Brad Donald spent 25 years in professional rugby league, from captain-coaching in country NSW to managing elite programs for the Kangaroos and coaching the Jillaroos through the early days of the NRLW.
Brad shares the story of his own coaching journey, from playing front row in country footy through to nine years coaching the Australian women’s rugby league team and unpacks the moments that shaped how he leads people today.
The conversation covers building team standards through buy in rather than dictation, why the highest performing individual is not always the right fit for a team, and why servant-based leaders often struggle to shift from doing the work themselves to coaching others to do it.
Brad also makes the case for leaders owning difficult conversations directly rather than outsourcing them to HR, and closes with practical thoughts on parenting, self-improvement as a coach and how young professionals can get more from the leaders around them.
Timestamps
- 1:12 Introducing Brad Donald and his coaching background
- 2:45 Handling public criticism and social media as a head coach
- 6:22 Brad’s early coaching journey, from front row forward to captain coach
- 8:48 Juggling multiple roles across sport management and coaching
- 10:12 Nine years with the Jillaroos and discovering women’s rugby league
- 13:00 The conversation that reshaped Brad’s coaching philosophy
- 16:00 Building a shared vision with the team ahead of the 2017 World Cup
- 17:02 The leap from professional sport into business coaching
- 19:47 The personal assets framework: confidence, competence, character and connection
- 22:06 Why the best individual player is not always the right fit for the team
- 26:16 Setting team standards together, the Steph Hancock story
- 31:37 How Brad starts with a new business client
- 36:41 Investing time in people as a leadership advantage
- 39:47 Servant based leadership in construction and trades
- 43:36 Rethinking HR, why leaders need to own difficult conversations
- 48:47 Parenting and leadership, teaching through natural consequences
- 52:35 How a coach keeps coaching themselves
- 56:20 How fast culture can change inside a team or business
- 59:26 Bringing resistant leaders on board, first followers and true believers
- 1:03:39 Leaving egos at the door, lessons from elite team culture
- 1:09:32 Brad’s closing advice for leaders and young professionals
If you’re leading a team, or want to, this conversation is worth the hour.
Listen to this episode on Spotify.
