The Self-Improvement Guide

THE ONLY SUSTAINABLE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE IS LEARNING FASTER THAN YOUR RIVALS” PETER SENGE

The Self-improvement Guide

The League Managers Association, St. George’s Park, National Football Centre, Newborough Road, Needwood, Burton upon Trent, DE13 9PD www.leaguemanagers.com The views and opinions expressed by contributors are their own and not necessarily those of the League Managers Association, its members, officers or employees.

Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited.

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Editor Alice Hoey alicehoey1@gmail.com Publisher Jim Souter jim.souter@leaguemanagers.com Art Editor Sarah Ryan sarah.ryan@leaguemanagers.com Images © iStock & flaticon.com

CONTENTS 07

WELCOME

09

THE DEVELOPMENT TOOLKIT

11 13 19 25 31

INTRODUCTION THE SELF-AWARE LEADER HOW TO LEARN LEARNING FROM MISTAKES FOREIGN LANGUAGE SKILLS

35

YOUR CAREER

37 39 43 51 59 65 69

INTRODUCTION STARTING SMALL MARKETING YOURSELF A HEALTHY BALANCE YOUR LEGACY MOVING ON TAKING A CAREER CHANGE

75

BROADENING YOUR KNOWLEDGE

77 79 85 91 97 101

INTRODUCTION NETWORKING FEEDBACK MENTORING ONLINE RESOURCES STUDY VISITS

106

THE CONTRIBUTORS

114

PARTNER DIRECTORY

5

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6

Welcome

WELCOME

RICHARD BEVAN Chief Executive, LMA

W

elcome to the LMA’s fourth leadership and personal development guide, this time focusing on self-improvement.

This guide is produced by the LMA Institute of Leadership and High Performance under the brilliant direction of our editor, Alice Hoey. We thank Alice and all our contributors, Dominic Irvine, Prof Sue Bridgewater, Charlie Mulraine, Jason Ratcliffe, Robin Russell, Dr Dorian Dugmore and Jeremy Snape for their valued insights. We also thank the institute’s commercial partners for their ongoing support and guidance.

The LMA Institute of Leadership and High Performance was established to provide in-career education, learning experiences, content resources and support services, guidance and advice to all those who have chosen to build a career as a professional practitioner in football.

It brings together the best elements of University-style postgraduate programmes, industry-style chartered institute continuous personal development and organisational-level personal, tailored and relevant executive coaching and support services. Our point of difference is found in the incredible access we have to the body of knowledge and experience that exists with the LMA’s membership combined with a desire and willingness of experts across business, academia and performance disciplines to engage with the LMA and with the sport.

The institute is founded on the LMA’s 360-degree model of football leadership and management: You, Your Team, The Game and The Industry. This guide sits squarely in the first of those four pillars, You. The institute recognises that continuous personal self–reflection and improvement are vital to building long and meaningful careers. Based on research and insights from our members, this guide focuses on 15 key areas that we have identified as positively impacting on an individual’s self-improvement journey.

Our aim in this guide has been to cover each of these topics in a way that is easy to understand and digest, introducing some fundamentals and highlighting the benefits of a positive, proactive and personal approach to self-development.

We hope it proves to be a valuable resource throughout your career.

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TELL ME AND I FORGET. TEACH ME AND I REMEMBER. INVOLVE ME AND I LEARN” BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

THE DEVELOPMENT TOOLKIT 11 13 19 25 31

INTRODUCTION THE SELF-AWARE LEADER HOW TO LEARN LEARNING FROM MISTAKES FOREIGN LANGUAGE SKILLS

The Self-improvement Guide

4 HOURS

DO YOU PLAY IT SAFE? 69% of us avoid challenges that take us out of our comfort zones Why? For 10% it’s a fear of failure and embarrassment

The time after studying that you should exercise in order to improve information retention

85%

...of all managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals in the EU speak at least one foreign language

25% feel most fulfilled when reaching a goal we thought was out of reach 21% feel nervous or overwhelmed when our skills are put to the test

SEE, HEAR, DO WE RETAIN APPROXIMATELY...

10% 30-40%

of what we see

10

90%

of what we see and hear

of what we see, hear and do

IN THE UK

IN THE EU

38% 18% 6%

56% 28% 11%

of us speak at least one foreign language speak at least two foreign languages speak three or more foreign languages

THE NUMBER OF WORKERS AGED 60 OR OVER TAKING ON-THE-JOB TRAINING SCHEME PLACEMENTS HAS RISEN SIXFOLD IN THE PAST FIVE YEARS People aged 45-59 make up nearly

10%

of all apprentices who receive training from a business while doing paid work

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BETTER NEVER STOPS Words: Jeremy Snape, Sporting Edge

T

here has never been more information available to leaders and never more ways to find it. With greater sharing of best practice and ideas we are increasingly able to learn not only from our peers but also from our counterparts in business, other sports, the performing arts, the military and politics.

Certain principles transcend operational context and so we are gaining an ever wider spread of perspectives on things like how to measure, motivate and manage performance, communicate and prepare. The challenge is no longer finding inspiration and information, it’s where to focus.

Managers now have to balance the game’s traditional strengths with fresh new insights from the wider world of high performance and doing this requires an open mind.

Managers, their support staff and teams need to become more curious and in fostering curiosity about other people’s success, in whatever domain, they will learn more about themselves.

Time, sadly, is not in the manager’s favour, however. While Olympic coaches may have the luxury of thinking in four-year cycles and in business there may be quarterly or annual sales targets to meet, football managers have precious little time to prove themselves.

If our repeated focus is on surviving the next weekend, how much of our time and energy can ever be spent considering the long-term development of our players, let alone our staff and ourselves?

By choosing growth ahead of survival we can learn something every week, lessons we can build on and use to improve results. Taking this a step further, when we have a renewed motivation to learn new skills we feel less shame at not yet being good enough; it allows everyone to develop their confidence and skills together.

True champions know they are never the finished article, even Mo Farah, one of the world’s most incredible athletes. After completing the remarkable ‘double double’ gold medal haul in Rio, Farah spoke of his resilience through the challenges of his career and how he wrote down the positives and negatives from every single race so that he could learn from each one.

Talent in the traditional sense isn’t enough on its own. In a fast-paced industry such as ours we need to speed up our rate of learning to stay ahead of the game.

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THE SELF-AWARE LEADER How well do you really know yourself, your behaviours and motivations, strengths and weaknesses? In a world full of data, analysis and scrutiny, some of the most important assessments we can make concern ourselves.

Words: Michael Caulfield, Sporting Edge

L

ike defeat, rejection and failure, self-awareness can be a painful process but it’s entirely necessary if we’re to move forward. Good leaders face the facts, however hard to swallow, constantly reviewing what they’ve done, what they think they are good at and not so good at and how they might improve. They have the courage to identify any gaps in their skills and knowledge and to seek the advice and feedback of others in the pursuit of learning and development.

CAUSE AND EFFECT Self-assessment is as valuable for the most successful managers as it is for those who have hit the rocks or who are finding management a struggle.

That’s because however well your team may or may not have done it will never 13

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be a reflection of your leadership skills alone. Knowledge and approaches are always updating, the resources and support at your disposal are constantly changing and the competitive landscape can look very different from one year to the next. Therefore, the worst thing you can do as a leader is assume that because your team has performed well that you are doing everything right.

It may be tempting to say ‘if it isn’t broken why fix it?’ but given that the conditions and competition will have changed, or might in the future, your skills or approach may still need a revamp.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST What, then, are the best ways to carry out this professional self-assessment?

How do any of us really know how good we are and how do we find out what we don’t yet know?

Probably the most common method of self-assessment is benchmarking, whereby you compare your performance and achievements with those of other people in your profession. Who is getting results, winning the confidence and respect of others and getting themselves noticed, and what is it that they’re doing better or differently to you?

This approach can prove useful, especially in providing inspiration and fuelling your desire to improve, but bear in mind that there are many important skills and qualities that can’t be seen or quantified easily. Also consider context, because what gets good results in one organisation might not work so well in another.

More valuable than these sideways comparisons, therefore, are evaluations of your progress against your own objectives and past selves. Think back to your early career goals, priorities and ethos and check that you’re still on the right track and have not lost sight of who you wanted to be.

A TEST OF WILL Other more formal tools for understanding yourself, your preferences, strengths and weaknesses include psychometric testing. Many players, coaches and managers in sports and business are already finding these very useful when used in conjunction with their own experience and intuition. In particular they can help to instigate constructive conversations around performance and development.

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While we use the term ‘self-assessment’, it needn’t be a solo endeavour and indeed the ideal situation is to have an inner circle of trusted advisors who know you well and whose opinions you value. Coaches and mentors are ideal for this, particularly those who are not dependent on you in any way and who you trust to be open, honest and not conflicted in their opinions. (Find out more about the value of feedback on page 83.)

Importantly, regular self-assessment isn’t something to do once or twice a year and we shouldn’t wait until the end of the season, promotion or redundancy to take stock. Try to make it a regular feature of your life and work by scheduling monthly meetings with a peer or trusted colleague or simply taking an hour to yourself, forcing you to reflect on your behaviour and progress.

Much of the success of any personal audit will come down to a leader’s own discipline and openness and how willing they are to challenge their faults.

In that sense, the decision to carry out an evaluation of your professional aptitude is perhaps even more important than the methods used to conduct it.

SPOT THE SIGNS Do you have your head in the sand? If you lack self-awareness: You become very defensive when challenged about your behaviour and the impact it can have on your team.

You become very controlling, often picking on the little things of no great consequence, but you want to exert control and influence, particularly when you are under stress. Consequently, you miss the really important things going on around you as you are overly concerned with the minutiae.

Your behaviour changes and everyone sees it, bar yourself. You may become withdrawn, irrational, angry, over-emotional, lose perspective and even your appearance can change. Should someone note that your behaviour has changed for the worse you react defensively.

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The Self-improvement Guide

You start making excuses, a classic way of avoiding or deflecting negative attention. Blaming everything and everyone are avoidance techniques and a sure sign of poor leadership.

You become grandiose or delusional. You may make outrageous comments about how confident you are in yourself and your own wonderful ideas, even if you know they are not true or working.

You become a bully, which results in anger and aggression towards others, even those you like and trust. This is a sign of being threatened or scared.

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HOW TO LEARN Learning is a skill in itself, so before getting stuck into any kind of learning activity take some time to ensure you’re tackling it in the most time efficient and productive way.

Words: Jeremy Snape, Sporting Edge

G

iven the sheer bulk of information awaiting your digestion or the complexity of the skill you’re endeavouring to master it’s tempting to dive in headlong without delay. But pausing to understand how you learn best and what barriers you might face along the way can mean you make best use of your time in the long run.

Before you do anything else, establish that you have the right mindset for learning. You shouldn’t need to be force fed, you should want it, be curious and proactive about learning new things.

There needs to be an acceptance that you are not the finished article and an understanding of how learning can bridge the gap between your current and desired states. As Lord Coe said to me, “The very best performers have an insatiable desire to find out more about themselves, even if they don’t know what’s around the corner.”

