Steve Hansen shares his thoughts on what motivation is, and the role of the coach in motivating athletes.
**This is video is part of a six-part video series, featuring Steve Hansen talking about leadership throughout his coaching journey. To view all the videos in this series, click here.
Motivation or inspiration?
Steve Hansen shared an interesting definition of what coaching is in this video. He was asked “where do you believe performance comes from”, and his answer was:
“Performance for me has always been, motivated athletes who are in an environment that demands a high level from them, and the job of the coach is to facilitate an environment that allows that to happen. And to do that you need to ensure there is the right balance of simulation and fun. Simulation is learning, and athletes get off on learning, but they also need to enjoy it.”
If you look at that answer, it’s a great outline of what coaching is. A coach’s job is to create an environment that their athletes enjoy, that challenges them to be better, and that helps them improve.
Steve then continues
“Your job is not to motivate the athletes. Your job is to inspire them through that environment”.
How can coaches create an environment that inspires?
Steve Hansen was big on fun in this video. It’s a really important message to hear for coaches of all levels. Even the All Blacks place a big emphasis on fun. So, if they do, so can you.
- Play games in training.
- Create little traditions that are a bit of fun (a team song, joke of the day, take the mickey out of yourself as the coach).
- Provide opportunities for all your team to connect outside of the actual sport you play. When people feel more connected, they enjoy the environment more.
Another critical piece in Steve’s definition of coaching was learning. Athletes want to learn and be better. You can facilitate this by:
- Creating games and activities that replicate the sport you coach. Try to reduce the number of isolated drills you use, and coach more games.
- Provide individual feedback to your athletes so they know what they are doing well and where they can improve.
- Help your athletes set goals so they can see and track their own improvement.
The other element Steve Hansen spoke of was having high standards. Often coaches can think that if they have high standards, they can’t have fun. But that’s not the case. At the same time as you are doing the ideas above, you can still:
- Have agreed behaviours everyone understands (being on time, listening to others).
- When agreed behaviours aren’t seen, have a 1-1 conversation about it. Don’t let it fester.
- Show leadership by role modelling the key behaviours you want to see and that have been agreed.
Key takeaways
- A coach’s job is to create an environment that inspires your athletes to be better.
- They can do this by ensuring the environment is fun.
- They can do this by ensuring the environment helps the athletes get better.
- They can do this by ensuring high standards are met consistently.
View more of the Back to the Future Series with Steve Hansen below:
Part 1: Steve Hansen on Innovation
Part 2: Steve Hansen on Vulnerability
Part 4: Steve Hansen on Alignment
Part 5: Steve Hansen on Resistors
Part 6: Steve Hansen on Leadership
Image Credit: James Coleman