Hi Reader

Welcome to the September edition of the Coach Lead Collective, your go-to resource for coaching leaders like you, dedicated to supporting and developing our coaching community.

This is first monthly newsletter, where we look at the challenges of working at night, plus focusing on the 'who' to streamline our focus to certain coaches.

The Coaching Night Shift

When I worked at Bay of Plenty Rugby, I often found myself juggling a whirlwind of activities, bouncing from one task to the next with little direction. The real kicker? Many of these activities, like workshops and coach observations, happened at night. Meanwhile, I was also trying to be a present parent to my young family. The family managed with me being out two nights a week, but any more stretched everyone thin (and I missed out on story time of course).

One of my main roles was observing coaches in Level 2, 3, and rep programmes. Balancing family life with a busy job meant I had to get a grip on my schedule to spread the workload out. So, I took control by scheduling observations weeks or months in advance. E.g.

"Hi Bruce, I've booked in to see you coach on Tuesday, 5th June. Hope that works? I'll be in touch closer to the time."

It was a simple but hugely impactful change! I created a plan that worked for me, the coaches, and my family. Plus, the knock-on effect was that more coaches got their observations done, many completing qualifications and certificates. A win-win-win!

Who Are We Helping?

Have you ever struggled to get people to attend workshops? You’re not alone - this is a trend across the sector. One possible challenge might be related to understanding your 'target market.' There’s a saying that if we try to help everyone, we end up helping no one.

The coaching spectrum is vast, stretching from volunteer parent coaches of 5-year-olds to high-performance coaches and everything in between. The contexts can vary dramatically, so it’s crucial to be strategic about where we invest our time and resources.

In a previous Coach Developer Connect Zoom session, guest speaker Rodney Wallace, a marketing consultant with Z at the time, emphasised the importance of clearly defining who we are trying to help before diving into tactics (e.g. running a workshop). At the time, I was the Coach Development Manager at Netball NZ, where our Coach Leads team used this new learning to decide where to focus our efforts—on coaches of children, teens, or adults. We chose coaches of teenage players, aligning with Netball NZ’s and Sport NZ’s priority to increase participation in this key demographic (rangatahi). There was also a clear gap in resources for this age group and 1,800 student coaches who needed support. Junior coaching was already well covered by Future Ferns resources and workshops. And of course, we didn’t publicly announce that coaches of adults were no longer a focus, but they could subtly fit into offerings.

Here’s a starting point for defining your ‘target market’:

1. Market Orientation - Understand what coaches want.
2. Market Research - Walk in their shoes and ask questions to gain insights.
3. Segmentation - Group coaches into types, such as Keen Beans, Survivalists, and Fanatics, to tailor your approach effectively.