Pierre's Corner
Values-based Sport
Everyone talks about values-based coaching. Lots of people believe in values-based management.
Even more promote the benefits of players and athletes coming up with a list of values on which to
build a successful team preparation and performance environment.
And yet…in spite of all the talk about values and the millions of dollars being spent in professional sports
around the world on developing values, mission statements and team trademarks, we still have sporting
teams being destroyed by unprofessional preparation, poor alcohol and social drugs management, sexual
harassment, violence, crime and misconduct.
So what is Values-based Sport? How do you create an effective Values-based Sporting Environment?
The Typical Values Approach
The typical “values” approach is to bring people together – in a professional sporting club this may mean
coaches, management, staff and players – and ask them to come up with a set of words which express
who they are as a group, what they believe in and what they stand for.
Having been through over one hundred of these sessions with professional and Olympic sports around the
world, there is a fairly common list of values that people in sport tend to want to be identified by and with.
The Big Ten Values:
- Honesty;
- Integrity;
- Humility;
- Professionalism;
- Discipline;
- Toughness or some variation like ruthless, hard-core, etc;
- Work ethic;
- Enjoyment / fun;
- Passion;
- Respect.
There are many, many others: you could add values like “pride”, “passion”, “team-spirit” and even
“determination” - but when it comes to the Values thrown around in a sporting club or sporting
programme, these ten are the most common.
And each of them is meaningless and worthless unless…..
The Key to Values-based Sport – Living Values
The key to creating and sustaining a values-based sporting organisation is not in the words you choose.
It is not in banners which proclaim the words to the world.
It is not in t-shirts which tell the world “this is who we are and what we stand for”.
The key to making it work is Living Values: bringing the words to life and giving them real meaning
and relevance by your actions, standards and behaviours every day.
Honesty – What does it look like?
Without doubt the most common values word that sporting organisations come up with is
“honesty” – i.e. “we will be an honest group” or “we will conduct ourselves with honesty”.
And that sounds lovely, doesn’t it…weeeeeeeeeeee! Let’s all clap our hands and sing songs
about butterflies and fairies. Hooray! We are honest!
Words, without actions are meaningless.
So what does honesty look like?
The Critical Step: Putting actions, standards and behaviours behind the words
The critical step in this – and the step that most sporting organisations do not do, is to
identify relevant actions, standards and behaviours which will bring the values to life.
For all sporting organisations, there are important situations and critical moments when
the actions, standards and behaviours of athletes, coaches, management and staff need
to reflect the organisation’s values.
For example, it is important that players “live” the organisation’s values in social situations,
meeting sponsors, meeting fans and talking to media. It is important that players “live”
the organisation’s values in the gym, during on-field training and during recovery and injury
management activities.
(Incidentally I have a great workshop programme for sporting teams, sporting clubs and
organisations who want to work through this Living Values process.
Here’s an example:
Values-based Sport
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Value
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On-court / on-field training actions and behaviours
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In-the-gym actions and behaviours
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Honesty
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Complete all work with total focus, commitment and excellence;
Accept responsibility for mistakes and work hard to correct them;
Do everything I can to improve regardless of who is watching.
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Arrive on time;
Complete all prescribed work in the time allocated;
Stretch before and between all sets.
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Hard Work
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Complete all work to the best of my ability;
Strive to improve one aspect of my performance every session;
Ask to do more - to do extra;
Give everything I have to everything I do.
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Complete every repeat to the best of my ability;
Ask gym staff for additional work if I am capable;
Work with a team mate and drive each other to new levels of performance throughout every session.
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Team Spirit
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Arrive early and spend 10 minutes with a younger player on their skills development or fitness;
Stay behind for 10 minutes every session and help younger players with their skills or fitness.
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Encourage my team mates to achieve their best at every repeat;
Help team mates improve their performance;
Support team mates who are struggling;
Be selfless.
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Professionalism
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Arrive early;
Stretch without being told to;
Carry a drink bottle and drink regularly;
Make rehydration and refuelling a priority;
Commence recovery immediately training finishes.
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Carry a water bottle and drink regularly;
Carry a towel and use it;
Keep records of lifts, PB’s and work completed;
Keep our gym area clean.
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Values-based Sport - A list of four typical values and the actions and behaviours that bring them to life
- i.e. Living Values
Summary:
- There is no doubt that a sporting organisation which aspires to greatness needs more than just a nice office,
talented athletes and hard working coaches to realise its full potential;
- Values can be the underpinning strength – the character - the cultural driving forces behind success if they
have real meaning and relevance;
- The key to creating and sustaining a values-based sporting organisation is Living Values: living the values in
everything you do, every time, every day.
Wayne Goldsmith
Regards
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Pierre de Bruyn
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