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The Leadership Rundown

The Leadership Rundown

By: Nathan Pali
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About this listen

The Leadership Rundown is a leadership and sports podcast breaking down how great coaches, teams, and leaders built winning systems—and where leadership decisions changed everything.

Every game has a rundown. Every season has turning points. Every organization has moments that reveal its leaders.

This podcast studies elite coaching, leadership through sports, and the critical decisions behind championships, collapses, dynasties, and rebuilds. Each episode explores legendary coaches, iconic teams, and pivotal leadership moments from across football, basketball, baseball, soccer, hockey, and beyond, blending sports history, biography, and leadership analysis to reveal how leaders think, adapt, and perform under pressure.

You’ll learn:

  • How great coaches made high-stakes leadership decisions
  • How culture and accountability shaped outcomes
  • How strategy evolved across seasons and careers
  • How leaders handled failure, conflict, and expectations
  • How psychology influenced performance and trust
  • How systems created consistency and excellence
  • How leadership was revealed in critical moments

This isn’t a highlight show or a sports debate podcast. It’s a story-driven breakdown of coaching leadership, team culture, organizational leadership, and understanding how elite leaders managed pressure, people, and performance when it mattered most.

If you’re interested in leadership, sports leadership, coaching philosophy, team building, organizational culture, performance psychology, great coaches, and learning how elite leadership decisions are made — this podcast is for you.

The Leadership Rundown Because every season tells a story. And every story reveals a leader.

© 2026 The Leadership Rundown All rights reserved.
Economics Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • Dan Gable: The Pursuit of Absolute Dominance
    Feb 15 2026
    In this episode, we explore the coaching philosophy of legendary wrestling coach Dan Gable, examining how personal tragedy and a single competitive loss shaped his relentless pursuit of perfection. We also discuss how Gable's unyielding standards and focus on extreme preparation transformed the Iowa wrestling program into a national powerhouse.Chapters00:00 Gable’s Unyielding Standard01:57 Personal Loss and Redirection03:33 The Defining Loss of 197005:32 Coaching at Iowa: Escalation08:52 Overwhelming Opponents13:59 Trusting the System & Legacy
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    11 mins
  • The Leadership Cost of Consistency
    Jan 25 2026

    High standards create turnover, tension, and long hours — and also dominance. The hidden cost behind Alabama’s dynasty.

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    16 mins
  • Newt Rockne's Football Legacy
    Feb 14 2026
    In this episode, we explore the strategic decisions and organizational brilliance of legendary football coach Newt Rockne. We discuss how he built a powerful program at Notre Dame through innovation, adaptability, and a focus on systematic excellence rather than individual talent.Chapters00:00 Rockne's Early Innovation00:22 The 1913 Army Game03:38 Building a Cohesive Program08:35 Adapting and Sustaining Excellence15:17 Confronting Complacency and Safety18:20 Rockne's Enduring Legacy
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    12 mins
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