John Buchanan who served as the Head Coach of the Australian cricket team to begins the series “The Coaches Coach”.Appointed in October 1999, Buchanan helped steer the team to unprecedented success.At one stage his record was 15 wins from 15 games played as Head Coach.
Sport played at the top level, whether professional or amateur, is a cauldron of scrutiny from media, fans, sponsors, selectors and peers. Each contest is measured and viewed on publicly displayed scoreboards. Every day, athletes are tested for their match day readiness. And sport is about winning or losing – that is the game.
Sitting in behind the highs and lows of individuals or teams is the coach. Striving to win the silverware, yet mindful of not driving a culture of ‘win at all costs’. Knowing as their athlete or team walks onto the playing arena, the coach has little control or influence and knowing their career is often tenuous at best.
Sport is a wonderful teaching and learning medium for leadership, how to create a peak performance culture, dealing with egos, taking teams and people from good to great, data analysis and performance measurement, and more.
However, it is not enough to ‘sit inside the dressing rooms’. It is essential to be expertly guided through all the interactions that happen in sport and which provide a multitude of lessons on leadership and coaching.