How did you get into sport?
This is the “How did you get into sport?” podcast where we explore the ins and outs of working in high performance sport.
These are conversations with leaders in the industry about their journey and most importantly how they got to where they are. Working in professional sport is one of the most sought after yet highly competitive industries with limited professional organisations offering opportunities to work at the highest level of their respective sports.
This podcast was created on the back of countless conversations with a diverse range of experienced professionals overly frustrated yet still highly motivated to work in their dream role and asking the question “How did you get to work in professional sport and what did you have to do to get there?” Host Luis Resa is a Sports Physiotherapist who has worked in various elite professional organisation both in Australia and internationally.
In each episode, Luis has deep conversations with Sports Physiotherapist, S&C coaches, Head coaches, High Performance Managers and other leaders in the field of elite sport to discuss what it takes to excel in the world of sport as well as diving deeply into the intricacies of what got their foot in the door of some of the world’s most desirable roles.
Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a review. In the meantime, enjoy a deep conversation and learn the specific do’s and don’ts of both securing and surpassing expectations in the field of high performance sport.
How did you get into sport?
Paul Devlin - High Performance Manager in Sport turned High Performance Manager in Corporate (Amazon)
Paul Devlin is a world renowned high performance manager who has been able to successfully transition from working with high performance teams in the sports world to now working with high performance teams in the corporate world. Paul has led various teams in the world of Rugby and Rugby League having worked with the likes of the Cornish Pirates, Doncaster Knights, Hull F.C., Melbourne Storm, Paramatta Eels, South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Brisbane Broncos. This is an amazing conversation where Paul shares what he's learnt over the years working at the pinnacle of professional sport and then go on to recreate himself time and time again initially as a professional player, to a high performance manger in sport and now as a leader in the corporate setting with one of the biggest companies in the world, Amazon.
Highlights from the episode…
- What led to Paul being asked to be the nutritionist and rehab coach at a professional rugby club whilst he was a player.
- Paul and I discuss the thin line between having a “growth mindset” and becoming an “insecure overachiever”.
- How Paul made the decision to leave the UK and join the Melbourne Storm in the NRL.
- After decades filled with the highs and lows of professional sport, how Paul is navigating the change of working in the corporate world.
- “You need to be able to step on their toes without taking the shine off their shoes”. The differences of coaching in sport and the corporate world.
- Making the big move from the UK to Aus. What conversations and considerations did Paul have to make to ensure this was the best decision for him and his family.
- In an industry that is not always inducive to a strong family network how Paul has worked at the pinnacle of sport and corporate and have a remarkable 18 year marriage and family life.
- How do you instil an S&C/high performance culture in an organisation or a sport that has historically not had this culture?
- “The outcomes don’t justify the means”. When successful how does one look to improve a program, know what to improve and how best to improve it?
- There is no lack of robust evidence, well structured programs or exceptional practitioners in the youth athletic development, so where are we getting it wrong when it comes to developing young athletes?
- In an industry evaluated through the use of statistics, metrics, KPIs…what are the KPIs for High Performance Managers. What should High Performance Managers be evaluated against?
- Dealing with scrutiny during a challenging season. Paul shares his time at the Broncos and how he dealt with the unprecedented publicity, scrutiny and judgement that came during that period.
- What is Paul's "Why", when it comes to his journey as a high performance leader through various roles.
People mentioned:
- Kelvin Giles: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2g1eUNqD0zQXRsKWno93Ce
- Alex Natera: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-natera-035a7765/
- Frank Dick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frank-dick-0b559630/?originalSubdomain=uk
- Dean Benton: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1vtkbUw2IWpdvKLOzI7wVQ
- Phil Coles: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-coles-8945803a/
- Dawn Scott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawn-scott-83000820/
Paul Devlin contact details:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pauldevlin81/
- X: https://x.com/pauldevs?lang=en
Host: Luis Resa
Contact me on:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luis-resa-a975196b/
- Email: luis.resa@outlook.com
Thanks for listening and please leave a review. If you would like more information on anything mentioned in this episode simply send me an email.
