Playing to Strengths vs. Developing Skills

0:07 Introduction to Called to Coach
3:05 Discovering Gallup and Strengths
5:02 Performance Coaching Insights
6:37 The Role of Self-Awareness
15:29 Managing Weaknesses in Sports
19:02 The Evolution of Coaching
25:58 Coaching Individual vs. Team Performance
29:39 Universal Principles of Success
39:23 Navigating Pressure and Fear
45:02 Embracing Pressure and Nerves
47:38 Pressure of the World Cup
56:29 Knowing vs. Believing
59:52 Cultural Nuances in Coaching
1:03:38 Creating a Fertile Environment for Growth

In this powerful episode of Gallup’s Called to Coach, host Jim Collison and co-host Deepanjan Deb (DD) sit down with world-renowned performance coach Paddy Upton for a wide-ranging conversation on self-awareness, strengths, pressure, and elite performance across sports and business.

Paddy shares his journey with Gallup and the CliftonStrengths assessment, first introduced to him during his second master’s degree in business coaching. What began as one of many tools quickly became a cornerstone of his coaching philosophy. Drawing from positive psychology, Paddy explains how deep self-awareness—especially understanding one’s strengths—creates the foundation for sustained performance. He also shares his own Top 5 strengths (Strategic, Futuristic, Ideation, Self-Assurance, and Achiever) and how they shape the way he coaches individuals and teams.

The conversation explores the critical link between performance and self-awareness, with Paddy reflecting on his experience working with elite athletes and leaders across cultures. While many high performers demonstrate strong self-awareness, others struggle to reflect effectively during moments of both success and failure. Paddy emphasizes that this ability to reflect—to understand what’s happening mentally in high-stakes moments—is essential for growth, learning, and long-term success.

Jim and DD guide the discussion into the practical realities of coaching, especially in sport. Paddy explains how developing athletes must balance building new skills with playing to their strengths. He illustrates this with compelling examples from cricket, including Virat Kohli, whose sustained excellence comes from relentlessly refining his core strengths rather than over-investing in areas that don’t naturally suit him.

Pressure becomes a central theme as Paddy reframes nerves, fear, and anxiety—not as problems to eliminate, but as natural signals of importance. He explains how pressure is created by the value we place on future outcomes and how performance improves when attention returns to the present moment. These insights resonate not only in sport, but also in corporate and leadership environments where expectations and stakes are high.
The episode also dives into culture and leadership, drawing from Paddy’s experience coaching diverse teams across countries and disciplines. He explains why culture always starts with leadership and why self-aware leaders are better equipped to adapt their approach across different people and contexts. Using a memorable metaphor, Paddy likens leadership to tending a garden—creating the right conditions for growth rather than trying to control outcomes.

Toward the end of the conversation, Paddy introduces a critical distinction between believing in strengths and knowing them. Believing, he argues, is fragile; knowing is grounded in preparation, experience, and trust. Leaders and coaches who help people truly know their strengths create environments where confidence, performance, and resilience can thrive.
This episode is packed with real-world stories, practical wisdom, and hard-earned insights from one of the most respected performance coaches in the world. Whether you’re a coach, leader, or high performer, you’ll walk away with a deeper understanding of how self-awareness, strengths, culture, and pressure intersect to drive exceptional performance.