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DRIVING FORCES Understanding why you want to learn is also a good starting point. Consider, for example, whether you are learning purely to achieve a formal qualification, to fill a skills gap, to please or impress others or just because you love finding out new things.

Your career goals and the kind of leader you want or need to become will determine the skills and insights that you require. Self-awareness about who you are and where you want to get to is therefore especially important and can guide you on where to make the fastest gains.

Improving your self-awareness also gives you the chance to reflect on your preferred style of learning, because we all engage with and digest information differently according to its means of delivery. For example, some of us prefer to see teaching written down and memorise information best by writing it down, while others need to hear it spoken or try it out physically.

We all have the capability to learn from each of the styles, but we are usually dominant in one, so figuring out which methods work best for you can help you make the most productive use of your time (see the common learning styles on page 23).

SMALL STEPS The complexity and sheer breadth of what you need to learn to meet your objectives can be daunting, so it’s wise to break down those goals and the subject matter into smaller chunks. Once broken down into its component parts it will feel more manageable and you can create a realistic roadmap and time plan for getting there.

While you might not relish the added pressure, giving yourself a deadline for reaching each landmark towards your final goal can help to keep you focused and avoid the temptation to procrastinate or give up entirely.

It can help here to ‘think in ink’, making notes as you go along that you can refer back to. When you go out of your comfort zone and explore new areas your brain will be spinning with ideas, so jot them down along with any key bits of information that have really stood out. When it’s in print it exists and you can also photograph your notes and attach them to an email. Making voice notes also works well as an informal, hands-free way to preserve what’s in your head for a later date.

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MAKE MISTAKES We often view mistakes as setbacks, but some of our greatest lessons come from failure. That’s because our motivation to avoid shame and humiliation tends to be much more powerful than our drive to achieve success. Painful experiences often fuel our need to improve, showing us that we have more work to do and often highlighting the areas where that improvement is needed.

The path to mastering a skill is a steep one and the closer we get to the top, the harder it becomes to improve. It’s important to appreciate that it’s the striving that brings the satisfaction, not just reaching the top. Our quest for perfection is great as long as we can tolerate failure and find new ways to progress.

STORIES For millennia, societies and civilisations have shared cultural norms and wisdom through storytelling. This powerful approach brings the facts and principles to life in a way that allows us to agree or debate, and to attach meaning and emotion. Think of a recent charity video or news story; we connect to the plight of one family or individual and it helps us to understand the bigger picture.

Think, then, about how stories might help to bring your learning to life, perhaps by reading the autobiography of a great leader or through seeing a real-life example of a new concept. Stories with humour, setbacks or daring courage stir our emotions, we can relate to them and often want to find out more.

KEEP IT FRESH It’s natural for the attention to wane when you do the same thing over and over, so it’s important to break the boredom cycle. Keeping some variety in your learning, whether in the venues, people or styles, helps here as it means different parts of the brain are stimulated. Neuroscientist Tara Swart experienced this when she was invited to visit an art gallery while studying for her final exams. “I had been reading text for so long and couldn’t face reading any more or staring at another screen,” she says. “But as I walked into the art gallery I could feel parts of my brain waking up; it was like a massage for my brain.”

In practical terms this could mean the difference between writing some 21

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notes in your office, having a discussion on a training ground and listening to a podcast in your car; the subject matter may stay the same but even simple things like moving desks can avoid things feeling stale.

Giving your brain some down time is also important, and not just to avoid burnout. As Prof Vin Walsh, head of brain research at UCL, explains, the best ideas often come when you are not thinking about the problem at all. “We call it offline processing and it’s almost as if, after an intense period of learning, your brain joins the dots in the time while you are running, driving or washing the dishes.” That’s why our best ideas can pop into our heads when we least expect it.

Just as you would allow your muscles to recover and rebuild after a tough gym session, developing a pattern of intense learning followed by downtime is a great way to build learning resilience. To keep the analogy going, build your learning muscles gradually and your learning stamina will also grow.

PRACTICE MAKES PERMANENT Once you have broken a skill down into its component parts and started to absorb it, the key to learning is adding more context. Where will you use the new skill? Where does it fit? How does it relate to what you’ve already experienced?

This relevance is key to keeping you motivated because if it’s important enough, you’ll keep doing it.

Malcolm Gladwell suggested that it takes 10,000 hours of repetitive practice to perfect a new skill. Although it’s a nice number I think it can be done faster, but what is certain is that repetition will ingrain the skill. Your brain is malleable and shaped in real time by your experiences and thoughts. When you think or move in a certain way you are connecting different decision-making and reward pathways in your brain, and when these neurones fire together they wire together. Repeating the same movement patterns causes pathways to develop into broadband connections, which soon create automatic habits. This is why it’s better to do no training than to do bad training.

SOCIAL SUPPORT Whatever your reasons for learning and the strength of your motivations, it’s likely that you will need the support of those around you. As well as putting up with the burden of what can be extended periods of formal learning, family, 22

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friends and colleagues can help to keep you focused.

They can also help to ensure that the knowledge you’ve acquired has stuck, perhaps by testing you, asking relevant questions and critiquing your decisions or performance in a new skill. It’s better to have been tested, failed and learned in front of people you know and trust than out in the spotlight.

COMMON LEARNING PREFERENCES The traditional VARK model highlights the four main methods of learning as: VISUAL Observing a picture, chart or model that summarises a concept into an image.

AUDITORY Listening to someone explain what you need in a lecture, a discussion or a podcast and then processing it for yourself.

READING/WRITING Traditional text-based information, which people consume and translate into lists, diary reminders, quotes and notes.

KINAESTHETIC The hands-on act of doing it, rehearsing it, role playing or practising a skill, maybe in slow motion at first. We connect through feeling it. Video footage also falls into this category as we watch ourselves or others physically delivering a skill.

Try using an online VARK test to find out your own preferences.

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LEARNING FROM MISTAKES No skill has ever been learned without getting it wrong at some point. If we learn from our mistakes then failure is an essential precursor to success.

Words: Dominic Irvine, Epiphanies

H

ave you ever stopped to ponder what is really being said when a manufacturer of washing powder offers a ‘new and improved’ version of their product or when an app on your phone requires updating? Does that mean the previous versions they were selling us were substandard?

Of course not, it’s just there are some areas of life where the process of continuous improvement is accepted as the norm.

As leaders and managers, and indeed as people, we require the same regular updating and upgrading, but the process by which we do much of that improvement is not so readily accepted - failure. Most of us fail our way to success through a series of trial and error experiences and despite the negative connotations our mistakes are a rich source of lessons that can fasttrack our development. If we want people to progress in business and sport we need to encourage them to work hard at improving, support them when they make mistakes and help them to learn from them.

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SUCCESSFUL FAILURE Learning from mistakes is, however, a skill like any other and it requires certain core elements to get it right. Before you can do anything else, the first step towards learning from a mistake is to admit that you have made one, even if it’s only to yourself initially. This moves the focus away from assigning blame or deflecting responsibility and towards understanding why it happened and what you can do better next time.

You also need a clear objective, whether that is a specific goal or target or a long-held ambition. You need to know what it is you are trying to achieve because it’s hard to judge whether something is really a mistake if you have no parameters or intended outcomes.

You need a willingness to give it a go, because you can’t make mistakes if you don’t at least try. At some point you need to stop procrastinating and start doing. Improvement requires hard graft and the harder you work at getting better, the better you will get. But when you push yourself further the thing you are trying to master will inevitably get harder. Mistakes are therefore often a natural by-product of the effort you are putting in.

Insatiable curiosity is also a must if you’re to make the most of every mistake that you make. You have to want to know why you got the result you got and how you might be able to do better in the future. This means being willing to examine every part of what you did, however uncomfortable this might be. It means welcoming every piece of feedback you receive without getting hung up on it. The more feedback you get the better.

Try to surround yourself with people who understand and get what you are trying to achieve and who will act as a sounding board for your thinking. This can help you to maintain a sense of perspective and encourage and motivate you when things get tough. They should be the sort of people who listen with an open mind when you approach them with an idea and are helpfully critical.

They can help you to avoid making mistakes and help you to learn from any that you do.

Remember also that how you act in the period after you have made a mistake can either dig you a bigger hole or help you start to climb out of it. Always show contrition and humility by apologising for your mistake and resisting the temptation to try to justify your actions. Show that you fully understand what you did and the impact of it and, crucially, what lessons you 26

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have learned to ensure the mistake won’t be repeated.

Finally you need the wisdom to know when to stop, because at some point the cost of achieving a goal exceeds the value. Things change and what is relevant today may not matter tomorrow, so knowing when to call it a day is perhaps the hardest skill of all.

It is important to remember that although mistakes have negative connotations they help us to do things better, and teach us to be more mentally resilient, responsible and accountable. We must never dwell too long on our mistakes, only on the lessons we learn from them.

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WHY DID YOU DO THAT? You can learn better from a mistake when you understand what kind of mistake it is. For example, you will make mistakes when you: PRACTISE A SKILL These kinds of mistakes are inevitable and essential when learning something new because they show us what we’re doing wrong and what we need to correct. If you’re making mistakes of this kind too often though, ask yourself if you are repeating the same poor technique or practising something wrong over and over. Are you pushing yourself too far or do you just need more repetition to get it right?

PUSH THE BOUNDARIES When a Eureka moment strikes and you try something out you’ve never tried before it will often prove to be a mistake rather than a success.

The important thing is to remember that one result can be as positive as the other because discovering what doesn’t work is one way to find out what does. Reflection is key here – ask what you could have done differently, what information you could have used to get a better result, what went well and not so well.

LOSE FOCUS Silly unforced errors occur when you’re not concentrating, but even these irritating and apparently unnecessary mistakes can be learned from. Are you more focused at certain times of the day and after engaging in some activities more than others? Can you use these patterns to change your work habits and work with fewer errors?

MAKE A JUDGEMENT When you make a decision that you believe later was the wrong one it’s essential to reflect on why you made that choice and what, in hindsight, you could have done differently. What information did you have to hand at the time, how accurate was it and what more information could you have gathered to aid your decision making? Whose advice did you listen to and are you now happy with that advice; are there other perspectives you could have taken into account?

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FOREIGN LANGUAGE SKILLS Opening doors at home and abroad, learning a foreign language is a valuable and often overlooked area of a manager’s development.

Words: Alice Hoey, Editor

S

haring best practice and experience with other professionals in your field, whether via a quick telephone call, a study visit or by working abroad, is an invaluable way to improve as a manager. But like most highly successful industries, the football industry is a global one, so making the most of those opportunities means being able to communicate with people from all over the world.

Learning a foreign language may take time and commitment, but the rewards in terms of personal achievement and in helping to open more doors to network, study and advance your career are considerable.

What’s more, research has found that being bilingual is actually good for the brain. Learning another language challenges us cognitively, making us smarter, better at multitasking and decision making, improving our memory, perception and English skills and even helping to stave off Alzheimer’s and dementia.

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OUI OR SI? Your decision on which language to start with might be influenced by an ambition, for example, to work or take a study visit in a particular country, or by a basic knowledge of a language that you already have.

