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https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/league/121751457/why-sacking-the-coach-isnt-always-the-solution
(By Phil Gould)
OPINION: The head coach of any NRL team has a big influence on the attitude, personality, character, development, professionalism and resilience of the team. Ultimately, these factors will contribute to the team’s winning record.
The head coach is very important. That’s why they get the big bucks.
However, the head coach is only part of your organisation. He is not the whole of the organisation. He doesn’t own all of the results, good or bad.
Obviously, he needs to execute his role well, but so does everyone else in the club.
If the club is providing the coach with every resource required for success, then the leadership of the club is within its rights to demand success. If the coach is not contributing to the desired culture, results and success of the club, or you feel the coach is bluffing his way through proceedings and delivering a list of excuses that just don’t ring true, and you believe you are giving the coach every resource he possibly needs to be successful, then the club is quite entitled to remove the coach and appoint someone who they believe can do a better job.
If, however, the club is unable, for any reason, to provide the coach with the required level of support and resources he and the players need to produce optimum performance, then the club should first look at itself before deflecting blame onto coaches and/or players.
It is, therefore, down to the experience and expertise of the decision-makers at a club to understand whether the resources and support they have provided to the players are commensurate with the level of success being achieved. This will require, first of all, a knowledge of what it actually takes to run a successful football club and a successful team, plus an understanding of where your club stands when compared to the level of resources and support provided by your competitors to their respective coaches and players.
In simple terms, you need to be experienced, educated and honest enough to know when finishing 10th is actually a good result, or finishing fourth just wasn’t good enough.
It takes an experienced leader to understand whether the results you are achieving are deserved or undeserved. You need to be able to recognise mitigating circumstances beyond your control that could adversely affect results.
Understanding the true quality, depth, talent and experience of your playing roster is also crucial. Understanding where your roster rates when compared to other player rosters. There are realities here that need to be observed.
A term we often hear in sporting circles these days is that the coach has "lost the dressing room". What does that mean?
It means that the players themselves have sat in judgment of the coach and decided that they can’t, or won’t, play for him. Or that they can’t, or won’t, win for him.
In other words, players explain away their own poor performances as being more reflective of the ability of the coach than the ability of the players.
If players were giving 100 per cent of themselves 100 per cent of the time, they would be entitled to sit in judgment of a coach who is giving them less than what they need.
If the player is committed to making himself fitter, stronger, faster, more skilful and more knowledgeable, then I guess that player is entitled to hold his coach to the same standards.
However, it’s up to the leadership of the club to decipher whether the utterings of disgruntled players truly deserve to be heard. Many times the underperforming and uncaring player has contributed to the demise of a head coach.
An experienced leader should also be able to read the landscape ahead. Where is our club on the curve that reflects the roller-coaster ride of success and failure in the future? Can you look past the disappointments of the present to see the potential for blue skies ahead? Or are you able to recognise that a current streak of good fortune on the scoreboard is only papering over deeply embedded cracks that will eventually bring your club down?
Unfortunately, history shows us that many of the decision-makers at club level over the years have been more influenced by the level of criticism or praise they receive in the mainstream media, social media and fan forums. Self-interest is a killer. Too many decisions are made by way of knee-jerk reactions, or emotional responses to wins and losses. Too many decisions are made in search of quick-fix solutions. Way too often, an impatience or lack of personal resilience to criticism and pressure is a major influence on crucial decisions.
The success of any organisation begins with leadership. As Jack Gibson once said, “Winning starts in the front office.”
For me, the basics of success are leadership, communication, relationship building, motivation, teamwork and honesty in self-appraisal.
Establishing the DNA of your organisation. Recognising what it truly is, or should be. Building it. Respecting it. Nurturing it. Then future-proofing it. Developing tomorrow’s champions with your club’s DNA embedded in them.
It’s the leadership of the club that provides the environment where the other basics of success are respected and nurtured.
The quality of communication in an organisation is crucial to building relationships based on honesty and trust. Relationship building is such an important part of the foundations that make your club resilient.
