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Former Canada rugby sevens coach Damian McGrath shares life lessons in book

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Damian McGrath learned more than a few life lessons in coaching the Canadian, Samoan, German and Kenyan rugby sevens teams.

The veteran English coach shares some of those learnings in his book, “Can You Be Fluent in Success?” which is subtitled “A fresh perspective on business coaching through the lens of an international rugby leader.”

McGrath, a former physical education teacher, played rugby league for both Great Britain Universities against France and British Colleges versus both France and New Zealand. But believing that was the extent of his playing career, he turned his focus to coaching.

He worked his way through the coaching ranks with rugby league’s Leeds Rhinos, before switching to rugby union. It’s a coaching journey that has taken him around the globe, offering plenty of food for thought.

He started on the book while stranded in Kenya, eventually publishing it himself.

“We weren’t being paid and we couldn’t go train because of all the financial issues,” he explained in an interview. “And someone asked me if I’d do a talk to the leadership group of a local business back in England.

“So I was trying to make some notes and it just got me started. I had plenty of time on my hands so I started to write down the lessons I’ve learned the experiences I had and tried to put them into a story.”

Rather writing a traditional autobiography, McGrath dips into his past to illustrate lessons learned. And he cites those of others, quoting the likes of film director James Cameron, singer Harry Chapin, Voltaire, Einstein, Rosalynn Carter and jockey A.P. McCoy.

A history buff and avid reader, McGrath also is skilful in finding ways to illustrate his point.

Take the Japanese tradition of Kintsugi, which is believed to have originated in the 15th century when Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa broke his favourite tea bowl. Unhappy at an unsightly repair job, local Japanese craftsmen filled the cracks with gold leaf and lacquer.

“As a coach, Kintsugi reminded me then, and still does now, that failure isn’t the end, you can repair it, you can build something new that is stronger, but the scars are there to remind of the challenges that you have overcome,” McGrath writes.

He found out about Kintsugi from a discarded magazine on a train to Manchester in 1979.

Other lessons came in person.

While coach of Samoa and trying to land two trainee police officers for his Commonwealth Games team, McGrath had to buy two cows from their commanding officer to secure their release.

As coach of Kenya, while taking part in a disciplinary session with a senior player whose attendance had been spotty, McGrath was told the player’s problems were due to the influence of a local witch doctor.

“I almost laughed out loud thinking how preposterous that was, but I was the only one smiling,” he writes.

“It was a quick reminder of making sure you understand people’s lives before you judge them,” he adds.

McGrath only touches on his time as Canada coach, in part due to a non-disclosure agreement he had to sign as part of his enforced departure.

While he led the Canadian men to their only tournament win on the world sevens circuit — in Singapore in April 2017 — he was fired in May 2019 in the midst of a spotty campaign not helped by a pre-season labour dispute involving the players and Rugby Canada.

“It was a tough time, as my wife and I had established a good life there, we were settled and the team had been successful,” he writes.

He was sacked the same day his wife, Deborah, who had served as Rugby Canada’s women’s 15s team manager, was appointed commercial manager of B.C. Rugby.

“It was a really big hammer blow at the time,” he said.

It’s clear while he enjoyed his time in Canada and especially working with the Canadian players, he has no love for Rugby Canada.

“In the end, I was glad to get away and they gave me the terms I wanted,” he said.

After Rugby Canada gave him a pink slip, Canada’s players wrote him a glowing letter of recommendation which he puts in the book.

Quoting Maya Angelou, McGrath writes, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

After his time as Kenya coach, McGrath and his wife returned to their home in England. He has had offers to coach overseas again and admits “I think I’m getting the itch again.”

And more to learn.

“Every day is an education, no matter how old or how experienced you are,” he writes.

“Can You Be Fluent In Success?” By Damian McGrath. Tidbury Media, 171 pages, $13.45.

Follow @NeilMDavidson on X platform, formerly known as Twitter.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 25 2024

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Saskatchewan NDP’s Beck holds first caucus meeting after election, outlines plans

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REGINA – Saskatchewan Opposition NDP Leader Carla Beck says she wants to prove to residents her party is the government in waiting as she heads into the incoming legislative session.

Beck held her first caucus meeting with 27 members, nearly double than what she had before the Oct. 28 election but short of the 31 required to form a majority in the 61-seat legislature.

She says her priorities will be health care and cost-of-living issues.

Beck says people need affordability help right now and will press Premier Scott Moe’s Saskatchewan Party government to cut the gas tax and the provincial sales tax on children’s clothing and some grocery items.

Beck’s NDP is Saskatchewan’s largest Opposition in nearly two decades after sweeping Regina and winning all but one seat in Saskatoon.

The Saskatchewan Party won 34 seats, retaining its hold on all of the rural ridings and smaller cities.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

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Telus prioritizing ‘most important customers,’ avoiding ‘unprofitable’ offers: CFO

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Telus Corp. says it is avoiding offering “unprofitable” discounts as fierce competition in the Canadian telecommunications sector shows no sign of slowing down.

The company said Friday it had fewer net new customers during its third quarter compared with the same time last year, as it copes with increasingly “aggressive marketing and promotional pricing” that is prompting more customers to switch providers.

Telus said it added 347,000 net new customers, down around 14.5 per cent compared with last year. The figure includes 130,000 mobile phone subscribers and 34,000 internet customers, down 30,000 and 3,000, respectively, year-over-year.