The good news is that getting to grips with one language usually makes it easier to pick up another. This is partly because when languages share an origin many of their words will be similar in form, so if you speak German and start to study Dutch you’ll find yourself already able to guess the meaning of many phrases. Many languages also follow similar rules, for example, the fact that words have gender – le ball or la Liga – and placement of the adjective after the noun – le ball blanc. Once you understand how one language works you’ll find the next one less daunting.

WORD UP Learning a language takes time and perseverance and many argue that things speed up and indeed become more enjoyable when there is a group or at least a verbal element to the process. Nothing is as effective as being immersed in a foreign language to pick it up quickly - it is after all how we acquire our mother tongues as children, by constant exposure to conversation and by trial and error in speaking ourselves.

Class learning can also provide this environment in short bursts and it’s a good idea to supplement this by reading books, listening to the radio or watching programmes or films in that language.

Personal tutors can be a great way to get structured language learning and to have the ear of an experienced professional who can guide you and give you the push you need to move forward and stick with it. Given that some vocabulary may be more useful to you than others a tutor may also be able to tailor your programme to focus on the contexts and phrases most relevant to your needs.

There are also a multitude of online language resources now available, enabling you to dip in and out of a course and progress at your own pace.

Taking this route, however, requires even more discipline, so try to schedule a slot in your diary just as you would do a group class or meeting. Also schedule in time to practise, focusing on repetition, expanding your vocabulary and

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Everyday Skills

adapting phrases for use in a range of contexts.

Once you feel confident in at least the basics of a language it’s a good idea to head abroad and put yourself to the test. This might mean a holiday or an organised study visit, but the key thing is not to surround yourself with a comfort blanket of English speakers. The temptation to fall back on your mother tongue will be too strong and it’s likely you’ll return home with nothing but a suntan.

Immerse yourself fully and don’t be afraid to speak up, even if it means getting it wrong most of the time. Once you are over the initial embarrassment the sense of achievement in getting your message across in another language can be hugely rewarding and your efforts will be met with appreciation and encouragement, which will spur you on even further.

WHY LEARN ANOTHER LANGUAGE? Improves memory, decision making and perception Reduces risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s Improves communication with team members and peers Enables you to get the most out of study visits and work abroad Improves mutual understanding and respect with team members and peers Provides a sense of achievement Practises self-discipline and perseverance

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SUCCESS IS A FEW SIMPLE DISCIPLINES, PRACTISED EVERY DAY; WHILE FAILURE IS SIMPLY A FEW ERRORS IN JUDGEMENT, REPEATED EVERY DAY” JIM ROHN

YOUR CAREER 37 39 43 51 59 65 69

INTRODUCTION STARTING SMALL MARKETING YOURSELF A HEALTHY BALANCE YOUR LEGACY MOVING ON TAKING A CAREER CHANGE

The Self-improvement Guide

IMPROVE THE PERFORMANCE OF YOUR BRAIN

n Stay hydrated n Replenish depleted sugars and nutrients n Aim for a good night’s sleep n Do regular physical exercise n Try mindfulness or meditation n Reduce distractions and minimise interruptions

13% 1/3 4/10 40hrs 49hrs

Globally, half of managers work more than

per week

of the UK working population work

or more per week

say the hours they put in has risen in the last five years

of employees report that managing their personal and professional lives has become more difficult

24%

of managers went back to school to further their development

SOURCE: EY

HOW DO PROFESSIONALS GET TO THE TOP? 60% LEADERSHIP SKILLS

47% TECHNICAL SKILLS

A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE CSR can boost brand reputation and affinity. When companies support social and environmental issues...

36

33%

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

32%

COMPETITIVE NATURE

30% FUTURISTIC OUTLOOK

93%

90%

of consumers have a more positive image of them

are more likely to trust them

88%

65%

are more loyal to them

of MBAs want to make a social or environmental difference in their jobs

Your Career

THE BIGGER PICTURE Words: Alice Hoey, Editor

N

ext time someone tells you that they fell into their career by accident or chance take it with a pinch of salt. Even those who were lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time will often, with a little forethought or willing, have engineered that encounter. The truth is a great job isn’t simply going to land in your lap, it takes planning. Thinking about what you want to do, why you want to do it and how you might get there is the essential first step.

Formal qualifications and training are an important part of that journey, and they provide you with a standardised benchmark or seal of approval of your achievements, one that potential employers understand and can use as a point of comparison. But one only has to look at the number of well-qualified managers and graduates with first degrees who are out of work to see that qualifications alone are not a guarantee of career success.

It’s essential to think of the bigger picture, because organisations need to be impressed by the whole you and they now have a wealth of information at their fingertips to determine if you fit the bill. How strong is your brand and reputation, what on-the-job and off-the-job experience do you have, are you engaging, proactive and inquisitive, and have you made the most of your time and opportunities to improve and develop?

Prioritising activities that will move you towards your career goal makes absolute sense, but that doesn’t mean all else should be ignored. Skills and knowledge are often highly transferable so even if something doesn’t seem immediately relevant it may prove to be a useful asset at some point in the future.

Remember, you don’t know where your career will take you, so developing yourself as a well-rounded, highly skilled, open-minded and proactive professional may well give you the best chance of success.

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Your Career

STARTING SMALL Taking your time to climb the career ladder, whether out of choice or necessity, has many advantages over being catapulted to the top.

Words: Jason Ratcliffe

M

ost novice managers given half a chance would grab a plum job with both hands, but there are risks involved in fast-tracking up the career ladder and advantages to a more gradual ascent.

Whatever the strength and source of your ambition, remember to focus on the value in the learning journey rather than the end destination, because getting there too soon can leave you unprepared and without a safety net.

Although most of us will make slow and steady progress in our careers some people do jump ahead faster than anticipated, whether because their reputation precedes them or because they just happened to be in the right place at the right time. But the early days in any job are tough and it takes strength of character and perseverance to push through, especially in a high-profile and highpressure environment.

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TOUGHENING UP Faced with such a situation, many a novice manager will feel out of their depth and this is in part down to their shortage of experience and so lack of opportunities to build mental resilience.

You’ll know what your management abilities are, but you may not yet know just how resilient you can be when out of your comfort zone and under extreme pressure. On your learning pathway you’ll have the opportunity to build up a good understanding of your level of resilience, whether that’s through experiencing a broad range of situations and challenges or with the help of more formal tools such as psychometric testing.

That experience will also afford you greater awareness of what you are going into. All eyes will be on you in your new role and there may be those who doubt your credentials, so it’s essential that you’ve done the right level of preparation, have the right expectations and are self-aware.

Know your strengths and weaknesses and research what it is you’re going into – what is the structure of the management and team you will be working with? Will you be able to take people with you into the organisation and who might you take? Do they have the aptitude to help you on your way?

This is important because, although in theory it should be possible to learn faster by being plunged in at the deep end, this depends on you having the aptitude to absorb information quickly and on having the right support around you. Making sure you have that trusted support is essential if you’re to keep your head above water long enough to start getting results.

ON SIDE Winning the buy in of the people inside and outside the organisation is also likely to be less of a challenge for managers who have grown their careers in the traditional sense. While you won’t have been given the job without the full confidence of the board, you may find it harder to gain the respect of the very people you’re leading if your reputation and credentials don’t precede you. You will therefore need to engage with stakeholders, fans and team members and demonstrate your authority and confidence in the role early on.

Whatever your reputation, it will get you nowhere until you’ve shown what you can do – how you behave on the pitch or in the boardroom and what you say to the media.

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SECOND CHANCES Mistakes are best avoided in any job, especially when you’re still trying to prove yourself, but we’re all human and some mistakes are inevitable and indeed a central part of our development. In smaller clubs or in lower level roles you may have more opportunities to learn from your errors and to get a second and third chance to adapt or try something new. The impact of mistakes or failures in a larger organisation or role, meanwhile, is likely to be more damaging, more visible and to leave deeper scars on your reputation.

Getting your next role, especially for first or second time managers can be a long and difficult process, but having a solid network of contacts and trusted friends around you can help you to climb back on the ladder more quickly, giving you referrals and advising you on how to develop your skillset and plug any gaps in your knowledge.

But strong networks, again, tend to build over time as you make a positive impression on staff, team members, peers and others in the industry. Failing in a senior or high-profile role before you’ve had the chance to grow and strengthen your network can mean you fall without a safety net.

ENJOY THE JOURNEY Taking smaller steps towards your career goal is usually not so much a conscious strategy as a necessity for managers, but that journey should be enjoyed and valued in making you a stronger leader. It will give you time to experience different scenarios, behaviours, approaches and to learn from the mistakes of others as well as your own.

With fewer resources at your disposal it’s likely you will need to be more hands on, to experience first hand every part of the organisation, the people involved and to gain a more in-depth understanding of how things work at every level.

It will afford you valuable time to build mental resilience, to develop a tougher skin and a greater sense of priorities and perspective. In working with a wide range of people you will develop communication skills and powers of influence and persuasion, all essential at elite level. You will have the opportunity to try out different methods and discover which work and align best with your personal philosophy and, ultimately, you will discover who you are as a leader and who you want to become.

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MARKETING YOURSELF Don’t focus on selling yourself to potential employers, think instead about how best to market yourself.

Words: Prof Sue Bridgewater, University of Liverpool

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hen looking for a new opportunity it can be tempting to send an unsolicited CV, letter or email to every organisation you can think of in an effort to push yourself to the front of the queue.

Sadly, though, this approach rarely succeeds. This is because letters and calls are easily overlooked amidst busy workloads and also because a speculative letter fails to consider the specific requirements and demands of the position, if indeed there is one available.

Marketing is the process of thinking about the needs and wants of a potential customer or employer and then trying to position and communicate your skills and abilities in such a way that they clearly match.

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skills and provide an alternative route forwards. Ask yourself where you are now, where you would like to be and how you are going to get there.

WHERE AM I NOW? When trying to be objective about your skills and capabilities it can help to follow a simple framework called a SWOT analysis. Think about your Strengths, Weaknesses or any barriers you may need to overcome, what Opportunities exist to match your skillset and any potential Threats.

For this to be a productive exercise you will need to be honest with yourself and not overly modest, as many people feel that they are being boastful in listing their strengths. Likewise don’t be too hard on yourself or self-limiting; don’t think “I don’t stand a chance” or “there are too many people out there who have more experience than me”. If you don’t put yourself out there, you will never get an opportunity.

It’s just as important, however, to be truthful, realistic and to avoid exaggerating your strengths and experiences. The truth often comes out in the end and when it does it will cast doubt on everything else you have said about yourself.

STRENGTHS You may well have a list of rational strengths – maybe a lengthy career, qualifications and experience – but don’t forget your ‘emotional’ strengths. You might, for example, have knowledge of or ties to a particular region, have gained respect with people in the organisation or have become a fans’ favourite at your current club.

Competency based strengths meanwhile would include skills and abilities around leadership, motivation and talent spotting, for example.

WEAKNESSES A weakness might be something that you could address with some personal development or training, such as poor IT skills or a fear of public speaking. If, however, the weakness is that you have no experience at that level or in that role, you will need to think more carefully about how you would address concerns about that. Could you provide examples 44

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of transferable skills that you’ve developed in other roles that might show you have what it takes or demonstrate how you plan to plug that skills gap?