Motivation that is real and understood. Motivation that is regularly monitored and discussed. Motivation is the reason why we do the things we do.
Understanding the mechanics of building a team. Understanding the importance of teamwork. Understanding the power of the team that helps individuals perform at their absolute best because they are part of the team. Respecting and acknowledging every member of your organisation for the role that they play, no matter how big or small that role may be.
Honesty in self-appraisal is about being accountable and taking ownership of your own performance. Regularly auditing your performance. Attention to detail. Not cutting corners. Not making excuses. Making contributions to the program and seeking feedback. Helping others, because when they do their job well, it will help you do your job better.
Not hiding within the team, within the club, within the structures. Not riding through on the performances of your buddies. Recognising, recruiting and rewarding good people. Accepting setbacks and losses as part of the process towards success. Learning from failure to build knowledge, resilience and a better way of doing things. Never getting beaten the same way twice.
Now, if the leadership of any football club can provide an environment where all of the above is being respected; if the leadership of the club understands what is needed for real and sustainable success, and is providing these resources to the head coach and players of the day, then the leaders of a club are entitled to expect, in fact demand, great results.
When your fans look at your jersey and your club logo, what do they feel? What do they believe? What do they expect?
What are the words that people use to describe your club right now? What are the words you would like them to use? The things you want people to feel, believe, expect and say about your club will only happen if that’s the way you present your club, every day.
Now, before a club sacks a coach, they must first be honest enough to admit whether they themselves have contributed to the team’s struggles.
If the club is failing in the manner in which it delivers a clarity of its purpose, its duty of care to all coaches, players and staff; its provision of resources, or the education and development of its people, then the club should first be getting its own house in order, before delivering the coach's head on a stick to the wild-eyed fans and media.
When the club has done everything possible to assist the coach and players to be the best they can be, and they are convinced the results being achieved are less than what they and their fans deserve, and that these results are being negatively influenced by the efforts or expertise of the head coach, then they are entitled to make the cut and bring in someone more deserving of the role.
Until then, harden up, stick together and never give up.
(By Phil Gould)
OPINION: The head coach of any NRL team has a big influence on the attitude, personality, character, development, professionalism and resilience of the team. Ultimately, these factors will contribute to the team’s winning record.
The head coach is very important. That’s why they get the big bucks.
However, the head coach is only part of your organisation. He is not the whole of the organisation. He doesn’t own all of the results, good or bad.
Obviously, he needs to execute his role well, but so does everyone else in the club.
If the club is providing the coach with every resource required for success, then the leadership of the club is within its rights to demand success. If the coach is not contributing to the desired culture, results and success of the club, or you feel the coach is bluffing his way through proceedings and delivering a list of excuses that just don’t ring true, and you believe you are giving the coach every resource he possibly needs to be successful, then the club is quite entitled to remove the coach and appoint someone who they believe can do a better job.
If, however, the club is unable, for any reason, to provide the coach with the required level of support and resources he and the players need to produce optimum performance, then the club should first look at itself before deflecting blame onto coaches and/or players.
It is, therefore, down to the experience and expertise of the decision-makers at a club to understand whether the resources and support they have provided to the players are commensurate with the level of success being achieved. This will require, first of all, a knowledge of what it actually takes to run a successful football club and a successful team, plus an understanding of where your club stands when compared to the level of resources and support provided by your competitors to their respective coaches and players.
In simple terms, you need to be experienced, educated and honest enough to know when finishing 10th is actually a good result, or finishing fourth just wasn’t good enough.
It takes an experienced leader to understand whether the results you are achieving are deserved or undeserved. You need to be able to recognise mitigating circumstances beyond your control that could adversely affect results.
Understanding the true quality, depth, talent and experience of your playing roster is also crucial. Understanding where your roster rates when compared to other player rosters. There are realities here that need to be observed.
A term we often hear in sporting circles these days is that the coach has "lost the dressing room". What does that mean?
It means that the players themselves have sat in judgment of the coach and decided that they can’t, or won’t, play for him. Or that they can’t, or won’t, win for him.
