36% of parents undermine their kids sport participation. More than one in three parents undermines their kids sport participation. Most do this unwittingly, despite having best intentions. A school sport study1 showed that 70% of the 40 million kids who start playing sport at school quit by the age of 13. The two main reasons: coaches …
Parents Unwittingly Undermine Kids Sport Participation Read More »
Last week, a talented and dedicated young athlete gave up on a rising career. He did so despite loving the sport, and having invested years of time, effort and discipline into it. The reason? He eventually had enough of his coach and trainer bullying, abusing, criticising and belittling him. When he spoke up, they said …
Fitness in cricket is a bit like how you dress in a corporate environment. It is secondary to performance, but it plays a supporting act. Recently, captain Dane van Niekerk was dropped from the South African women’s cricket team (Proteas) for failing a 2km running test by 18 seconds. A year ago, batsman Lizelle Lee …
Change can be easy. Much is written about change. Become fitter. Lose weight. Gain weight. Find a better job. Improve things in your relationships. Reduce stress. Get outdoors more. Start that new hobby. We all want our lives to be even better, but we’ve been told that change is difficult. That it requires discipline, determination and commitment. We need to …
A story from that scary intersection where a series of mistakes, a consequential oversight, and an unexpected turn of events collide. My mate Guy and I set out from Simonstown to test a 3.8m Inflatable boat with a 30 hp engine. It was a 15-year-old rig which he had very recently bought. There was a …
Being an outlier can be difficult. It can work for you, or against you. An outlier is defined as someone who is ‘situated away or detached from the main body or system’. Yesterday they died. Today, fitting-in can kill. The difficulty stems back to when our ancestors lived in caves under the survival threats of …
There are similarities in and differences between CEO’s and coach’s roles, some of which translate to the lessons each can learn from the other. Delivering results In general, CEOs have more opportunity to actively or directly deliver results through taking action and making decisions. Coaches do not take to the field and thus cannot actively …
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In sport, coaches and coaching have been around for ages, probably for a century or more. In contrast, coaching in business has been around for only two decades. In this short space of time, over 70% of managers in the Fortune 50 companies are now benefiting from this new coaching, as the profession has risen to become the second fastest growing profession in the world.
A colleague recently did a really good job in helping me with some difficulties around a particular project we were both involved in. His efforts meant that things eventually worked out well for both of us. It left me with a feeling of gratitude and connectedness. With these warm feelings informing my words, I sent him a sincere message of thanks. His reply was a brief, ‘no worries bud’.
All of us have given up on a project, bailed on a relationship, quit something that was not working. I’m all for not flogging a dead horse, but something happened last evening that got me thinking about this a bit more. After a few very cold and rainy Cape Town winter days, the clouds parted and the sun popped it’s head out, offering me a small gap to run a Hout Bay mountain trail.
During three previous professional assignments, I found myself being highly frustrated as I tried, woefully unsuccessfully, to manage a uniquely destructive individual. Each was highly successful, well respected in their field and admired by many (except the few who worked closely with them). They were also uniquely manipulative and destructive. Eventually the environment around them became untenable, soul destroying and often impossible for others to survive in.
Rajasthan Royals beat Chennai Super Kings two days ago to progress to their first ever Champions League T20 cricket final, scheduled for tonight. On that same semi-final night the Royals demonstrated something quite extraordinary, something that had me unexpectedly choked up with emotion when I spoke about it at the following day’s team meeting.
When I addressed the Indian cricket team for the first time (in 2008), I started by explaining that I did not see them as ‘cricketers’, but as human beings, each with many facets. Being a talented cricketer is only a part of who they are. They may also be someone’s brother, son, friend, parent or partner, and each is a unique emotional, intellectual and spiritual being. I reminded them that they were born with their talent, call it God-given, which is not an achievement but a blessing. The achievement comes when they tirelessly study, train and practice to develop that talent.
Eighty percent of people who voluntarily resign from their jobs cite their manager as one of the main reasons for doing so. They move on in search of a more attractive opportunity or better working environment. Professional cricketers are selected into their position and thus are not so lucky if they have a lousy ‘boss’, they can’t leave and go to another team. Conversely, most people who are happy in their team or workplace are likely to have a coach, captain or boss they respect and who is a likeable person. After all, the leader sets the tone for most performance environments.
Cliff Young is hardly known outside of Australia. His remarkable story is worth knowing. All of Australia thought he was a crazy old man to undertake an almost impossible feat. Most feared that he would die trying.