OPPORTUNITIES Here you need to research the external market for your desired role and what kinds of skills and abilities it will demand. You might be the first one with a particular skillset to fill a role, so always have ambition, but also look for clues in media reports and job adverts, and research the organisation and its people to work out what they might be looking for in a candidate. Try also to analyse those who would be employing you. Who are those making the decision and what do they want? Do you have particular skills and abilities that you could highlight to make yourself more attractive to them? If you are younger or less experienced do you have people who would make a call for you or endorse your potential?

THREATS Remember that you are in a competitive market and that there is more supply than demand, so make sure that you are visible and so remain top of mind.

Potential roles will not come to you, so you’ll need to seek them out and tailor and target a CV to each opportunity. Moreover you will need to get yourself noticed, whether by making a call or getting a recommendation from someone known to the potential employer.

WHERE DO I WANT TO BE? A good place to start is to reflect on what strengths you have, what you enjoy doing and what your ambitions are. Write down what your dream job would look like and then be realistic about the many steps required to reach that goal. Look at your strengths and weaknesses to build self-awareness of what positions might be best suited to you, and note down the positive and negative points of each option. Some roles make big demands on lifestyle, for example, and may not be conducive to family life, or they might not offer the stability you would like. What would be the deal breakers for you and which opportunities does this rule out?

Take a systematic approach to where you might look for jobs and what kind of role you might be suited to. This might start with researching which are the five or six key organisations in your field of interest and then listing 45

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the roles within those that most appeal. Then refine that list according to the skills and experience they require and which best align with your own. Through this systematic approach you may discover that your strengths are more transferable than you thought, opening doors in sports and other fields that you hadn’t previously considered.

HOW AM I GOING TO GET THERE? If a role is advertised, and very few in football are, look carefully at the job advert for clues on what is required and the desired skills and abilities. Match your SWOT analysis to the desired attributes; even if you don’t have one or two of these, it may still be worth applying.

If you tick none of the boxes, the job may not be right for you at this stage of your career, but at least you have more information about what kinds of skills, abilities and experiences you might need to develop.

If you decide to apply you will need a CV and covering letter, within which you should showcase how you fulfil each desired attribute. You should always have an up-to-date CV available, because when opportunities appear you will need to be ready to seize the moment. You should also consider writing a personal presentation that gives a greater insight into you as a manager, your football philosophy and your approaches to coaching and leadership. It’s likely that you will need to present this kind of information when you apply for a role and you may be asked to do a squad assessment or give other views on the organisation. Think about what you might be asked and how you might respond and consider creating a template presentation that can be adapted to each situation.

Many roles in football are not advertised in the traditional, formal way that you see in other industries. The first indication of a job being available is usually the announcement of the departure of the incumbent, which is often very quickly followed by the announcement of their replacement. It is therefore advantageous to ensure you continually manage your personal connections, ensuring that you are always on people’s radar.

When you are out of work, especially, it is easy to be forgotten or for others to assume that you are not looking, so accept invitations to matches, opportunities to scout, coach, volunteer or otherwise remain involved in the game.

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Take opportunities to build connections, network and get yourself known because, whatever your potential, if no one knows about you you’re unlikely to get an opportunity to prove it. Get out and about, attend education courses, networking events and matches.

Even if you know the potential employer, a CV is a good way to remind them of your abilities and to point out how good a fit you are. There will most likely be other candidates, so you will need to explain how you are different and better for the needs and wants of the employing organisation.

Even if you do all the right things, getting that dream job will not be easy, but some detailed and honest consideration, planning and an understanding of how to market yourself effectively will increase your chances of success.

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10 STEPS TO THE PERFECT CV TAILOR IT TO THE ROLE If you are applying for more than one type of role you may need a different CV for each, highlighting the skills and abilities that match the needs and wants of each employer.

CHECK GRAMMAR AND SPELLING Some employers reject candidates outright if their CVs contain more than one or two typos. Get someone else to check it through.

KEEP IT SHORT A CV should be no more than two sides. The recruiter or selection committee may have to look through many applications and a long one is unlikely to be read.

REVERSE CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER Put your timeline of experience in reverse order with the most recent first.

CONSIDER A SHORT PROFILE AT THE BEGINNING This is a brief profile summarising the key attributes you have for the particular role. If time is short, this might be the key to getting the rest of the CV read.

TAKE A MARKETING APPROACH Think about the target audience. What is the role? What might this club or organisation need or want from the ideal candidate?

If there is no job advert, do some detective work and research.

Highlight the skills and abilities you have that make you suitable for this specific role.

LEAVE OUT UNNECESSARY DETAILS Nobody needs to know the name of your wife and children, for example. Only include what’s relevant.

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SUBSTANCE OVER STYLE Glossy CVs, colour pictures, bound brochures; all of these are available in the market, but while they may make you stand out, don’t forget that it’s the words that count. Make sure that what you are highlighting is the key message you wish to communicate in a concise and professional CV. Plain A4 typed is fine.

BE SPECIFIC AND GIVE EXAMPLES Give an example of when and where you have led, identified or coached and developed a player with examples and names where possible, particularly if they are well known.

ACHIEVEMENT ORIENTED Highlight your successes at whatever level, including what you have achieved by leading, reorganising a system or introducing something new.

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A HEALTHY BALANCE Most of us know that being physically fit and healthy is essential if we’re to keep pace with what is a very punishing career. But many of us still underestimate the impact that our mental and emotional state of mind can have on our performance.

Words: Dr Dorian Dugmore, Wellness Academy

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t’s par for the course in management that most of your time will be spent focusing on other people – their physical and mental wellbeing, their performance and motivation – often at the expense of your own health and happiness. But while this selflessness might seem a necessary evil in order to succeed and survive, it is unsustainable.

We know from a plethora of international research that taking insufficient time to recharge and recuperate, mentally and physically, can have a negative effect on the memory, on concentration, judgements and decision making.

Managers therefore need to ensure that the physical and emotional energy they expend each day is balanced with enough time to recover and regain focus. In short, a little me time goes a long way to avoiding burnout, ill health and breakdown.

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While that can mean simply taking time away from work to reconnect with friends and family, it can also be very valuable to have an interest outside of your sphere of work. Engaging in something you enjoy and that you can totally lose yourself in is a key part of being balanced and looking after your mental and emotional health. If you are out of work, meanwhile, make sure you take advantage of this valuable time to recuperate your physical and mental strength, reflect and recharge.

REGAIN CONTROL Mind and body are inexorably linked and this is demonstrated perfectly by the stress response, something we all experience to various degrees countless times each day. When you sense something that you perceive to be a threat – whether that be a loud bang, the potential embarrassment of having to give a speech or the risk of losing face in a big challenge – your body goes into fightor-flight mode. This prepares you physically to either flee the risk or defend yourself, so the heart races and the breath quickens as adrenaline pumps through the body. The evolutionary aim was a positive one – survival – but these days it can be a hindrance, causing us to panic or choke just when we need to stay calmest and most measured.

If we can learn to control the stress response we can perform better in high-pressure situations, and it also protects our bodies from the damage done by being under constant duress. The change in body chemistry when you’re stressed and the associated physiological responses can be detrimental to your health when you’re subjected to them frequently.

The rise in adrenaline, for example, causes a rise in heart rate and blood pressure, cortisol reduces your immune protection, while interleukin 6 causes inflammation.

Moderate regular exercise can help to dissipate the negative effects of stress on the body while simply finding time to relax in your own space at the end of the day is more important than you might think. Practices such as deep breathing, yoga, meditation and mindfulness can help to engage the vagus nerve supplying the heart, lungs and upper digestive tract, helping you to regain some control and counter the body’s stress response. It also promotes tension release and emotional balance, so can help you fall asleep more easily.

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NO MAN IS AN ISLAND Precious few people ever succeed without the help and support of those around them, so learning to ask for help, advice or just a shoulder to cry on is valuable not just to our mental wellbeing but also our performance.

Great leaders want to be a rock for everyone else, but it’s important to be aware of the problems this can lead to, emotional and physical, and be able to spot the warning signs. There is no weakness in admitting you feel isolated or are finding it difficult to cope – these feelings are very common in sport and business – and certainly no shame in asking for help.

There are immense benefits to sharing key challenges with those you trust or what we call ‘wise counsel’, not least because it allows you to think outside the box and helps to avoid isolated decisions, which may be wrong or rash. There is also an art in stepping back and taking time to consider the outcomes of key decisions.

Seeking the opinions of others who you trust, even if you have a strong gut feeling about a decision, can also benefit you physically as it reduces stress.

Feeling constantly stressed to get things done and seemingly never having the time to achieve your goals usually leads to frustration and can result in raised blood pressure, irregular heart rhythms, blood lipid abnormalities and digestive disorders, among other things. Better planning, having the right people around you, prioritising tasks more effectively and delegating to others who are capable and who you can trust, can all help.

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BE HARDY In 1979, Suzanne Kobasa identified six characteristics of individuals who are hardy, able to solve problems and reduce any feelings of isolation. They make time for regular exercise and allow short periods of quiet to feature in their day, because cognitive fatigue means you can’t concentrate and you make more mistakes. Sharing humour and fun with others, having a good support system and developing a belief and values system that shows involvement and concern for others are also key characteristics.

Try to: REFUEL IN A SMARTER WAY There is no perfect brain food, but the Mediterranean diet is as close as it gets. Avoid trans-fats, as research suggests they are linked to poor memory and cognitive function.

DRINK STILL WATER A small drop in hydration levels leads to a 20 per cent drop in mental function.

EXERCISE 30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise boosts the release of neurotransmitters, which protect the brain and open up the potential for new ways of doing things. It also keeps us connected with others and mentally healthy.

SLEEP FOR 7-8 HOURS Miss out on this and you’re much more likely to suffer from cognitive fatigue. If you are constantly tired, go to bed 20 minutes earlier each night until you wake up refreshed and recovered from your sleep debt.

TAKE BRAIN BREAKS The cycle for productive thinking and feeling less isolated is 90 minutes, so use this as your marker for taking a break.

SHARE Protect your circle of close friends and share problems with others you trust; this is a cognitive release technique vital to reducing the feeling of isolation.

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SPOT THE SIGNS: BURNOUT problems sleeping being increasingly aggressive irritability and impatience, even over the tiniest things feelings of isolation inward thinking a loss of control Try to: LISTEN TO YOUR BODY We all show signs or symptoms of feeling the pressure, whether it be a rapid or irregular pulse, a rise in temperature or symptoms of an irritable bowel. Recognise these symptoms in yourself so you can act on them before they lead to something more serious.

TAKE REGULAR BREAKS The brain needs a break every 90mins to two hours. This cognitive rest – which can be as simple as leaving your desk for a few minutes or taking a short walk - helps to reduce the negative effects of stress hormones such as excessive cortisol and adrenaline on the body. Breathe deeply while you do it, as this helps to regulate heart rhythms and promote an endorphin release.