In other words, players explain away their own poor performances as being more reflective of the ability of the coach than the ability of the players.
If players were giving 100 per cent of themselves 100 per cent of the time, they would be entitled to sit in judgment of a coach who is giving them less than what they need.
If the player is committed to making himself fitter, stronger, faster, more skilful and more knowledgeable, then I guess that player is entitled to hold his coach to the same standards.
However, it’s up to the leadership of the club to decipher whether the utterings of disgruntled players truly deserve to be heard. Many times the underperforming and uncaring player has contributed to the demise of a head coach.
An experienced leader should also be able to read the landscape ahead. Where is our club on the curve that reflects the roller-coaster ride of success and failure in the future? Can you look past the disappointments of the present to see the potential for blue skies ahead? Or are you able to recognise that a current streak of good fortune on the scoreboard is only papering over deeply embedded cracks that will eventually bring your club down?
Unfortunately, history shows us that many of the decision-makers at club level over the years have been more influenced by the level of criticism or praise they receive in the mainstream media, social media and fan forums. Self-interest is a killer. Too many decisions are made by way of knee-jerk reactions, or emotional responses to wins and losses. Too many decisions are made in search of quick-fix solutions. Way too often, an impatience or lack of personal resilience to criticism and pressure is a major influence on crucial decisions.
The success of any organisation begins with leadership. As Jack Gibson once said, “Winning starts in the front office.”
For me, the basics of success are leadership, communication, relationship building, motivation, teamwork and honesty in self-appraisal.
Establishing the DNA of your organisation. Recognising what it truly is, or should be. Building it. Respecting it. Nurturing it. Then future-proofing it. Developing tomorrow’s champions with your club’s DNA embedded in them.
It’s the leadership of the club that provides the environment where the other basics of success are respected and nurtured.
The quality of communication in an organisation is crucial to building relationships based on honesty and trust. Relationship building is such an important part of the foundations that make your club resilient.
Motivation that is real and understood. Motivation that is regularly monitored and discussed. Motivation is the reason why we do the things we do.
Understanding the mechanics of building a team. Understanding the importance of teamwork. Understanding the power of the team that helps individuals perform at their absolute best because they are part of the team. Respecting and acknowledging every member of your organisation for the role that they play, no matter how big or small that role may be.
Honesty in self-appraisal is about being accountable and taking ownership of your own performance. Regularly auditing your performance. Attention to detail. Not cutting corners. Not making excuses. Making contributions to the program and seeking feedback. Helping others, because when they do their job well, it will help you do your job better.
Not hiding within the team, within the club, within the structures. Not riding through on the performances of your buddies. Recognising, recruiting and rewarding good people. Accepting setbacks and losses as part of the process towards success. Learning from failure to build knowledge, resilience and a better way of doing things. Never getting beaten the same way twice.
Now, if the leadership of any football club can provide an environment where all of the above is being respected; if the leadership of the club understands what is needed for real and sustainable success, and is providing these resources to the head coach and players of the day, then the leaders of a club are entitled to expect, in fact demand, great results.
When your fans look at your jersey and your club logo, what do they feel? What do they believe? What do they expect?
What are the words that people use to describe your club right now? What are the words you would like them to use? The things you want people to feel, believe, expect and say about your club will only happen if that’s the way you present your club, every day.
Now, before a club sacks a coach, they must first be honest enough to admit whether they themselves have contributed to the team’s struggles.
If the club is failing in the manner in which it delivers a clarity of its purpose, its duty of care to all coaches, players and staff; its provision of resources, or the education and development of its people, then the club should first be getting its own house in order, before delivering the coach's head on a stick to the wild-eyed fans and media.
When the club has done everything possible to assist the coach and players to be the best they can be, and they are convinced the results being achieved are less than what they and their fans deserve, and that these results are being negatively influenced by the efforts or expertise of the head coach, then they are entitled to make the cut and bring in someone more deserving of the role.
Until then, harden up, stick together and never give up.
