The Great Coaches: Staffan Olsson

Being Honest With Staffan Olsson

This week’s podcast episode features an interview with handball coach Staffan Olsson.

During his time as a player, Staffan played 357 times for the Swedish national team, taking the silver medal 3 times at the Olympic Games. He transitioned to coaching in 2005, and over the following 5 years lead Hammarby to 3 Swedish National Championships.

Staffan was appointed as the Coach of the Swedish national men’s team in 2008, and in 2012 he led them to a silver medal finish at the Olympic Games. He then went on to coach at French club Paris Saint-Germain between 2015 and 2018, helping them to win the National Championship and to place twice in the Champions League.

Staffan is currently the Head Coach of the Dutch national men’s team, and was inducted into the EHF Hall of Fame in 2024.

Every Great Coach brings fantastic insights to our interviews, and Staffan was no exception. Several of the points he made were focused on leadership and coaching as a whole, and we really dove into what he believes makes a successful leader. Some highlights included:

• Why there’s no single “right” leadership style — Staffan’s experience working with two very different successful coaches taught him that the best approach is not necessarily democratic or authoritarian, but rather an authentic one adapted to context.

• The vital roles of leadership and trust in successful coaching — experience has helped Staffan to transition from being highly-controlling to employing a more player-centric style which emphasises relationships, communications, and identifying player needs.

• Decision-making skills can (and should) be trained — in a fast sport such as handball, being able to process a situation well is key to success. This is a skill that Staffan improves through purposeful, game-like training.

There’s a lot to hear, consider and use in this week’s interview — I hope you’ll take as much from it as we did.

Listen Now: Apple | Spotify

Some key questions raised from today’s episode:

• Am I leading in a way that is genuinely authentic to me, or am I copying a style that doesn’t fit who I am?

• How do I respond to mistakes — do I treat them as failures to avoid, or as necessary moments for growth and learning?

• Do I spend enough time understanding the people I lead as individuals, rather than focusing solely on performance and outcomes?

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

Reframing Thinking With Sport’s Great Coaches

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 mindsets, and how coaches and leaders can help their teams to reframe their thinking. Great Coaches host Paul speaks live from the Melbourne Cricket Ground as he shares and discusses several clips from past interviews that cover the power of cognitive reframing.

We know as leaders that positive and strong mindsets can make all the difference in the pursuit of success and overcoming adversity, so if this is something you’re looking to encourage in your own team or organisation, then the mental performance techniques covered in this video will make all the difference.

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.

Inside The Mind Of Bellamy

If a reporter was to spend four hours following you, what would they learn about your leadership? What impression would they leave with?

In this brilliant article from BBC Sports, we get a glimpse inside the mind of Craig Bellamy, Head Coach of the Welsh football (soccer) team. Bellamy has been referred to as a football “genius”, and his obsession with the sport is clear in the way he talks about it and interacts with it.

Interestingly, Bellamy also shares a bit about how he makes time for family and personal commitments, despite being someone who always needs to be busy and on-the-go.

A very interesting look into the world of a very successful coach.

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.