#26: Ben Ryan | Taking Home Olympic Gold & Creating A Standard That Breeds Champions

Ben Ryan is an English rugby union coach who is best known for coaching the Fiji sevens team to a gold medal in sevens rugby at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

As Fiji's sevens coach from 2013 to 2016, he guided the team to their first-ever Dubai 7's title and set the record of tournament titles won by a Fiji Sevens coach with nine. The gold medal was the first-ever medal won by Fiji at any Olympics. 

Fiji is one of the most underfunded and under-resourced countries on the planet and in this episode Ben shares: 

How to create a culture around “The Standard you walk past is the Standard you become”

Bens love for each and every one of the players and the lengths he went to build rapport and trust with each of the players

Skill acquisition, attention to detail and how he fine-tuned the Fijian offload game to be the deadliest on the planet

Ben explains how he overcame his ego when he was England to focus on team success, not individual success

Building lifelong relationships with his manager Ropate Kauvesi and Captain Osea Kolinisau to take the team to gold in Rio.

How to create a safe environment for any team or business where players feel safe and believe in the common purpose

This episode was mind-blowing for me and it spoke to the true nature of what it means to coach and lead a team. 

Wherever you fit into the world of rugby this episode is an absolute must-listen. 

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