As legendary coach Joe Gibbs said, “You don’t win with X’s and O’s. What you win with is people.”
This isn’t feel-good talk. It reflects the latest research presented at the 2015 World Class Performance Conference in London which found there are considerable differences between the super-elite and high-performing athletes. The most significant difference was the quality of the Coach–athlete relationships.
At the other end of the sporting spectrum, this research is consistent with studies on why children quit sport, where the quality of the Coach-athlete relationship plays a big part.
The best Coaches, at any level, develop quality relationships. The best Coach Development Programs prioritize this in their curriculum too.
Coaches are constantly told that having a well-defined Coaching Philosophy is a critical component of a successful career. But, it can be a challenge to develop on their own and it takes time to evolve. This is another must-have of the best Coach Development Programs.
Leadership underpins every great sporting success story and leaves a gaping hole when it’s lacking. Consider all the best teams you know, and you’ll find that strong leadership is always used to describe their winning edge.
A big gap still exists when we look at the research. A coaching study found that 98% of Coaches believe an effective team captain positively impacts the win-loss record, yet only 27% of Coaches do any form of formal leadership development.
Leadership development is a consistent ingredient of the top teams, no exceptions. Helping Coaches teach leadership is another consistent ingredient of the top Coach Development Programs.
The ultimate differentiator among the top teams is their Coach’s ability to know how to bring out the team’s best with their unique combination of athletes. These Coaches acutely respect that developing a winning team culture is a process requiring deliberate planning and focused execution.
Often Coach Development Programs have a strong focus on the technical and physical aspects of the sport, at the expense of this vital component. But as legendary Coach Lou Holtz said,
The very best Coach Development Programs include this critical content.
To perform at your best, you must be at your best. The cornerstone of being your best is self-awareness, encompassing knowledge of your strengths, limitations and how your behaviors create your results.
Self-awareness is also a prerequisite for developing stronger emotional intelligence, effective communication, interpersonal relationships, and developing empathy and understanding for others.
At Athlete Assessments, we’re here to provide you with excellence in service and to help you be your best. If there is anything we can assist you with, please Contact Us.
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One of the benefits of working with many different sporting teams each year is the insight we gain in what really makes the difference for sustained success.
We share our fundamental performance philosophies and some of the key models we use to achieve success – think of it as the how-to on performance.
Bo Hanson’s career within the sport and the business sector spans over 25 years, delivering leadership, management, and coach development. In addition to his own athletic career comprising of four Olympic appearances and including three Olympic medals, Bo has worked for many years with coaches and athletes from over 40 different sports across the globe. Bo was also the winner of the Australian Institute of Training and Development (AITD) 2023 Award for L&D Professional of the Year, for his dedication to L&D and transformational work across various industries.
After a successful career in sport including four Olympics and three Olympic Medals, Bo co-founded and developed Athlete Assessments in 2007. Bo now focuses on working with clients to achieve their own success on and off ‘the field’, and has attained an unmatched track-record in doing exactly this.