Written by I was in a debate with someone about the ‘power’ in an organization. The gentleman in question was adamant that the power came from the team and that they are responsible for the culture of the work environment.
I’m of the belief that the captain steers the ship and guides the crew. The behavior that becomes accepted and normalised throughout the organization is then ideally cast from his or her vision as leader.
The same can surely be said about the coach of a sporting team. When someone takes on the leadership role of any organisation, they become responsible for the entrenched and accepted behaviours and attitudes in that team. The ‘power’ then that the team will ultimately exude, will have come from the positive influence of the captain/coach.
Arguably one of Australia’s most successful coaches was Harry “The Fox” Hopman. Hopman coached the Davis Cup (tennis) team for 22 years in total (1938-39 and 1950-69). During this time, he won 16 and was runner-up in five, but not only was he an impressive player, as a coach he produced a cavalcade of champions. John Bromwich, Adrian Quist, Frank Sedgman, Ken McGregor, Lew Hoad, Ken Rosewall, Mervyn Rose, Rex Hartwig, Ashley Cooper, Mal Anderson, Neale Fraser, Rod Laver, Fred Stolle, Tony Roche, and John Newcombe, all the greatest were launched from the teams he managed. During this time an Australian was always naturally expected to win every Grand Slam, Rod Laver actually won two.
It can be no coincidence that the greatest successes were secured during the period of Hopman’s leadership, but successful coaching is more than winning. It is instilling an attitude of fair play and hard work, of enthusiasm and enjoyment, safety and ethics. This culture of accepted norms will then act as a framework that the team can develop from, along with a tacit agreement to uphold those ideals.