time…yet we waste so much in meetings. ⏳
As part of my Professional Doctorate and my work as a High Performance communications Consultant, I’ve analysed, designed, and improved 100s of meetings in sport.
Now, I’m launching a pilot starting from March 9th to align your meetings to matchday.
The Details:
What: A series of analysis and co-design sessions to enhance your meetings
Who: Driven and curious coaches at any level (Grassroots to Pro)
When: Intake begins March 9th
Limited spots remaining.
For more information, get in touch: [email protected]
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.
