Part of this course involves spending time in alternative environments related to your own job as well as personal areas of interest, so I thought it would be worth spending a day or two with the Chief Exec of my own organisation; the LTA.
Up until now, I had gotten the impression that being CEO meant a lot of swanning about, important meetings and opening things! That said, after looking at his schedule for the upcoming week, there were at least three evening business dinners coupled with some early breakfast meetings and a weekend stint quite some distance from home, so not the easiest diary in which to strike the work:life balance.
The weekly Leadership Team meeting was the first stop; a top line view of each department as well a chance to flag issues for concern. From a colleagues perspective, I learnt about what each head of department was responsible for (not always obvious) as well as a huge amount about the wider spectrum of the business. It would be great to listen in and contribute to that every so often as from my perspective it was nice to hear about the 'bigger picture' as well as inform those painting the bigger picture about the day to day reality.
From the meetings that followed it soon became clear that a CEO must have a lot of trust in the people they surround themselves with, as well as an adaptable management style to accommodate the various working styles of those people. Job role aside, relationships appear to be the making and breaking of an organisation; the dynamic of a team is as important within a tennis club committee or a team of coaches as it is within the executive team of a large governing body or commercial business.
The final lesson learnt was 'what next?'...challenging the status quo, testing the existing strategy, breaking a system down to see how it can be improved and doing so in a way that challenges people as well as encourages them to evolve; not a task I envy, but something that no doubt comes with experience.
'The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it' - Theodore Roosevelt
Monday, 14 November 2011
Wednesday, 12 October 2011
Saved by the bell...
Back in the classroom for the first CPD module with Northumbria University today! These CPD modules combined with a couple of coursework based projects count towards a higher education certificate/award and depending upon your existing experience, a BSc Tennis Coaching Management degree.
The topics covered in the first two day session are financial management and business planning and evaluation. I appreciate both topics sound a little dull and to an extent the content of financial management is never going to be particularly sexy, but if you relate the theory to your own business or even your own personal finances it all starts to come to life and bear relevance.
Regardless of the size of the venue you work at or the programme you manage, it is a real bonus to have this basic business knowledge. I would have really benefited from having these sorts of CPD modules when I first started as a centre manager, given I hit the ground running and had to learn on the job; sometimes, in fact most times the hard way!
In terms of entry level, my experience as a coach, manager and development manager have been credited by the University, which fast tracks me straight through to Level 6 (a full degree requires 3 years of learning Level 4, 5 and 6). This final year of academic input through the MCC course and CPD modules provides me with the theory to back up my practical experience and knowledge; and if I successfully complete the projects, an honours degree.
It is great to be learning some theory to support what I have aleady experienced. It is also reassuring to find that a university values and awards credit for your real life experience.
'Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous' - Confucius
The topics covered in the first two day session are financial management and business planning and evaluation. I appreciate both topics sound a little dull and to an extent the content of financial management is never going to be particularly sexy, but if you relate the theory to your own business or even your own personal finances it all starts to come to life and bear relevance.
Regardless of the size of the venue you work at or the programme you manage, it is a real bonus to have this basic business knowledge. I would have really benefited from having these sorts of CPD modules when I first started as a centre manager, given I hit the ground running and had to learn on the job; sometimes, in fact most times the hard way!
In terms of entry level, my experience as a coach, manager and development manager have been credited by the University, which fast tracks me straight through to Level 6 (a full degree requires 3 years of learning Level 4, 5 and 6). This final year of academic input through the MCC course and CPD modules provides me with the theory to back up my practical experience and knowledge; and if I successfully complete the projects, an honours degree.
It is great to be learning some theory to support what I have aleady experienced. It is also reassuring to find that a university values and awards credit for your real life experience.
'Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous' - Confucius
Friday, 16 September 2011
Back on court...
Funny how you get used to focussing your attention on your own game when you are not coaching, so going back to focussing on the person the other side of the net was the first challenge!! I had already done this in a previous life from young player to coach, now I need to do it again!
We covered a little bit on communication on court today, with a view of encouraging competence and autonomy from the player. After spending quite some time in primarily off court roles, it was certainly nice to get back on the court and start coaching again. Whilst the terminology has changed, the basic coaching principles have remained the same and if anything, what I have learned off the court from managing coaches, committee members and volunteers has helped me to develop my people skills and communication skills in a variety of ways.
On reflection, I am now a lot more competent at reading people, understanding their motivations and getting the best out of them; something that I can take back on the court in a coaching capacity. So...time to put the hours in and put my newly learned theories into practice - anyone for tennis?
To further support our learning, part of our course involves some external placements; some within a performance tennis environment and others within other sporting bodies and even non sporting businesses related to our own interests and learning areas. Tennis Australia in the New Year sounds appealing, but may need to read more about what expenses I can and can’t claim before booking the flights!!!
We covered a little bit on communication on court today, with a view of encouraging competence and autonomy from the player. After spending quite some time in primarily off court roles, it was certainly nice to get back on the court and start coaching again. Whilst the terminology has changed, the basic coaching principles have remained the same and if anything, what I have learned off the court from managing coaches, committee members and volunteers has helped me to develop my people skills and communication skills in a variety of ways.
On reflection, I am now a lot more competent at reading people, understanding their motivations and getting the best out of them; something that I can take back on the court in a coaching capacity. So...time to put the hours in and put my newly learned theories into practice - anyone for tennis?
To further support our learning, part of our course involves some external placements; some within a performance tennis environment and others within other sporting bodies and even non sporting businesses related to our own interests and learning areas. Tennis Australia in the New Year sounds appealing, but may need to read more about what expenses I can and can’t claim before booking the flights!!!
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