Case Study: Rugby Background Team A had a very successful season two seasons ago in that they were promoted as league champions. However, early on in the following season their coach had to leave for personal reasons. The team is now managed by a new coach. Unfortunately, the new coach was not able to help the team stay in the higher division and they were relegated in the last game of the season. Head for a Win was asked to step in during preseason to assess the situation and identify if there were any problems The Problem Although the coach had a successful past and had coached other teams to success, for some reason he wasn’t achieving as Team A’s coach. Head for a Win used team profiling and a questionnaire which examines the relationship between a coach and their athletes. It was found that although the team had a large amount of respect for the coach, he simply wasn’t treating them how they thought he should be. For instance, their last coach was often calm under pressure, yet was able to offer good constructive criticism whilst praising the team when it was appropriate. The new coach however didn’t use this style of feedback and only told them what they are doing wrong, whether they are winning or losing. Worse still, when under pressure, the coach responded by becoming very moody and would not offer any feedback on how the team was playing. The Solution A simple team meeting was held to discuss openly and honestly the results of the questionnaire. No names were revealed during the feedback of results, but the floor was opened to both the team and management to respond afterwards. From the results, Head for a Win was able to establish the preferred coaching style of the coach and of the team. Although they differed, it was easy to make suggestions on how the coach may be able to change his style slightly, whilst the team would work on listening to the coach’s feedback, even if it was hard to take. They agreed that they often needed some motivation to perform and by hearing some negative feedback often got them into gear. A solution was brought about in this way and some targets were set for the team to achieve over the first 5 games of the season. A follow up with the team after Christmas with the same questionnaire showed a marked improvement in the way the team and the coach rated their relationship with one another. Sound like your team? Having problems working with your coach/team? Or having any other rugby related problems? Use your head, get ahead, Head for a Win and get in touch here... The initial consultation is free of charge, so why not call on +44 (0) 7769 906268 for an informal chat. Back