When you put sports team managers in a room, one thing emerges very quickly: they want to share experiences.Because they have a common interest  – i.e. helping teams to reach their potential – they have a great of common experiences.

When one manager describes a situation he has faced, heads nods all around the room.

Each of those managers is seeking answers. He or she wants to learn, and learning from others who are walking the same ground, so to speak, is perhaps the most valuable learning of all. And, almost without exception, the thing they most want to learn about is – how to engage with players in such a way as to get the very best out of those players.

They have a sense that, by involving the players in a collaborative arrangement, they can take their team to new heights. But how can they do it without losing control? Or, to truly gain control, must they first let it go?

We plan to hold get-togethers where intelligent discussion and knowledge-exchange will take place.

The wisdom is in the room. Unfortunately, unfolding discussions often get cut down in their prime, due to lack of time. The coaching, or similar, session moves onto another point, and, we believe, those present get frustrated.

Thus they go home again saying “you know what, I would love to have chatted more to your man about what he did the time his team lost the first four league matches on the trot…”

We’re looking at a way of allowing managers to talk at length about common issues and challenges.

Early in 2010, we will be running our first Managers Talk session. Likely features will be:

• A facilitated discussion, where managers tease out different scenarios – issues around coaching, player management, goal-setting, dealing with club officers, intelligent ways of engaging with players, how to bring the best out of a player who has become negative and pessimistic, whatever managers feel is important
• No expert speaker – the wisdom is in the room. It will be a collaborative approach where managers will all throw in their tuppence worth, and points will be arged out fully and coherently
• The session will be professionally facilitated, including breaking the group into smaller groups at times, but the emphasis will be on drilling into the wisdom that exists in the room
• This will be a forum for people who are seeking answers, insights, and experiences
• Circa 20 managers in the room – however, the number of people attending is not the key factor for now. We feel we can run a valuable first event with as few as 10 managers, and, if this works, we are confident that others will come along
• By invitation only. Not confined to Gaelic Games managers only, by the way.

The probable venue for the first Managers Talk session will Mullingar Park Hotel. Likely cost will be €65. At the moment, there is a tentative plan to do this on Saturday, January 16th. More anon.

Sli Nua Training will:

• Organise the venue
• Enlist a group of managers who, we feel, will benefit – and also contribute
• Facilitate the session
• Look at ways of making this a regular event that will be of value to managers

The idea is still under construction. We welcome your suggestions. If you would like us to keep you posted, email Liam Horan

Or call him on 094 95 42965, if you would like to chat it through.

Tags: Gaelic Games, Team Managers

This entry was posted on November 22, 2009 at 8:11 am and is filed under Managers Talk. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.