The company reported its mobile phone churn rate — a metric measuring subscribers who cancelled their services — was 1.09 per cent in the third quarter, up from 1.03 per cent in the third quarter of 2023. That included a postpaid mobile phone churn rate of 0.90 per cent in its latest quarter.

Telus said its focus is on customer retention through its “industry-leading service and network quality, along with successful promotions and bundled offerings.”

“The customers we have are the most important customers we can get,” said chief financial officer Doug French in an interview.

“We’ve, again, just continued to focus on what matters most to our customers, from a product and customer service perspective, while not loading unprofitable customers.”

Meanwhile, Telus reported its net income attributable to common shares more than doubled during its third quarter.

The telecommunications company said it earned $280 million, up 105.9 per cent from the same three-month period in 2023. Earnings per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 was 19 cents compared with nine cents a year earlier.

It reported adjusted net income was $413 million, up 10.7 per cent year-over-year from $373 million in the same quarter last year. Operating revenue and other income for the quarter was $5.1 billion, up 1.8 per cent from the previous year.

Mobile phone average revenue per user was $58.85 in the third quarter, a decrease of $2.09 or 3.4 per cent from a year ago. Telus said the drop was attributable to customers signing up for base rate plans with lower prices, along with a decline in overage and roaming revenues.

It said customers are increasingly adopting unlimited data and Canada-U.S. plans which provide higher and more stable ARPU on a monthly basis.

“In a tough operating environment and relative to peers, we view Q3 results that were in line to slightly better than forecast as the best of the bunch,” said RBC analyst Drew McReynolds in a note.

Scotiabank analyst Maher Yaghi added that “the telecom industry in Canada remains very challenging for all players, however, Telus has been able to face these pressures” and still deliver growth.

The Big 3 telecom providers — which also include Rogers Communications Inc. and BCE Inc. — have frequently stressed that the market has grown more competitive in recent years, especially after the closing of Quebecor Inc.’s purchase of Freedom Mobile in April 2023.

Hailed as a fourth national carrier, Quebecor has invested in enhancements to Freedom’s network while offering more affordable plans as part of a set of commitments it was mandated by Ottawa to agree to.

The cost of telephone services in September was down eight per cent compared with a year earlier, according to Statistics Canada’s most recent inflation report last month.

“I think competition has been and continues to be, I’d say, quite intense in Canada, and we’ve obviously had to just manage our business the way we see fit,” said French.

Asked how long that environment could last, he said that’s out of Telus’ hands.

“What I can control, though, is how we go to market and how we lead with our products,” he said.

“I think the conditions within the market will have to adjust accordingly over time. We’ve continued to focus on digitization, continued to bring our cost structure down to compete, irrespective of the price and the current market conditions.”

Still, Canada’s telecom regulator continues to warn providers about customers facing more charges on their cellphone and internet bills.

On Tuesday, CRTC vice-president of consumer, analytics and strategy Scott Hutton called on providers to ensure they clearly inform their customers of charges such as early cancellation fees.

That followed statements from the regulator in recent weeks cautioning against rising international roaming fees and “surprise” price increases being found on their bills.

Hutton said the CRTC plans to launch public consultations in the coming weeks that will focus “on ensuring that information is clear and consistent, making it easier to compare offers and switch services or providers.”

“The CRTC is concerned with recent trends, which suggest that Canadians may not be benefiting from the full protections of our codes,” he said.

“We will continue to monitor developments and will take further action if our codes are not being followed.”

French said any initiative to boost transparency is a step in the right direction.

“I can’t say we are perfect across the board, but what I can say is we are absolutely taking it under consideration and trying to be the best at communicating with our customers,” he said.

“I think everyone looking in the mirror would say there’s room for improvement.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

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Canada Post to launch chequing and savings account with Koho

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Two years after the failed launch of a lending program, Canada Post is making another foray into banking services.

The postal service confirmed Friday that it will be offering a chequing and savings account in partnership with Koho Financial Inc.

The accounts will be launched nationally next year, though Canada Post employees will be offered early access as the product is tested.

Canada Post spokeswoman Lisa Liu said in a statement that there are gaps in the banking and savings products available that the Crown corporation looks to fill.

“Canada Post is uniquely positioned to fill some of these demands. Many of our existing financial products help meet the needs of new Canadians and those living in rural, remote and Indigenous communities, but we believe more is required.”

The MyMoney offering will be a spending and savings account where customers will be able to choose between features like high interest rates, cashback rewards and credit-building tools.

A document briefly posted to the Canadian Union of Postal Workers website said it would use a prepaid, reloadable Mastercard that will use money from the account like a debit card but offer the features of a Mastercard.

It said there will be a range of account tiers, including no-fee accounts and paid accounts with more features.

The plans comes after Canada Post launched a lending program with TD Bank Group in late 2022, only to shut it down weeks later because of what it said were processing issues.

Liu said the postal service has since been exploring other possible financial service offerings.

“Utilizing what we’ve learned, we are making a strategic shift from loans toward products more aligned with our core financial service products.”

The new account will be delivered with financial technology company Koho. A few months ago the company paired with Canada Post to allow its customers to deposit cash into their account through post offices.

Koho is also working to secure a Canadian banking license to expand its services.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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