The Opportunity

While we all understand the value of clear plans, roles, systems and accountabilities, the most important asset an organisation has is staff.

It seems appropriate the people in charge of the Vision and Directions of the Sport are also the people in charge of the entire training of the staff who achieve the Vision.

Therefore the training of the Sports Managers – coaching the managers who coach the staff – must be Top Priority.

The History

The history of Sporting Management in New Zealand is largely volunteer based.

Now Professionalism has hit the Industry, the leadership of sport must be able to lead and manage sport successfully despite all the challenges ahead.

In the past the players while mainly amateurs have been more professional than the administration. Generally the two groups did not get on and despite itself sport did well.

Now if the product (sport) is to flourish the two must work together. "The Players" are advancing very quickly and so must administration.

The Future

Sports Administration will become more and more like the sports teams they administer.

In sport the Head Coach is constantly working with their team of next level coaches planning, communicating, empowering, developing, focusing and generally getting the best out of the separate coaches directly responsible to him or her.

Therefore the Head Coach also controls such things as offence, defence, kicking, training, strength, speed, medical, mental, media/PR and so on.

Sporting Coaches introduce new skills, formulate drills or systems to ensure the skills are understood and practised.

The performance strategies are planned, communicated then monitored and are added after the skills have been practised.

This process occurs at all sporting practices each day, each week of the year.

So should it be for the Management of Sport

Perhaps CEO/ED’s/Managers SHOULD be Administration COACHES not Managers.

The success of all organisations will depend on the skills (therefore performance) of the employees directly in contact with the consumer/clients.

Their performance will be influenced by the performance of their managers.

Therefore the CEO/ED should lead the training, support and monitor the Managers with the Managers training, supporting and monitoring the staff. This will provide the best possible process for an Organisation to achieve its potential.

This commitment/attitude encourages the Inverted Pyramid structure for the Organisation and places the customers at the top in the position of most importance. The people in your organisation who have most contact with the customers, the next most important and so on.

The CEO/ED oversees in the background.

This role is the same as that of a sports coach.

The Proposal

This proposal is about training Management so they can coach their staff.

SMT is proposing to Train and Support Senior Management through courses using sports coaching techniques and philosophies, then being available for additional advice/support and training when required.

Summary

The additional advice could be by e-mail, phone or fax and where possible would be instant and directed through the CEO/ED.

The training revolves around basic skills required by all successful sports coaches but would be delivered from the position of SMT knowing how to adapt coaching techniques to make sporting administration successful.

Benefits to the Organisation