Top US based sports psychologist Jonathan Fader says ‘Performance coaching is largely about relationship development and enhancing intrinsic motivation – if I can convey information to you in a way that allows you to participate in the information giving, rather than just telling you what to do, you’re likely to be more effective’. Yet, Fader believes a surprising number of coaches do not get this. ‘I tend to mainly see screamers when I work in college athletics,’ he says, ‘You probably can’t survive coaching like that at a big-league level. If you’ve gotten to a pro level and not realised the importance of creating relationships and focusing on the positives, your chances of success aren’t nearly as good.’
Ken Hodge, a professor of sports and exercise psychology at the University of Otago in New Zealand worked alongside the All Blacks rugby team from 2012-2013 to study the effectiveness of various coaching strategies. He noted that a controlling environment can, in some cases, boost short-term performance and help win a match here and there, but he sees that authoritarian form of coaching, and the manipulation, shame and negative feedback that often comes with it as ultimately hindering winning and the players’ well-being. He says ‘my research has shown that in the long-term, using an autonomy-supportive leadership style does not compromise winning/performance and has added benefits in terms of personal development for players.’
This approach is closely aligned with Deci & Ryan’s self determination theory of motivation (SDT). They have identified 3 innate needs in all human beings, regardless of gender or culture, that if satisfied allow for optimal function and growth.
- Competence
- Relatedness
- Autonomy
SDT proposes that the degree to which any of these three psychological needs is unsupported or thwarted within a social context will have a robust detrimental impact on wellness in that setting.
So having watched top sports women and men perform in Rio what, as business leaders, can we take from this new form of coaching?
- An authoritarian leadership style may yield some short-term benefits, but these will not be sustained and will do damage in the long-term.
- Competence is essential for top performance; develop competence in your team through relationship building and by giving encouragement; realise mastery is built through practice.
- Intrinsic motivation is heavily influenced by the perception of autonomy. Acknowledge your team’s perspective and provide choice and opportunities for independent initiative.
- It is our role as leaders to create the right environment to enable inherent individual potential to be realised, and if we manage to do that the benefits for organisations will be significant.
References: Scientific American Mind July/August 2016: ‘How to coach like an Olympian’
www.selfdetrminationtheory.org