LET IT GO Being able to let go of a grievance or upset has the effect of releasing the tension that goes with it, benefiting your wellbeing and particularly your heart health.

GO ON HOLIDAY Breaks from the treadmill of work are not so much a luxury as a necessity. They give us time to spend with the people who are close to us, gain some perspective and mentally and physically recharge.

They are also often when we do our best thinking.

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YOUR LEGACY Self-improvement is as much about being better as it is doing better. If we want to be the best we can be we need to see the bigger picture.

Words: Dominic Irvine, Epiphanies

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hen I am poring over masses of data and feel overwhelmed I remember the tactics taught to me as a postgraduate research student by my supervisor, Professor Peter Taylor. He suggested we scan for anomalies, a great way to start making sense of complexity.

But while I will never forget his techniques, it is the way that Peter managed me that I remember so well. I came out of every discussion clearer in my understanding of what needed to be done and motivated to do it.

Then there was, well, let’s call him William. William was a lazy manager who handed out tasks either because he had forgotten he needed to do them or because he wanted to avoid having to face up to the people he had wronged. I remember William for all the wrong reasons.

I have competed in various ironman challenges and in 2015 broke the world record for cycling from Lands End to John o’Groats on a tandem, and I can remember the best and worst coaches I’ve had. Despite asking me to keep a 57

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regular commentary in my training log, one coach never seemed to read it. I even wrote in the notes one day, “Are you reading this?” It was clear that he wasn’t and we stopped working together soon afterwards.

Compare this to Professor Simon Jobson who coaches me today. He checks my training log daily even when on holiday and offers his thoughts in response to my commentary. I talk about both men today but in very different ways.

YOUR EULOGY The point is, your behaviour can either provide a warning or set an example. The measurable legacy that you leave in terms of the targets or final positions you achieved, the profitability and efficiency of the organisations or teams you led, the silverware you brought home or some other dimension of performance will be recorded but forgotten relatively quickly.

What will live on for a lifetime is the impact that you have on others. That may be those you work with or lead, those who have never met you but who are inspired and influenced by you or those in the community whose lives or causes you choose to give your time and help to. This is, in effect, your personal brand. It’s the personification of your values, what matters to you and how you demonstrate this in your thoughts, words and deeds.

If someone was writing a eulogy about you, what would you most like it to say? “He won a lot of trophies” or “He was an inspiration to all who worked with him”? Would you just like it to number your greatest professional achievements or also to list the charities you championed, the personal sacrifices you made and the standards you upheld?

During the long career of US golf legend Arnold Palmer, he won more than 90 tournaments worldwide, including seven majors. When, sadly, he passed away in September, though, it was not these accolades that were the focus of his tributes.

The US Golf Association called him “golf’s greatest ambassador”, Tiger Woods tweeted, “Thanks Arnold for your friendship, counsel and a lot of laughs. Your philanthropy and humility are part of your legend.” BBC golf correspondent Iain Carter said, “His force of charisma put the game on the map and it never dimmed,” while golfer Zach Johnson tweeted, “My heart aches with the passing of the King. What he did for golf cannot be measured.

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Athlete, pioneer, philanthropist, family man and much more.”

We are not born great managers or bad managers. We behave in the way we do because we choose to be that way. There is no law that requires you to be either excessively nice or horribly unpleasant, it’s a choice. It’s not enough just to be good to create a legacy – most of your teachers at school were probably ‘good’, but how many can you remember? It’s the exceptional ones that stay with you.

GIVE TO GET Your legacy can go way beyond the people you manage. We become inured to our circumstances and forget how lucky we are. I was explaining to a young hockey player who was upset because a slot in the England squad eluded her.

In the year she was born so too were 621,871 other people in the UK. Roughly half were girls. Of those 310,000, a significant number will play hockey at some point. To get to compete for a place in the final couple of dozen is to be part of an incredibly small elite group of people. In this context, it’s sad not to have got further but something to celebrate to get so far. We should keep a sense of perspective. There are millions of people who will never get to do what you do.

Spending time with even just a few of them can give some hope, some courage and a sense of possibility. Like chillies in a dish, you don’t need very much to make a hell of a difference. You only need to give a small amount of time to have a significant impact on others. In so doing, it will help remind you of how lucky you are as well as benefiting others. Do it with members of your team and it will help them recalibrate too.

IT’S A HABIT Creating a legacy is not something you do once and tick off the checklist.

It’s a lifetime’s work. It requires personal mastery in the way that you treat others. By definition it means not doing what everyone else does, but being better than many others. It requires you to ask yourself how you would like to be remembered, working out the behaviour that will deliver that memory and then behaving in that way, day in, day out. Best of all, it’s intensely satisfying and rewarding giving to others.

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NEXT STEPS Try to value your long-term legacy over short-term goals.

Think about who most inspires you and who you respect the most and why that is.

Take some time to think about what is really important to you outside of your day-to-day work. Is there some way that you can engage with that more deeply or on another level?

At the end of each week recap on what you have taken and what you have given, be it advice, consolation, a non-judgemental ear, time or support.

How could you tip the balance more towards giving?

Think about how much your work means to you and how incredible it is to be doing something you love. How might you be able to share it with those less fortunate?

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MOVING ON Leaving a role out of choice needs to be the result of long consideration and careful preparation.

Words: Jason Ratcliffe

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ften when managers leave their clubs it’s not something they have chosen to do. There will be occasions, though, when you feel it’s time to move on, perhaps because of a family situation or because a new opportunity has presented itself.

Perhaps you’re itching to pursue a new challenge, take a sabbatical or embark on a study visit. You may not be totally comfortable with the direction the organisation is heading in or you feel that you can go no further in your current position. You may decide you don’t have the resources to build the club as you would like or to try the things you want to.

HOME TRUTHS Whatever the reason, it’s important to consider all of the costs and benefits of leaving the organisation and think about how you might make the move in the most positive way possible. Your exit strategy should be bullet-proof rather 63

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than based on vague intentions and ideally you shouldn’t leave without either a concrete job offer or a solid plan of what the next step in your development journey will be.

Be honest with yourself about what is expected of you and how realistic those expectations are. How far have you come, where do you want to get to and what more can you achieve in your current role? This applies as much to the people you are leading as it does the wider plan and resources, because when you push against people too hard with your ideas they can rebel and it can be destructive.

Managing your own expectations and those of others is therefore important, as is acknowledging quickly when you start a role what the potential is and how far you’re likely to be able to push things.

ANOTHER VIEW It can be helpful to take some informed advice when weighing up the options available to you. There may be cases, for example, when it is better for you to take control rather than see how the situation pans out. Seeking a confidential sounding board, such as the LMA, as well as advice on your legal standing is a good starting point to help assess the likely risks and negative impact of taking a course of action. Trusted friends may also be able to provide another perspective on your situation or raise issues that you may not yet have considered.

If you decide that the time is right to leave, do so with grace and respect, aiming to minimise the damage and maintain a positive relationship with your organisation.

Give your reasons for leaving, being positive, constructive and grateful, and remain professional at all times. Don’t use it as an opportunity to air grievances or make a point and maintain your professional stance after you have left as well.

How you leave a job can reflect positively or negatively on your reputation.

Ultimately, though, the impression you leave people with won’t depend on your last days alone but on the impact you have made over your tenure – your behaviour and leadership. Behave in a professional manner and work hard at all times and you will put yourself in the best position should you decide to depart.

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BEFORE YOU LEAVE Check your obligations under your contract.

Make sure you have a plan, whether that’s a concrete job offer, study visit, route into learning or set goals that you want to work towards.

Write a formal resignation letter – ask the LMA for help here.

Have face-to-face meetings with the team you’ve been working with to thank them and wish them well.

Exchange personal contact details so that you can maintain your network when you’ve gone.

Give sufficient notice and consider your replacement. Don’t leave people in the lurch.

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TAKING A CAREER CHANGE Not every career path is linear. There may come a time when you decide to use your skills in an altogether different way.

Charlie Mulraine, the PCA

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t’s natural to experience the odd bad day at work or to go through periods when your enthusiasm for what you do is just not what it used to be. You may even have thoughts of moving on or away from your job or career, or a yearning to try something new or different.

It’s important, though, to be honest with yourself about what’s really behind this desire for change. Is it merely a severe case of the Monday blues or a deeper feeling of dissatisfaction? Is it the resurfacing of a long-held ambition or a need to move towards something that will reignite your drive and challenge you in new ways?

Consider also what you might be able to change in your current job that would make it more fulfilling and address some of your concerns. Could you, for example, find fresh inspiration or perspectives from people inside or outside your current field? Are there any opportunities to take on more responsibilities or could you find a new challenge to get your teeth stuck into? Perhaps it’s not 67

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the profession you are unhappy with, but rather the particular organisation you are in.

Try to reconnect with the elements of the job you used to enjoy and remind yourself why and how you arrived at this point – what motivated you and what did you find were the most compelling rewards? Can you say the same about yourself in the role today?

Think also about how you are able to make a positive difference in your current role, perhaps by speaking to your wider team or seeking feedback from trusted friends and associates. It may be that you’re contributing far more and have made more of an impact than you were aware of, so be sure to consider the wider impact of any change of direction. There is some truth to the saying ‘the grass is always greener’, so take time to consider your current position from every angle before deciding whether a new career is the answer.

MATCHING SUPPLY AND DEMAND If after long consideration you’re confident that your desire for change is more deeply rooted and can’t be addressed within your current or a similar role, a change in direction may be the right move. However, first you need a new trajectory to aim for.

In deciding where to go and what to do next, ask what is most important to you, whether that be career advancement, financial rewards, achieving a personal ambition, day-to-day job satisfaction, a greater sense of fulfilment or perhaps a better work-life balance. Think also about what your core values are, what brings you most satisfaction and what motivates you to go to work every morning.

Clarity about what a career change would provide is vital because, by marrying it up with your personal needs, it will help you to make the right decision. It will also give you the fuel to maintain your momentum; knowing why you’re making this change can strengthen your resolve when times get tough.

CONDUCT A SELF AUDIT Whether or not you know which career you want to move into, now is an excellent time to conduct an audit of your skills and experience. Define your experience by asking yourself what knowledge you possess, how you carry out your role responsibilities and how you deliver results. How do you do things 68

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differently to others, what are your signature strengths and what comes naturally to you? What do people compliment you on? There are some excellent personality profiling tools on the market that can assist you in this process, and working with a practitioner qualified in delivering these tools can further develop your self-understanding.

As well as helping you to become more aware of what you can offer, your transferable skills and what gaps you might need to fill, going through this process can also generate inspiration on possible new directions in which to take your career.

Be careful, though, as it’s quite possible that working on skills alone you’ll arrive back at career choices that are similar to your current role. Make sure, therefore, that when doing your audit you don’t simply reel off what’s on your CV; instead include any hidden passions, your hobbies and wider interests.

Think also about what subjects you’re drawn to that you hadn’t previously considered as careers or any activities that you used to engage with that you could revisit. How might your skills, abilities and knowledge be applied in these areas? If there are any individuals, organisations or causes that you particularly admire, ask yourself what it is about them that attracts you.

