ATHLETE DEVELOPMENT
PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT 101 : READING YOUR ATHLETE
BY PHIL STONEMAN M5 MANAGEMENT
I
have had the good fortune to work with the top end of both sporting and business talent , and what I have learnt is the characteristics of the superstars in the sport and corporate world are one and the same . The fragilities that often cause our athletes to suddenly doubt their abilities are also creating havoc with the best of our corporate talent . Loss of confidence , loss of motivation , loss of purpose and paralysing anxiety are common place on the sporting field , and it ’ s no different in the board room . These feelings of doubt are not mutually exclusive and the best of the best can often experience the lows more acutely than us mere mortals . When this occurs , they need the coach / boss to bring them back to their world champion form . This is easier said than done !
For the high performer , the extremes of the highs are euphoric , however the lows can be soul destroying and you only need to look at the likes of Alex Fasolo , Greg Ingles and Buddy Franklin who all have experienced mental health issues that have pushed them to the sidelines . Let me assure you that our high achieving corporates are dealing with the very same mental health issues but it just doesn ' t make our headline media stories .
The ability of the coach / boss to identify the early signs of a performance drop is critical and failure to recognise the onset of a performance slump can be mentally harmful for the individual and impact on the business or team they are representing . Ultimately this can be the difference in a game being won or sales budgets / project deadlines being met . As much as I ' m a big believer in collaborative efforts , it is often the superstar ' s performance that can be the factor between winning and losing .
So how do the best coaches and managers work their magic ? You only have to go down to the local book shop to find a mind boggling amount of literature on the theory of best practice management . I don ' t for a second believe that I have anywhere near all the answers of high performance management . In fact I ' m continually adapting my personal management style to try and keep ahead of my clients ’ needs . A baby boomer managing mostly millenniums is not without its challenges . That said , I do believe in some basic fundamentals that our most talented coaches and bosses are blessed with : trust , empathy , respect , empowerment and brutal honesty are all a prerequisite within our kit bag .
I ' ve asked four proven people managers to provide their view on high performance management .
NATALIE LOCKWOOD - HEAD OF CLIENT RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT - VISA Natalie is a senior executive with deep experience and a successful track record in developing high performance teams and leading large dispersed regional teams . She has held leadership roles with Citibank , MasterCard , Edge Asia and ASX . “ In the corporate world leadership requires more EQ than IQ . Leaders of high performing teams need to be authentic , empathetic , encouraging and most importantly , intuitive . The emotional fitness of my team is a priority to ensure individuals continue to achieve at their sustainable best and that team members have emotional and mental resilience to handle stressful , difficult and demanding times and can bounce back from set-backs or disappointments .
In order to see the early warning signs of poor performance or someone struggling , it ' s important to be a good listener and be a keen observer of human behaviour . I watch how their energy is being managed and when I see their enthusiasm , energy and attitude start to wane then I realise they are struggling . I watch how they engage with others and watch for any signs of health issues too . Open , honest and constructive conversations about these warning signs is crucial to create self-awareness and tackle issues before they become problems .”
ROSELEE JENCKE OAM - FIREBIRDS HEAD COACH Roselee was the 2016 Most Successful Coach in the ANZ Championship with a winning percentage of 72 %, she has coached the QLD Firebirds to Grand Final runners up in both 2013 and 2014 and Grand Final wins in 2015 and 2016 .
“ Relationships being open and honest communication and trust are key ingredients . Elite athletes have this capacity to push themselves further , however they also need to feel empowered to know that it is OK to feel less than ' perfect ' and that it is more value to do less than more to improve performance . Checking in with your athletes regularly , face to face , as well as performance staff to pick up signs of physical or mental fatigue allow decisions on the wellbeing of the athlete and early interventions to be made .”
When times are tough our sporting and business superstars need to be given the confidence , and more importantly , the framework to bring them back to high performance . The coach and boss that can keep them firing are truly the conductors to the gold medal performances .
INSPIRING SPEAKERS FOR YOUR NEXT PUBLIC FUNCTION
M5 management is proud to represent some of Australia ’ s finest corporate speakers with inspiring careers and experience – tailored to your audience and objectives .
CORPORATE FUNCTIONS + CONFERENCES ● TEAM BUILDING EVENTS ● CORPORATE SPORTS EVENTS
Enquire at info @ m5management . com . au
MITCH LARKIN - 2 X WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP GOLD MEDALIST , SILVER MEDALIST RIO OLYMPICS , FINA MALE SWIMMER OF THE YEAR
26 | MULTISPORT MAGAZINE
GABI SIMPSON - QUEENSLAND FIREBIRDS CAPTAIN & DIAMOND PLAYER , 2017 LIZ ELLIS DIAMOND WINNER