{"id":692,"date":"2020-08-28T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-08-28T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/reports\/striking-the-right-tone-as-a-leader\/"},"modified":"2025-12-15T05:12:12","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T05:12:12","slug":"striking-the-right-tone-as-a-leader","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/striking-the-right-tone-as-a-leader\/","title":{"rendered":"Striking the Right Tone as a Leader"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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\n Aug 28, 2020 <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>Articles<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Striking the Right Tone as a Leader<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n \n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Category<\/div>\n Leadership & Culture<\/a> <\/div>\n
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Why finding an empathetic voice need not compromise the goals of your team.<\/p>\n \n \n \n

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Finding the right tone as a head coach or leader can be easier said than done when the games are coming thick and fast.<\/h4>\n
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By John Portch<\/h6>\n

\u201cYou spend most of your time and energy getting guys in the right frame of mind,\u201d former San Diego Padres Manager Andy Green<\/u><\/a>\u00a0told the Leaders Performance Institute, \u201cbut you still have to find the ways to talk about the technical stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

There is a balance to be struck and, as a starting point, a coach could reflect on themselves first and foremost. Jamie Robinson, the Head of Professional Game Coach Development at the Football Association [FA], spoke at March\u2019s Leaders Meet: Coach Development about the organisation\u2019s \u2018voice and choice\u2019 approach<\/u><\/a>\u00a0to coaching, which sees coach developers encouraged to adapt to their context.<\/p>\n

\u201cVoice and choice\u00a0is\u00a0absolutely fundamental to adult learning,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s where people recognise what they\u2019re doing. If you\u2019re doing it for yourself more than you\u2019re doing it for your players and that beyond the focus on your task, then that leads to a fixed mindset and doesn\u2019t allow you any growth. Your task focus must be at the forefront, not your ego.\u201d<\/p>\n

Establishing a clear task focus is how Trent Robinson<\/u><\/a>, Head Coach of the National Rugby League\u2019s [NRL] Sydney Roosters, approaches his playing group and the business of challenging for premierships in Australian rugby league.<\/p>\n

He is, of course, governed by his manner. \u201cFirst you\u2019ve got to find the person before you coach the athlete – that\u2019s really important,\u201d he told the Leaders Performance Institute. \u201cFinding the person is getting in touch with who they are and what drives them; what their family\u2019s like, what their interests are.\u201d<\/p>\n

Similar to his namesake at the FA, Robinson does not lose sight of the overall goal, which is to maintain the Roosters\u2019 remarkable success. \u201cWe also need to set a framework for who we are,\u201d he added, specifically referencing the players coming into the team. \u201cBefore they start playing or striving for the team, they\u2019ve got to understand who the team is.\u201d The Roosters, who won the NRL premiership back to back in 2018 and 2019, will educate their players in the history of the club and it sets the tone for Robinson\u2019s delivery.<\/p>\n

“I trust Robbo with everything,\u201d said Roosters fullback Jamie Tedesco. \u201cHe\u2019s the best coach I’ve ever had, he’s so detailed. He’s made me a better player so anything he has to say I listen very intently.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tedesco has flourished in his two seasons under Robinson at the Roosters, which culminated in the 26-year-old claiming the prestigious 2019 Dally M Medal as the NRL\u2019s player of the year. It was during his acceptance speech that Tedesco uttered his praise, adding: \u201cI can’t think him enough for the influence he’s had on my career and I know it’s only going to get better and better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tedesco also referenced Robinson\u2019s decision to rest him at key moments of the campaign, which led to his superb form as the 2019 season reached its climax. In this instance, the player ultimately agreed, yet what worked for Tedesco may fall on deaf ears elsewhere.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do you get a message to a player and get the best out of them? Everyone is different,\u201d said Leicester Tigers Head Coach Steve Borthwick<\/u><\/a>, who was speaking at Leaders Meet: Coach Development in March.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a time and place for absolutely everything; the skill of the coach is knowing when you recognise the right approach at any point in time.\u201d<\/p>\n

This, adds Borthwick, must be tied into the overall goals of your team. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to be absolutely clear what standards are expected, what your key objective is within any one session, and then understanding how you get the best out of each of the players.\u201d<\/p>\n

A practice session, however, has limited value if you haven\u2019t made clear the principle that you\u2019re working on or the context in which you\u2019re trying to do it. \u201cWith England, in practice, we work off a checklist of things that ensure the context is clear,\u201d said Borthwick, who previously served as Forwards Coach with the England men\u2019s national rugby team.<\/p>\n

\u201cAm I making that clear to the players? Am I putting them in situations that are game-relevant and am I asking them to adapt to situations that develops their skill and enables them to coach each other? Be very clear about the endpoint that you\u2019re working towards.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inevitably, there will be times when your systems are not working and results are going against you. There will be tensions as you strive to turn things around but this is where your existing rapport will enable you to strike a difficult tone, as Jill Ellis<\/u><\/a>\u00a0found after the Rio Olympics in 2016.<\/p>\n

Ellis, who won back to back World Cups as Head Coach of the US women\u2019s national soccer team, saw her team\u2019s defeat in 2016 as the catalyst for their 2019 success at the World Cup in France.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot only did I know we had to reshape, refocus and reboot in a tactical sense, I also performed an autopsy \u2013 that\u2019s what I secretly called it to my bosses,\u201d she told the Leaders Performance Institute.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said, \u2018We\u2019re going to have to make some changes; it\u2019s going to be hard, it\u2019s going to be a really tough period; the players are going to question it \u2013\u00a0you\u00a0are going to question it \u2013 and it may cost us some results, but that\u2019s what I believe has to happen.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cI took the same messaging to the players,\u201d she continued. \u201c\u2018You\u2019re going to be\u00a0uncomfortable;\u00a0I don\u2019t care how many caps you\u2019ve got, how many medals you have, we\u2019re in this period right now where we\u2019re willing to find more people and really grow as a team tactically\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was incredibly hard \u2013 probably one of the hardest periods of my career.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ellis needed every one of those existing relationships with her players as formations changed, results suffered, and players moved in and out of the picture. \u201cYou need to make sure\u00a0that you know Rose Lavelle has a dog named \u2018Wilma\u2019;\u00a0that\u00a0you know Julie Ertz\u2019s husband [Zach Ertz, tight end, Philadelphia Eagles]\u00a0has a big game coming up because, for me personally, the ability to truly understand your players beyond football is critical to building a team and getting the most out of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a leader, your tone must serve your team\u2019s vision and purpose without losing sight of the people behind your athletes.<\/p>\n

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Looking for more performance insight?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Performance<\/em> 21<\/em> is available for download now and leads with a selection of insights lifted from our At Home With Leaders podcast series, which has featured the likes of England Rugby\u2019s Eddie Jones<\/strong>, the Toronto Blue Jays\u2019 Mark Shapiro<\/strong>, and Chelsea\u2019s Emma Hayes<\/strong> speaking directly from their home offices.<\/p>\n