Once you’ve researched and identified a role or type of role to target you can start to map out a plan for getting there. Not only does a plan provide you with a clear sense of direction but setting daily or weekly actions also helps to maintain your momentum.

As part of this plan include people in your network who might be able to help you achieve your goals and any areas of your knowledge or training that will need to be built on. Think long term, because you may not be able to get there straight away or even in the near term. It will take time, effort, determination and often retraining to make headway in your new direction.

BE BRAVE Many people consider a change in career at some point in their lives, but many don’t follow through with it, often due to fear and self doubt. However, if you’ve carried out the steps mentioned here then your decision will be based on careful thought, self-assessment and awareness and thorough research, so you are in the best position to know whether any fear is rational. Is it merely a fear of the unknown or of being out of your comfort zone or have 69

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you overlooked some vital piece of information? It can help to draw on your bank of experience here, remembering how you handled periods of change and uncertainty in the past. Is this something you are capable of dealing with again?

Believe in yourself, because it’s likely that many of your core skills and competencies are highly transferable. There’s more than one calling for each of us; what might yours be?

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CHANGING DIRECTION? REMEMBER: WHO WILL BE AFFECTED? Taking the decision to change career is likely to affect the people closest to you, so what are their thoughts? Knowing you have their support can be a great confidence boost, especially as changing direction can feel isolating.

TRY BEFORE YOU BUY There is an element of risk in changing your career, so it’s wise to conduct some research before fully committing. Is there the possibility of volunteering within the field? Can you shadow anyone who is working in your area of interest?

BE REALISTIC ABOUT YOUR FINANCES Being in a stable position financially makes changing career less stressful. Conduct an audit of your income and outgoings. Do you have enough money to fund any time spent out of work? Do you need to start saving for any courses or training?

THINK AND GET INSPIRED Change requires you to step out of your comfort zone, so finding a place that encourages you to think differently and creatively can really help push your thoughts into new directions. Climbing a hill and looking at the houses and fields below can help you to think outside of yourself and see the bigger picture. If this isn’t for you try some music or a venue that’s not part of your usual routine. Physically being in a different place can really help your imagination to do the same.

STAY ALERT Once you have a clear idea of what career you want, be alert to any opportunities that become available, paid and unpaid, that might help you move in the right direction. Sometimes these come from random conversations with friends or strangers or simply from sharing your ideas with them. Moments like this are often presented to you when you have a clearer picture of what it is you want in life.

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TO AVOID CRITICISM, DO NOTHING, SAY NOTHING, AND BE NOTHING” ELBERT HUBBARD

BROADENING YOUR KNOWLEDGE 77 79 85 91 97 101

INTRODUCTION NETWORKING FEEDBACK MENTORING ONLINE RESOURCES STUDY VISITS

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CONNECTED 80% of NFL players go broke within three years of retiring SOURCE: FORBES

SMARTPHONES HAVE OVERTAKEN LAPTOPS AS UK INTERNET USERS’ NUMBER ONE DEVICE

YOUNG PEOPLE SPEND MORE TIME ONLINE THAN THEY DO WATCHING TV

THERE ARE AN ESTIMATED 3.2 BILLION PEOPLE IN THE WORLD WITH ACCESS TO THE INTERNET

5.6 1/4 28% 88% 24%

The optimal number of positive comments you should give for every negative one for high performance SOURCE: FORBES

of us don’t currently network at all

of professionals have found or been referred to a new role through a network connection

41%

would like to do more networking, but don’t feel they have enough time SOURCE: E&Y

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Mentoring can increase managerial productivity by

when managers are involved in a corporate mentorship program, compared to only a

70% 40%

of learning on the job occurs informally SOURCE: CLEARCOMPANY.COM

of employees who receive poor job training leave their positions within the first year SOURCE: CLEARCOMPANY.COM

increase when managers received training but no mentor SOURCE: ASTD

WHAT DO EMPLOYERS WANT?

SOURCE: UNIVERSAM

58%

58%

15%

rate work experience as the priority

said personality was most important

were looking for a degree from a specific university

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LOOK AROUND YOU Words: Alice Hoey, Editor

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our mind, just like your physical body, needs energy to grow and the greater the volume of sustenance and the higher its quality the faster that growth will be. The question is, therefore, where are you going to find all that brain food?

Courses and formal training are invaluable sources of information and guidance, but they are only part of the answer. Learning doesn’t stop when you hand in your final coursework or complete your last day of training; that’s just the beginning, because brain food is everywhere.

Great leaders and managers find learning opportunities in everything from a casual conversation with a close friend to a speech by someone in an entirely different field of work. It may come via a link shared by a colleague, in feedback from a supervisor or in the advice of a mentor.

You can learn from those above you in the pecking order as well as from the people you are leading, and benefit as much from your mistakes as from your successes.

Part of the skill of learning is knowing where to look for new ideas and who to turn to for feedback on how you are doing. And it’s having the confidence to sort through and extract what is truly useful and applicable in your context.

There’s a mountain of information out there, so this section of the guide may help you sort the wheat from the chaff.

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NETWORKING To put your knowledge into practice and gain all-important experience, doors will need to be opened; that’s when who you know can make all the difference.

Words: Alice Hoey, Editor

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obody makes it into the senior echelons of management based on their connections alone. However, it’s equally true that equipping yourself with the necessary skills and knowledge isn’t always enough to launch a career and progress it forward.

Being in the right place at the right time, making the right connections and knowing how to use them can improve your chances of getting a foot in the door. Once through, meanwhile, a solid network of connections can help you to deal with the challenges of management and grow and learn more quickly.

OILING THE COGS Some networking happens naturally as part of the job, because building and maintaining healthy working relationships with people inside and outside the organisation is part of great leadership.

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And, as we move from one organisation, course or job to the next, we pick up friendships and acquaintances like leaves on a wheel. As we gain some we lose others, and we may be happy to just sit comfortably in our immediate social sphere, not actively seeking out new contacts.

But we can also be more strategic about our networking by being proactive about expanding our personal and professional circles and making better use of existing connections. While this can be a challenge for some people, the benefits can be considerable.

Networking at group industry events and courses, for example, can be an invaluable way to stay abreast of issues in your field of business and a great opportunity to bounce ideas off people and get a different perspective. Even if they don’t have the answer, they might know someone who does.

FRIEND OF A FRIEND Having a network of people who not only know your expertise and experience, but also feel they have a warm relationship with you can also put you ahead in terms of career development, because however great your skills and qualifications, they are next to useless if nobody knows about them.

Many of the opportunities that arise from networking result from personal referrals, such as a personal recommendation of your abilities and likeability to a potential employer or a tip off of someone who might be great for your team. These kinds of referrals from friends or associates are like gold dust, because rather than going in cold, the introduction has already been made, and your or the other party’s credibility and credentials are established in advance.

BOLD MOVES Although referrals tend to follow naturally, there’s no harm in being bold and asking someone if they know of anyone with particular skills or even requesting an introduction. The more often that you stick your head above the parapet and network among peers, potential partners and employees, the more your profile will be raised and the stronger the reputation and authority that you can build.

You are also more likely to get referrals, as you will be the one that pops into people’s heads when they have something to offer.

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process – an exchange of knowledge, opinions and contacts – and if you bring value to the relationship you are more likely to benefit from it. Sharing your own experiences and views will engender other people’s trust in you and you will become known as a knowledgeable, reliable and supportive person.

SMALL TALK For all the benefits, regularly pushing yourself to have conversations with people you don’t know well comes easier to some of us than others, but that in itself can make it a valuable learning opportunity. Setting aside what might come of it, the act of face-to-face networking can help to increase your confidence and improve your communication skills.

If you’re alone at a function, try to be observant of other people’s body language to identify who, like you, is standing alone. Approach them, extend your hand and say ‘hi’. Often you’ll find that they were waiting for someone to do just that. One of the easiest ways to break the ice is to ask questions, starting with something broad and then honing in on what you discover the other person is interested in. If you are planning on networking at a particular event, and especially where most people work in a particular field, it pays to do a little homework. Browse the day’s headlines or gen up on topics you think might be of interest to those present so that you are armed with just enough to kickstart a conversation.

As well as helping to get you both talking, asking questions on the other person’s work or interests makes them feel like an expert and so good about themselves. They are then more likely to reciprocate and want to find out more about you.

It also helps to have thought in advance about what you’ll say when somebody asks the inevitable ‘so what do you do’ or ‘what are you up to these days’. Be concise, relevant and passionate and, rather than trying to sell yourself, focus on listening to the other person; let them guide the conversation.

While many people make the mistake of approaching networking when they need to achieve something, the long-term approach is far more effective. But while building a strong and lengthy personal grapevine may take time and effort, the fruits are likely to be well worth it.

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8 TIPS TO GET CONNECTED Attend events that are most relevant to you and your business.

Arrive early, so you avoid walking into a room full of people who are already in conversation.

Be confident in your language and actions. People buy certainty and confidence, but turn away from arrogance.

Talk less and learn more. It is no coincidence that you will also learn more when someone else is talking.

Become a gatekeeper and go-to contact. Build your strong contact network over time so that other people think of you first when they need help and advice.

First impressions count, so make yours positive, from your appearance and handshake to your attitude and body language.

Always follow up with the contacts you make.

BENEFITS OF NETWORKING Helps you stay abreast of issues in your field Expands your knowledge Gives reassurance on your ideas and decisions Gives you different perspectives Gets your name and achievements out there Allows you to benefit from referrals, in both directions Gets you known as a trusted authority Builds your self-confidence and social and communication skills

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FEEDBACK The opinions of trusted friends, colleagues and mentors are essential if we are to improve and develop. But how can you make the most of that feedback?

Words: Michael Caulfield, Sporting Edge

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any of us fear feedback and become insecure and uncomfortable with the idea that someone’s opinion about how we are doing something might be different to our own. But feedback is an invaluable part of self-assessment, a means of understanding our strengths and weaknesses in the eyes of others, seeking reassurance on what we are doing and getting valuable alternative perspectives.

Who, then, should we turn to for feedback? Many of us will avoid seeking the opinions of colleagues or superiors, even if they are the best equipped to provide them, because we don’t want to appear ignorant or inexperienced. We would rather turn to friends and family as they’re more likely to tell us what we want to hear and be sympathetic to our problems.

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experience of others in different fields and from those who aren’t afraid to challenge us. Avoid confiding in ‘yes men’ and instead seek out people whose opinion and integrity you know and trust and who are more likely to give you an honest and constructive answer.

SEEK HONESTY A retired major general recently illustrated why honesty is so important, saying to me, “The trouble with being a general is that everyone laughs at your jokes even when they are awful. Worse, they will often agree with you, even if you are wrong, as no one thinks they can challenge you.”

It’s worth asking yourself if you tend to invite being challenged or prefer to go through life wondering if you are getting it right. While general consensus and compliance might seem to provide an easy life it will ultimately result in the same mistakes being repeated over again. Constructive, honest feedback, meanwhile, can lead to a positive change in your behaviour and performance.

Ask trusted colleagues and friends also for feedback on your behaviour, because none of us is completely aware of how we come across to others.

