I have been working with some brilliant postgraduates in their first or second job developing sport – so what should we be working on – what is going to help create the behaviour change we are after as a nation?
It’s quite difficult to know where to start, these are young people, passionate about their sport, about the change it has made to their lives, all at a high standard of competition, living and breathing their sport. They tell me about how wonderful it has been whilst also briefing me on all the things they missed, birthdays, parties, family events, holidays and sometimes just life.
How are they going to make a difference? How will they inspire others? Their stories are so far away from the people who haven’t decided to take up anything yet.
These young officers of sport are everything good about the game, the best it has to offer and yet it strikes me that their understanding of the rest of the nation who take part now and again is limited. What do we need to do, to ensure we can walk in the shoes of those we want to get involved for their health, their confidence, and their contribution? This isn’t coaching knowledge or even organisational skills; these might help but aren’t the main event.
I’m going to start with empowering. How can we empower the people we are working with, not do to them? How can my sports officers empower local clubs, organisations, and the village population to become involved? Let’s learn their motives, find out what they’re after and help them source the answers.
Secondly – collaboration. Between the people who we want to become involved, the local businesses, clubs, and village halls. The local people, the teachers, the local influencers. Let’s work with them to lead the change they are after.
Finally, trust and transparency – help with set up, be honest, do what you say. Keep going with the empowering.
These feel like the right skills to make a difference and help create change. A little fast-tracking of important leadership skills at an early stage to set these excellent officers on the right pathway. It feels different from my route of coaching levels and competition and roadshows.
I wish I had known this earlier.
Senior Consultant
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