Competently Courageous
Courage is an important trait for change agents. Being “competently courageous” can create the right conditions for action, whether your goal is to implement a new team selection process, or address workplace harassment. Key to success is a set of attitudes and behaviours that include building a good reputation, becoming a master of good timing,…
Five Types of Mentors
Mentorship can be a valuable tool for personal and professional development. However, mentorship doesn’t only happen through formal programs. Five types of mentors to have in your network are the master of craft, the champion of your cause, the copilot, the anchor, and the reverse mentor.
Building a genuine feedback culture within your sport starts at the top
Sport is often held aloft as an example of an environment where feedback flows easily. As a communications coach and management consultant working with business leaders across North America, I often publicly herald the virtues of the feedback culture I witnessed and experienced in the sport arena, and criticize the dearth of effective feedback habits…
#ThanksCoach – Celebrating National Coaches Week 2018
September 22 – 30, 2018, marks the fourth annual National Coaches Week – an opportunity to celebrate the tremendous positive impact coaches have on athletes and communities across Canada. There are many reasons why people get involved in coaching sport: as parents, we want to spend time with our child in an active way; as individuals, we…
Self-awareness – a key driver in developing well-rounded leaders
“First, know thyself.” -Socrates Self-awareness is the ability to recognize, understand and manage one’s feelings, thoughts and behaviours. To better manage the complexities of the current sport and social landscape, self-awareness is a foundational skill that is being increasingly recognized as an essential trait for all leaders. As renowned bestselling author Daniel Coleman of Emotional…
Creating a Safer Sport Environment with Ethics and Respect Training
This is the final blog of a 3-part series providing tools and resources to strengthen safety and ethical values in sport by introducing the Responsible Coaching Movement. If this is your first visit to this blog series, considering taking a few minutes to read the other two posts on Background Screening and the importance of…
Lessons from the Start Line – Applying Sport Experiences to a Future Career as a First Responder
I was born in 1995 which means I fall under the very prestigious title of a millennial. Not only are we known for the extensive technological integration into our lives, but also for our high unemployment rates and decreased job satisfaction. This pushes many to stay at home with their parents and continue post-secondary education…
Mission Impossible? Not for these 2018 Chefs de Mission
2018 has already been an exciting year, with four major international games – the Arctic Winter Games hosted in the South Slave region of the Northwest Territories, Canada (March 18-24, 2018); the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games hosted in PyeongChang, South Korea (February 9-25 and March 9-18, 2018); and Commonwealth Games hosted in Gold Coast,…
Can we better Retain Sport Officials by Asking Them to Do More? The Opportunity of “Stage-appropriate Officiating”
Having and keeping enough qualified officials is a challenge for many sport organizations. Could we retain them by asking them to do more? It may seem counter-intuitive, but research into the challenges faced by sport officials and what motivates them suggests “stage-appropriate officiating” may provide an opportunity to retain officials while supporting quality sport experiences…
The Role of Sport Administrators in Advancing Women in Coaching through Mentorship
The rise of girls’ and women’s participation in physical activity and sport, including at the high performance sport level in Canada, has been encouraging. Unfortunately, this increase in participation rates of females has not been matched by an increase in females in coaching positions. In 2015, the Government of Canada cited that only 25% of…