sent by Nick Grantham | 3rd August 2021
Pretty much every professional team I've worked with has had a fines system. It's a very traditional approach that attempts to change behaviour. I'm not a fan. I don't think it works. For example, I don't think slapping a fine on a player for turning up to training late will do anything for their timekeeping. In the best-case scenario, the player pays the penalty and doesn't give it a second thought until the next time they're late. Nothing changes. Worst case, they avoid turning up altogether. You now have no chance of changing their behaviour. A player will improve their timekeeping if they understand why being on time for a session is essential. They will only understand the importance if you take the time to have a conversation with them. If the athletes trust and respect you as a coach and know why they need to be on time, they'll be far more likely to change their behaviour. Stop dishing out fines, start building trust and have a conversation.
Source: 3-2-1 Newsletter by James Clear
I heard this last week on my way home from work. It's reminded me of the fantastic book by Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle Is The Way, which I suspect is why I liked it. When the road bends, you don't try and fight it; you lean in and make it work for you. When Charlotte Worthington crashed out during her first run in the Olympic BMX freestyle finals, she got back on and repeated the trick (and nailed it) in her second run, which was probably a huge factor in her gold medal-winning score. What did you do the last time you crashed, or the road got a little twisty?
Source: Kermode & Mayo's Film Review Radio 5 Live- Mark Kermode
When budgets are tight, you often see heads of departments trying to get as much for their limited budget as possible, but they tend to sacrifice quality for quantity. For example, we need a full-time member of staff. The problem is that the budget only allows for a bang-average member of staff who will inevitably do a bang-average job! An alternative approach is to use the same limited budget to appoint a high-quality consultant for 2-days a week. Sure, they won't be on-site all week, but they will more than make up for it in what they bring to the team on the 2-days they are working. So sometimes, having less actually gets you more.
Source: Dr Mark Gillett
Eddie Jones wouldn't need to take part in the TV show Undercover Boss. Eddie likes to spend a significant amount of his time leading his team directly from the floor from the sound of this keynote presentation. He's not sitting alone in a corner office for days on end. Instead, he puts himself in the mix to better understand what is needed to lead his team to the next level of performance.
Source: Leadership & Culture, Performance | Jul 26, 2021 Leaders Meet: High Performance Environments - Key Takeaways from St. George's Park - Eddie Jones
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