|
SOME FACTS ABOUT FOOTBALL MANAGEMENT
- Half of first time managers never manage again.
- 100 professional football coaches were sacked in 2010.
- Relegation from the Premiership cost £50m in 2009.
- The average tenure of a:
- Championship Manager is 1.29 years
- League 1 Manager is 1.66 years
- League 2 Manager is 1.68 years.
What's clear is that being a fully qualified sports coach does not guarantee success as a Leader.
SO, WHO BENEFITS
FROM MENTORING?
There are two clear beneficiaries from Leadership Mentoring:
- The team or club;
- The individual.
We know that the perfect leader has yet to be invented. Team captains are often selected because of their individual skill while managers and coaches can be selected because of their skill as a player or ability as coach rather than their leadership skills.
WHAT DOES SPORTS LEADERSHIP COVER
A common belief among sports men and women is that sports leadership is coaching. While coaching is leadership, we believe that leadership is much more than just coaching.
Team Captains have to direct, re-direct, make decisions, read the game, inspire, set standards and deliver their own performance. The demands of this role have often caused world class performers, such as Andrew Flintoff, to stutter and fail, but have also caused numbers to flourish and deliver well beyond the levels of expectation others had in them.
Team Managers/Head Coaches have all of the coaching responsiblity. In addition they must identify the vision and the path to that vision, recruit players, build teams, motivate, inspire and develop, communicate strategies, make long term and immediate decisions, and set the standards.
HOW CAN LEADERSHIP MENTORING HELP
Leadership mentoring can occur with individuals or to groups. Within sport, leadership mentors can work with players, coaches or managers to develop startegies and skills to improve their leadership and deliver their sporting expertise.
Mentoring can be tailored to strengthen weaker areas, build on strong areas and open up new skills which will be needed to move to the next level. In doing so the mentor can coach the leader in new or refined skills, challenge thinking and mindsets, spot opportunities and provide independent support.
Face to face mentoring is the best way, but once a relationship has been established it can occur through any of the multiple communication means now available, ensuring that the mentor is always available to provide support when needed. |
