About The Book

The saying "know your players” means “know the person too” and encapsulates the importance of understanding not just the skills and abilities of individuals in a team, but also their personalities and what inspires and motivates them. This concept is particularly relevant in team sports, where a coach's ability to relate to their players can significantly impact performance and cohesion within the group. When coaches take the time to understand their players on a deeper level, they create an environment where individuals feel valued, appreciated and understood, which tends to translate into improved teamwork and better performance results.
Unlike traditional coaching styles that tend to focus solely on external rewards such as trophies, wins and statistics, intrinsic coaching encourages athletes to find fulfillment and purpose within themselves and provides them with important life lessons that can be applied outside of the athletic arena. Intrinsic coaching encourages self-reflection, prompting athletes to consider what motivates and inspires them and what areas they need to improve. Ultimately, the intrinsic coach and the general message in this book promotes not just success in sports, but success in all aspects of your life, making it an essential approach for any aspiring athlete.

“Thank you, Tom, for this really good book review... Tom writes: Having spent the better part of my career in education and leadership, and more recently researching relationship-oriented leadership through my doctoral work, I found The Intrinsic Coach to be about much more than coaching athletes. It is a compelling reminder that leadership is ultimately about people. What resonated with me most was Gord MacFarlane's unwavering conviction that people must always come before performance. In a culture that often measures success by statistics, championships, profits, or outcomes, The Intrinsic Coach redirects our attention to what truly sustains high performance, character, relationships, purpose, and intrinsic motivation. Ironically, by placing people first, performance often follows. Throughout my doctoral research, I discovered that the most transformational leaders are those who invest deeply in relationships, cultivate trust, and genuinely know the people they lead. Gord articulates this beautifully through his "People First, Athlete Second" philosophy. His message aligns closely with what both leadership research and experience continue to demonstrate: people flourish when they feel known, valued, and understood. I also appreciated the emphasis on developing the whole person rather than simply improving performance. Whether in a classroom, boardroom, locker room, or workplace, sustainable excellence grows from within. External rewards may produce short-term results, but intrinsic purpose, healthy relationships, and strong character create lasting influence. One aspect I particularly enjoyed was Gord's willingness to share his own transformation as a coach. Rather than presenting himself as someone who always had the answers, he honestly describes his journey from being performance-driven to becoming people-centered. That humility makes the message both authentic and credible. Although written through the lens of athletics, this book deserves to be read by teachers, school leaders, business executives, pastors, parents, and anyone who desires to lead with greater purpose and impact. The principles are universal because people are universal. The Intrinsic Coach challenges us to rethink success. It reminds us that our greatest legacy will rarely be measured by what we accomplished, but by who we developed along the way. That is a message worth reading, reflecting upon, and living out.”

Tom Bourne PhD Principal/CEO at Calvary Christian GoaliebyGarman-Academy

Gord MacFarlane... 'Coach Gord'

Performance Mindset Coach & Human Behavior Specialist/Master Trainer

Gordon MacFarlane Coach, Trainer, Speaker... Career Elite-Athletic Coach and Business Development Coach, Certified Leadership Coach, Certified Mental Wellness Practitioner, and Professional Sales Strategist. Developing and training elite-level coaches and leaders for 35+ years. I assist athletic coaches and business leaders with the challenge of unlocking and unleashing any person's limitless potential. I deliver my training in personal 1-on-1 and specialized organizational training platforms. I help them to recognize and develop untapped skills, abilities and characteristics in their athletes and employees. I have developed a powerful and easy-to-use, 7-step, Performance Engagement Model derived from a similar and very successful 5-step model I co-developed several years ago now. I apply this new model with a 3-Point Emphasis methodology: 1. "AWARENESS" Communicate (Learn the communication keys to powerful connections that allow you to build trust and establish consistently tight synergy) 2. "EMPOWERMENT" Build Confidence (Know precisely where you need to focus to consistently instill confidence, which empowers anyone to a level of focused engagement?) 3. "APPLICATION" Perform with Confidence (Understand how to tap into and empower a person's full potential and have the unshakable belief to perform with excellence as an individual and as a teammate) I have invested myself for over 45 years, gaining personal and vocational experience in multiple fields, including professional sales, business, leadership development, business ownership, human behavior, emotional intelligence, and professional sports/athletics coaching. I have also studied and leveraged the collective best practices of business and athletics, combined with my own experiences to create a performance mindset platform to train from that has proven to be consistently VERY successful. I also assist coaches and leaders in strengthening and enhancing organizational cultures to reflect a high-performance mindset focused on excellence. I have coached elite-level, competitive hockey for over 40 years, Coached and mentored Leaders, and owned 8 businesses of my own. I have been married for over 40 years with 4 grown daughters who have blessed us with 10 grandchildren...so far! I am a high-energy, dynamic communicator, entrepreneur-minded, results-oriented achiever, and pragmatic problem solver. Performance Mindset Coaching is my passion, and it's what I do to help athletic coaches and executives build world-class performance results. If you want to learn my methodology to help people tap into and develop their limitless potential, I am ready to engage, empower, and train you.

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