Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
How do great leaders build teams to become who they're capable of becoming, and prepare them to handle their emotions when the pressure is highest?
Eddie Jones is one of the most accomplished coaches in world rugby. He led Australia, England, and guided Japan to one of the greatest upsets in the sport's history at the 2015 World Cup. He has built a career on turning teams around, creating pressure, and challenging more from the people he leads, however, there is a fine line in that work; Too little challenge and we never understand who we can become. Too much and we create the wrong conditions to explore. That line has not always been easy to walk. Eddie’s demanding methods have drawn criticism over the years, and his exits from England in 2022 and Australia in 2023 came under intense public scrutiny... a chapter he alludes to here when he describes the mistake of letting the noise come down on top of him.
Eddie walks through how he starts with a picture in his head of how a team could play, then closes the gap between that vision and the group in front of him. He explains why he keeps training about 70% successful so the failures become the learning, why training should be harder than the game, and why immediate, private feedback beats public humiliation every time. Mike and Eddie dig into why the best coaches ask more questions than they answer, how coaching has shifted from team-based to one-on-one, how to grow from past mistakes, and the one thing Eddie has had to unlearn in 30 years: never assume.
The two also explore the human side of leadership, including the moment a coach made Eddie feel important 30 years ago and still moves him today, how he works through struggles, and with his own emotions, why he is still learning to make room for joy, and the question every leader should ask themselves: would you want to be coached by yourself?
In this episode, you'll learn:
- How great coaches build a team identity
- Why training should be 70% successful and 30% failure
- Why training harder than the game makes the game easy
- How to give feedback without humiliating people
- Why the best coaches ask more questions than they answer
- How understanding the individual drives modern leadership
- Why you should never assume, and always confirm
- The thinking time every leader needs
By the end of the conversation, the two land on a question every leader should ask: would you want to be coached by yourself?
CHAPTERS
0:00 Eddie Jones Introduction
2:23 Growing up as an "outsider"
7:21 What identity means and closing the gap between vision and the group
14:34 How many disruptive players a team can tolerate
20:29 Eddie's philosophy on correcting players
25:20 Explicit vs. implicit coaching
39:41 How to prepare athletes for pressure
50:14 Struggling with joy
58:57 How Japan's 2015 upset was built over years
1:12:47 The 80/20 rule for feedback
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#FindingMastery #EddieJones #DrMichaelGervais #Leadership #Coaching #Rugby #TeamBuilding #HighPerformance #Mindset #Psychology #Pressure #Culture #Standards #eddiejones #rugbyworldcup #rugby #leadership #teamculture #controversy
How do great leaders build teams to become who they're capable of becoming, and prepare them to handle their emotions when the pressure is highest?
Eddie Jones is one of the most accomplished coaches in world rugby. He led Australia, England, and guided Japan to one of the greatest upsets in the sport's history at the 2015 World Cup. He has built a career on turning teams around, creating pressure, and challenging more from the people he leads, however, there is a fine line in that work; Too little challenge and we never understand who we can become. Too much and we create the wrong conditions to explore. That line has not always been easy to walk. Eddie’s demanding methods have drawn criticism over the years, and his exits from England in 2022 and Australia in 2023 came under intense public scrutiny... a chapter he alludes to here when he describes the mistake of letting the noise come down on top of him.
Eddie walks through how he starts with a picture in his head of how a team could play, then closes the gap between that vision and the group in front of him. He explains why he keeps training about 70% successful so the failures become the learning, why training should be harder than the game, and why immediate, private feedback beats public humiliation every time. Mike and Eddie dig into why the best coaches ask more questions than they answer, how coaching has shifted from team-based to one-on-one, how to grow from past mistakes, and the one thing Eddie has had to unlearn in 30 years: never assume.
The two also explore the human side of leadership, including the moment a coach made Eddie feel important 30 years ago and still moves him today, how he works through struggles, and with his own emotions, why he is still learning to make room for joy, and the question every leader should ask themselves: would you want to be coached by yourself?
In this episode, you'll learn:
- How great coaches build a team identity
- Why training should be 70% successful and 30% failure
- Why training harder than the game makes the game easy
- How to give feedback without humiliating people
- Why the best coaches ask more questions than they answer
- How understanding the individual drives modern leadership
- Why you should never assume, and always confirm
- The thinking time every leader needs
By the end of the conversation, the two land on a question every leader should ask: would you want to be coached by yourself?
CHAPTERS
0:00 Eddie Jones Introduction
2:23 Growing up as an "outsider"
7:21 What identity means and closing the gap between vision and the group
14:34 How many disruptive players a team can tolerate
20:29 Eddie's philosophy on correcting players
25:20 Explicit vs. implicit coaching
39:41 How to prepare athletes for pressure
50:14 Struggling with joy
58:57 How Japan's 2015 upset was built over years
1:12:47 The 80/20 rule for feedback
💥 Support our sponsors and get exclusive discounts: findingmastery.com/sponsors
📬 Sign up for the Finding Mastery newsletter: findingmastery.com/newsletter
🧠 Download Dr. Mike's Morning Mindset Routine: findingmastery.com/morningmindset
#FindingMastery #EddieJones #DrMichaelGervais #Leadership #Coaching #Rugby #TeamBuilding #HighPerformance #Mindset #Psychology #Pressure #Culture #Standards #eddiejones #rugbyworldcup #rugby #leadership #teamculture #controversy
