COACHING INSIGHTS

Leadership within sport is often romanticised – associated with captains delivering rousing speeches or coaches making decisive tactical calls. Yet genuine leadership development runs far deeper. It is not simply about authority, charisma, or results, but about the consistent behaviours, communication, and environments that shape individuals into people others want to follow. For coaches, the challenge lies in moving beyond technical instruction to deliberately cultivate lead

By Dylan Villalobos, Director of TheCoachingMindsetOrg The phrase “growth mindset” has become a fixture in classrooms, coaching courses, and sports psychology discussions. Coined by Carol Dweck (2006), the concept encourages individuals to believe that ability and intelligence can be developed through effort, feedback, and persistence. Yet in many learning and sporting environments, this powerful framework has been diluted to a simple slogan: “Try harder.” The result is what

By Dylan Villalobos, Director of TheCoachingMindsetOrg In sport and education, ego often presents itself as ambition, confidence, or leadership—yet beneath the surface, it can quietly restrict our capacity to learn, adapt, and serve others. Ryan Holiday’s Ego Is The Enemy (2016) offers a compelling philosophical lens for understanding this dynamic, but its ideas also align with long-standing principles in sports coaching, pedagogy, and psychology. This article explores how t