FEEDBACK IS NOT INSTRUCTION It’s important to remember that while anyone can give advice, it won’t always be sensible, sincere or applicable in your situation and you don’t have to follow it. Therefore, just as confidence is needed to seek advice and support, it takes strength of character to decide whether to follow or ignore it.

Never act immediately on advice or feedback. Give yourself time to digest it and figure out whether or not you agree and should act on it. While your initial reaction to an opinion might be to go on the defensive or dismiss it out of hand, given time it may start to make more sense. Vice versa, any kind, supportive words need just as much time to bed in. It’s easy to get carried away with the great feeling when someone supports everything you’re doing, but is that helpful? Are they just telling you what you want to hear?

Get a second, third and fourth opinion if you can, and go to people who will come at the issue from different perspectives or who can bring contrasting experiences to the table. Actively look to find opposing sides of the argument and ask independent parties who will have a fresh take on things.

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structured training and education there is an essential practical side that comes from sharing with other leaders our experiences, opportunities, challenges and issues. It is about the ability to ask ‘what did you do when?

What would you do if? How did you react to? Can I ask your advice? And has this happened to you?

HOW TO GIVE FEEDBACK DON’T DELAY Wait too long and your words may come too late to help in the other person’s decision-making process.

BE DIRECT AND SPECIFIC Any uncertainty or haziness will water down your message and, worse, could seed more doubts in the recipient’s mind.

BACK IT UP People are more likely to take a view on board if they understand the reasoning behind it. Let them see where you’re coming from, why you feel the way you do and what experience you have on the matter.

BE SENSITIVE Think about how and when you are going to give advice or feedback, especially if they haven’t asked for it. Avoid times when either of you is rushed, under pressure or feeling particularly vulnerable, as it will affect how they take your words.

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FEEDBACK SESSIONS DO...

Make feedback a regular event, rather than an annual or biannual event. As well as allowing you to act on any comments without delay, your people will become more accustomed to giving and taking feedback and hopefully will speak more openly and honestly.

Feedback sessions should feel very much a part of the culture of the organisation. For the process to be most constructive, everyone involved should know when it’s going to happen, why and how it works so that they feel comfortable with it and have time to prepare their thoughts.

Share the outcomes of feedback sessions so that people can see their value, whether that’s an improvement or reward of an individual or changes in how things are done based on team-members’ opinions.

Use the sandwich technique. If you need to give negative feedback or some constructive criticism, give positive feedback before and after it, as this will help the advice to sink in.

Choose the right location. If you’re simply giving a quick bit of feedback then a quiet corridor might suffice, but planned sessions should take place somewhere private and quiet away from noise and distractions.

Close the session by welcoming their thoughts and checking that your feedback has been understood and remembered. Try asking them to repeat back to you the main points discussed.

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FEEDBACK SESSIONS DON’T...

Overdo it. Even important points can usually be made relatively concisely and hammering the point home over a long drawn-out meeting isn’t necessarily more productive than a short feedback session where your message is brief but crystal clear.

Let feedback go unnoticed. Frame it so the other person understands you’re giving them important feedback rather than just making observations. Start by saying, for example, ‘I’d like to give you some feedback from the last few weeks.’

Intimidate. Remember that most people hate feedback, so try to put the other person at ease, perhaps with positive comments early on or by choosing a less formal meeting place.

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MENTORING With high expectations of immediate results in fields such as football, it’s critical that leaders surround themselves with people who can support and challenge them in equal measure.

Words: Jeremy Snape, Sporting Edge

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hen you’re faced with a challenge, problem or personal issue, little compares to having the ear of a guide or a mentor, someone who knows the terrain or from whose experience lessons can be learned.

Finding a mentor is a sign of ambition not weakness and those who are brave enough to make the first step will find their journey speeding up straight away.

Unless it’s specific or tactical insight that you crave, your mentor needn’t have experience in your exact field. Indeed it can pay dividends to get an alternative angle. So while you may wish to call on a respected figure in the industry to observe your training regime or help you resolve a sticky situation, someone from the business world, the military or charitable sector may be able to provide an alternative perspective.

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GETTING STARTED Mentoring is not like teaching, which is a one-way flow of facts, and it isn’t like coaching, which uses questions to encourage the recipient to find their own answers. Mentoring is about the flow of expertise down the gradient of experience.

This means picking the right person is key. Start by considering the most important areas of your development and who is world class in those fields.

Shorten your target list to the people who you could realistically approach and connect with, because like any relationship the chemistry between you and your mentor has to be right. While it would be easy to pick someone you already know and are friendly with, this needs to go beyond personality. You will need to find someone who you respect and who can challenge you in your target areas of development.

Depending on your needs, the mentoring relationship could range from a casual coffee once in a while through to a structured face-to-face meeting each month. Given that this could be an extra commitment for your mentor, consider the best way to approach it. Once you’ve met and outlined your interest, it may be best to start with a small, set number of contact points.

Scheduling, say, three monthly chats doesn’t sound too onerous, will bring focus to the sessions and provide an easy get out clause if it isn’t working. Equally, if things are going well at that point, you may both see the benefit in extending the sessions.

MAKING THE CONNECTION Each relationship will differ, so it’s important at the beginning to set out the parameters of how you want to work together, as its harder to revisit this further down the line. It’s likely that both of you will have busy schedules, so being realistic about what you can commit to and then honouring that will be important in building trust.

Confidentiality is also crucial as you will need to share your ideas and vulnerabilities as the sessions progress and to get maximum benefit this needs to be done in a safe environment.

Each session should have specific learning outcomes and they should be agreed and refined before each session by both sides. This ensures that you are not trying to boil the ocean and also starts to get you both thinking through 90

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your most valuable contributions ahead of the session. Summary notes are good practice and can be helpful in wrapping up a session, and providing clear take-home points and evidence that messages have landed.

MENTORING SKILLS Most mentors enter the relationship because they want to, not because they need to, which is a good indication that the benefits flow both ways. Mentoring is not an opportunity to show off about what you achieved ‘back in the day’ or to be the font of all knowledge, it’s to help convert someone else’s ambition into improved results.

This mindset comes from mentors remaining inquisitive and enjoying the challenge of solving problems. Their egos don’t force them to speak down to you or crave attention, they simply empathise with what you are experiencing and care enough to help you through it.

The first sign that someone might be a great mentor is their ability to ask great questions - short, simple and targeted. It feels like they should be saying more but they shouldn’t, they’ve got to the heart of the matter. They will also be a brilliant listener, which means that they can probe with questions to find out the detail and as you offload 15 minutes full of tangled problems, they simply nod, empathise where appropriate and encourage you to talk.

The defining point of a mentor is their ability to cut through the complexity and simplify the challenge. After hearing your monologue, they can distil your ramblings into two or three key points that encapsulate the entire situation.

When things are presented so clearly it can feel very clinical, but it shows they were not only listening to every word you said but also translating it with a structure and clarity that you couldn’t have reached on your own.

The next stage is to take each of these challenges and explore the potential options and choices to move them forward. Expect them to flex their muscles here as your current thinking got you into this mess so you will need to be challenged to think differently. This is not a time for excuses, it’s time to move forward positively into solution mode.

Then, when you hit a road block in your thinking, a great mentor will unleash their most powerful weapon – the story. This carefully chosen narrative runs in parallel with your own current experiences and might alarm you at its relevance.

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your responsibility to convert their carefully chosen words and wisdom into action.

Finally, your mentor won’t be happy leaving with a nice chat; they joined this relationship to see you move on, so they will reconnect you with your strengths and provide positive feedback for you to make those concrete commitments with dates, times and outcomes.

Seeing you enter the conversation demoralised and confused and leave confident and focused is the best gift you could give your mentor, so work hard in each session to end with a resolution. This is the magic of mentoring because it gives energy both ways. The ‘mentee’ has air cover, advice and a respected sounding board to help their careers and the mentor gets to see their valued wisdom find new life.

WHO CAN BE A MENTOR? The short answer is anyone. It is not age dependent, in fact reverse mentoring can also be useful. This is where younger people with less, or at least different, experience give their support and advice to those higher up the career ladder.

I’ve seen, for example, schemes where a group of millennials coached members of their organisation’s board on how to use apps and social media.

Sometimes things are too complex and fast paced for one person to be an expert about everything, so the best organisations pull on the collective intelligence of the team to solve problems.

High performers are lifelong learners; they are the last to say ‘I’ve made it’ so keep searching for people to help you reach the next level. When we consider mentoring it’s because of our burning desire to reach the top of our own careers, but to other people, we ourselves are the ones who have knowledge to share and advice to pass down. In considering our own ascent, we always welcome those who help us, but are we ready to pass that baton on by helping and mentoring others?

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A LEARNING PARTNERSHIP Having a mentor can be an invaluable way to gain: perspective innovation a new network of contacts new skills and knowledge, often specific to your chosen career experience or insight into a working environment Being a mentor can help: develop core leadership and management skills, such as communication and coaching plan how to bridge an individual’s skills or knowledge gap develop talented individuals from inside the organisation implement a succession plan raise awareness of different styles and perspectives

REMEMBER A mentor is not there to teach or coach you.

Mentors can provide alternative perspectives and challenge your thinking. This may be based on greater or contrasting experience, but not always.

A mentor should never tell you what to do.

Having a mentor can help you to rationalise your own decisions and help to validate your approaches.

While there needs to be a certain chemistry for the relationship to work, it is still a professional rather than social relationship.

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ONLINE RESOURCES The internet can be a valuable tool in your personal development journey, but given the vast amount of information available how can you focus on what’s most useful?

Words: Robin Russell, Sports Path

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he simple strategy of Seek, Sense and Share is a great place to start when using the internet to expand your knowledge and career opportunities.

Seek and capture the content you want, make sense of the captured content and then either share it or just keep it to yourself.

When you’re seeking out information don’t try to do it all by yourself. Follow the lead of others who have already found content by developing a network of trusted colleagues online. You can follow other coaches and specialists in related disciplines on Twitter, for example, and as you have control over the flow of information you know the source is trusted. This makes it easier to make sense of the content.

Content monitoring and notification services can also take some of the legwork out of sourcing information. Tools such as Google Alerts provide you with regular information updates around topics specified by you – perhaps ‘talent 95

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identification’ or ‘team building’ – while sites such as Scoop.it also allow you to gather and curate your own online content. This can then be shared with your colleagues or team members.

MAKING SENSE OF THE CONTENT The next step is to organise, verify and make sense of the content you’ve found. One way to organise your data is to use bookmarking, which is essentially the same as marking your favourites. However, although bookmarking will give you various options depending on the browser you’re using you’ll have limited opportunity to organise your content into files and you won’t be able to share what you’ve found with others. This makes two bookmaking skills, social bookmarking and tagging, particularly useful.

Social bookmarking allows you to file content under headings of your choice and, if you wish, make it visible to others. Sites such as Delicious.com provide centralised online services that enable users to add, annotate, edit and share bookmarks of web documents.

Tagging, meanwhile, is the use of keyword descriptions to identify images or text within a site, using words, acronyms or numbers. Web pages and blogs with identical tags can then be linked together allowing you and other users to search for similar or related content. If the tags are made public, online pages that act as web-based bookmark services are able to index them.

