As an ex-England International table tennis athlete, former National Coach and current Head Coach at British Para Table Tennis , Greg has successfully competed and worked in elite sport performance leadership and management positions for over 20 years.
A fellow Barefoot graduate he is also an internationally recognised Associate Certified Coach (ACC) with the International Coaching Federation (ICF).
In this episode we discuss the transition from coaching elite athletes to coaching business executives.
From a very early age coaching was a part of his life. He recalls being eight years old and playing football in the garden while recording how to guides on video. He grew up with a fascination with the coach and player relationship.
Following a short international playing career he got into coaching. Studied coaching at uni, and became a head coach in table tennis.
Barefoot was a fantastic learning experience for him, which ultimately improved his leadership skills.
I reflect on how we have led polar opposite worlds, having spent my career in the world of business but recently started coaching a pro golfer.
Greg has found the transition into the business world relatively smooth. Seeing lots of parallels between conversations with sports people - diving into their thinking, recognising how they make decisions under pressure. Getting to the know the individual and what sits underneath the technical and tactical knowledge.
Now he works with clients who are trying to get the best out of their leadership style and philosophy, or get the best out of their teams.
He doesn't really know about their business, he couldn't give them any advice as such, but he can ask them open questions and be curious, in such a way as to unlock their thinking and their potential. Getting them to challenge themselves in their leadership style.
He sees his role as one to nudge and nurture, asking the questions they won't necessarily ask themselves.
We also discuss resilience, and recent events at tennis tournaments and the Olympics where athletes are calling out their own mental wellbeing in relation to whether they feel able to perform at their best, or at all.
Greg sees it as forward thinking for both business and sport, and likes to think of wellbeing as a performance advantage. It used to be seen as a nice to have, whereas now it is a need to have.
We need to spend more time being and recognising how we perform, in the past it was all about going harder and harder.
Avoiding burn out, regardless of industry or sector is key. Factoring in breaks, time out, breathing space. It is the same for athletes, they need to have time off, and less training at certain times. He thinks it is fantastic that people are now speaking out.
He's off to Tokyo this week, and has a buddy and support system in place.
Greg has just had the conversation with the team about enjoying the moment, and not letting it fly by in a flash. They want to enjoy this moment together. It's been five years in the making. People have had to delay things in their lives, having children, transitioning into new careers.
I fully expect him to have to update his LinkedIn on his return, having already helped deliver over 60 major medals for British Para Table Tennis, including European, Paralympic and World Champions. Watch this space!
Good luck to Greg and the entire GB and NI para team in Tokyo!
If you enjoy listening to this podcast why not check out some of the others in season 1 & 2. Or perhaps you fancy taking part yourself? If so why not get in touch. You can find me via LinkedIn or Twitter