File sharing is also a useful way of providing other people with access to digitally stored information. If you use a number of different computers and need to share files between them then a cloud storage service, such as Dropbox, solves the problem of how to synchronise and share files across these computers as well as with your smartphone.

SHARE AND RECEIVE Of course, the benefits of information sharing are best realised within an active social network, so it’s worth spending some time building up your contacts, joining relevant groups, and consuming and sharing content within your network.

If you use more than one tool, such as LinkedIn and Twitter, reference them where possible to link them together.

Be disciplined about who you accept as connections and colleagues on LinkedIn as if you restrict these to a specific group only (e.g. anyone with Soccer 96

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Coach in their job title) LinkedIn will tend to recommend only people in this category to you. That doesn’t stop you from being individually selective, but avoid accepting everyone that LinkedIn suggests.

THE WEB AS A DEVELOPMENT TOOL Helps to differentiate you Maximises the contact time you have with players, staff and stakeholders Allows you to mix online support with face-to-face support Enables you to network with other coaches globally A simple, quick cost-effective way to stay up-to-date with industry news and developments Acts as an archive for your material You can begin to share and publish the material you have found and developed Provides access to learning that you can dip in and out of Allows you to evaluate your coaching and find fresh perspectives and ideas

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STUDY VISITS We often learn the most when we put ourselves in someone else’s shoes, seeing different approaches employed in different contexts.

Words: Alice Hoey, Editor

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he more you put into learning and self-improvement the more you get out, so often it is from the toughest challenges and when we really go beyond our comfort zones that we ramp up our skills and abilities to another level.

Study visits certainly fall into this category; they take careful planning and preparation and they require real self-confidence and a highly proactive attitude. The rewards, though, tend to be well worth the effort.

Visiting another club or business, whether in the UK or abroad, can provide managers with affirmation that what they’re doing is appropriate and effective. It can open their eyes to alternative approaches, to the different scenarios their peers are operating in and how they’re dealing with their unique sets of problems. It helps them to make connections with others in their field who understand the rewards and the challenges and may open doors to further opportunities and return visits in the future.

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For those managers who take a study visit while out of work, as is often the case, such visits are also a valuable way to stay in touch with the game and the profession, using the time away from management to continue their learning journeys and keep their knowledge up to date.

WHERE TO START The first step is to identify which organisations or clubs you plan to target, and this will depend on the market or country you’re most interested in. It may be that you are keen to learn about a particular nation’s style of football, for example, or you might be intrigued to find out more about the changes or new approaches being employed in a domestic club. Alternatively, you might have a good contact in a club and have been invited to visit to find out more about what they’re doing.

Once you have identified the club or manager from whom you can glean most value think about how best you might get in touch. If you have connections then make use of them. Alternatively, you could contact the club directly, go via the country’s FA or contact the LMA for assistance.

When writing to the club try to make the best impression possible, keeping a professional but approachable tone and making it clear why you want to visit and what you hope to gain. Be honest and clear about your motives and emphasise that you’re looking to further your knowledge and gain new perspectives.

Introduce yourself properly, as your name may not be known to them and, even if it is, it doesn’t hurt to remind them of a few key achievements or successes. There will most likely be other people competing for a piece of that manager’s time, so give them some background so they know how they can be of help and how they might also learn from you. Most managers will be empathetic and open to sharing with their peers, especially with those who are out of work at the time and with current managers who they are not in direct competition with.

MAKING IT COUNT If your request to visit is accepted you’ll be told in advance when you’ll be able to meet and for how long, but if not you should go into it with modest 100

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expectations rather than unrealistic demands. Most managers will be generous with their time, but always be thankful for whatever you are afforded and make the most of that time by being well prepared.

Before you go think carefully about what you want to get from the visit, what you hope to take back with you and any questions you might want to ask. Make sure you’re prepared also to share your ideas and insight, as the resident manager will want to get as much out of the meeting as you do.

Most managers tend to go on study visits alone, but if you know that you’ll be taking your assistant manager or a colleague with you to your next role it may help to go together so that you’re both in the same mindset. If you and the manager you’re meeting don’t speak the same language, meanwhile, you’ll need to think carefully about how you’re going to bridge that gap, or the conversation will be limited and frustrating on both sides.

It’s a good idea to write up any ideas and thoughts from the day as soon as you can so that nothing is forgotten. You can then start to think about if, what and how you might apply that insight.

Study visits are great opportunities to expand your network, so make the effort to exchange contact details with the people you meet and follow up when you’re back on home ground. Thank them for their time and let them know how helpful it has been. Perhaps send a text to say well done for a performance to show them that you’re interested in what they’re doing and are following their progress. Don’t be afraid or embarrassed to get in touch, as most managers will welcome having contacts who understand the pressures and demands of the job, across the globe.

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TIME OUT When you are not in a job, study visits are a great way to use your time constructively, but they are not the only way. While study visits tend to be short, spending longer periods of time within another organisation or country can also pay dividends. Try: FINDING TEMPORARY WORK A fixed-term position in an organisation can keep your confidence levels up, continue your development and keep your skills sharp. It looks great on your CV and will help you to build your network of contacts.

Consider roles outside of your normal field as many of your skills may be transferable and it can be valuable to see how things work in another context.

VOLUNTEERING Again, fixed-term temporary positions work well here, as they enable you to commit for the medium term rather than feeling like you’re passing through. Think about what really matters to you, how you might become involved and where your skills would be most useful.

HEADING ABROAD Even if you don’t have a study visit lined up, travelling can be a valuable experience, especially when you are learning a language. Make the most of your time out of the game to fast track your progress by immersing yourself in the language. Consider relocating for a fixed period so you can meet people, learn about the culture and build up your network .

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SABBATICALS Once the preserve of those in academia, the idea of the sabbatical - essentially a period of time away from work in addition to normal paid holiday - is gaining traction in organisations across the board.

Sabbaticals can last a month or so or even a year and may be paid or unpaid. They provide a great opportunity to commit to personal interests, professional studies, charity work or voluntary activities in a way that often isn’t possible when in full-time employment.

Reaching Out

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GUIDE CONTRIBUTORS DOMINIC IRVINE Dominic Irvine founded Epiphanies at the end of 2001. With an enviable reputation as an international speaker and facilitator, his areas of particular interest are innovation and individual and team performance.

THE ORGANISATION Epiphanies is a boutique consultancy that provides learning development programmes in the areas of leadership and performance for blue chip companies across the world. Our team brings together maverick thinkers, leaderships gurus, international speakers and facilitators with a wide range of multinational and multicultural expertise.

The organisation examines how ordinary people can do extraordinary things – breaking through limitations and enabling individuals, teams and organisations to excel beyond what might be considered reasonable.

Above all, our mission is to provide moments of insight or ‘epiphanies’ in everything we do. Asking “why?” is the first step in finding the assumptions that constrain performance. This means challenging assumptions and separating the myths from the facts. Often this is the key that unlocks high performance.

Occasionally a solution requires something different. Something unexpected, unique and innovative. Creativity is in our DNA. We begin with the end in mind, by starting with the business outcome you want to achieve, then help you realise opportunities and solve problems.

The organisation’s solutions are underpinned by academic research combined with hands-on experience of working in small and large organisations.

CONTACT the.team@epiphaniesllp.com +44(0)1943 430164 www.epiphaniesllp.com 104

Practical, useful, compelling learning – achieved through moments of insight

For more information or to arrange an initial discussion with us call +44 (0)7721 923 373 or email the.team@epiphaniesllp.com

e the.team@epiphaniesllp.com | t +44 (0)7721 923 373 | w www.epiphaniesllp.com Offices in London, Hampshire, Gloucestershire and Yorkshire

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PROF SUE BRIDGEWATER Head of Sport Research at Liverpool University, Prof Sue Bridgewater has a BA (Hons) in German with French from Durham University and an MBA and PhD from Warwick University. Since 2001, while working for Warwick Business School, Bridgewater has helped the LMA and PFA to design and deliver football management education. She now directs the Diploma in Football Management on behalf of the LMA and provides the organisation with football manager statistics and research.

Bridgewater has also conducted research into sport and football for the PFA, FA, Department of Culture, Media and Sport, Sport England and several football clubs. A regular media contributor, Bridgewater has written academic and practitioner journal articles in the areas of leadership, international business, marketing and sports marketing. In 2010 she published the books ‘Football Management’ and ‘Football Brands’, both Palgrave, and previously co-authored ‘International Marketing Relationships’ and ‘Innovation in Marketing’.

Bridgewater is a member of the LMA Leadership and Personal Wellbeing Advisory Board and is on UEFA’s Research Grants and Awards panel. Away from football, Bridgewater has delivered training for blue chip clients, including Philips, Nestle, KPMG, IBM, Ford, HSBC, Deloitte and Diageo, and her early career was spent in marketing and new product development with Unilever.

CONTACT sue.bridgewater@liverpool.ac.uk www.liv.ac.uk/management

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CHARLIE MULRAINE A former professional cricketer and rugby player, Charlie Mulraine has been consulting in the field of career transition within elite sport for over 10 years.

Currently engaged as a personal development manager at the Professional Cricketers’ Association, Mulraine has also worked for national and niche recruitment organisations.

His expertise in the areas of career change and interview preparation has been used by the Rugby Players Association and the LMA through his consultancy, Mulraine Sport. Mulraine brings his personal experience and understanding of the highs and lows of professional sport to help individuals and organisations find new and positive directions.

Mulraine is a certified practitioner in NLP for sport, is qualified to deliver MBTI Step 1 and has certificates in both coaching and mentoring through ILM and counselling.

CONTACT cmulraine@thepca.co.uk thepca.co.uk mulrainesport.com

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JASON RATCLIFFE Following Jason Ratcliffe’s successful career as a cricketer he became an administrator at the Professional Cricketers’ Association where he rose to the position of assistant chief executive in 2008.

During his time with the organisation, Ratcliffe helped to set up the Mind Matters series to raise awareness of mental health and wellbeing issues and encouraged a number of high profile players to talk openly about their own mental health issues.

In 2007, Ratcliffe also initiated the establishment of the PCA’s Confidential Helpline and Support network for past and present professional cricketers in England and Wales as well as a network of Personal Development and Welfare Officers to support and advise players on the transition to life after cricket.

In his role as assistant chief executive Ratcliffe was responsible, among other things, for negotiating playing contracts and mediating disputes with players and counties. In September 2016 he was named by The Cricketer Magazine on its Power List, stating that he “is the closest thing English cricket has to a union boss”. He also sat on the ECB’s Rules and Regulations cricket committee and is a member of the ECB’s Cricket Discipline Commission. Ratcliffe stepped down from his position at the PCA in early December 2016 to pursue new challenges.

CONTACT jratcliffe@thepca.co.uk thepca.co.uk

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ROBIN RUSSELL Robin Russell qualified as a teacher and played semi-professional football before joining the English FA in 1978 as a regional coach. He became The FA’s assistant director of coaching in 1989 and key achievements in the role included establishing its grassroots programme and the introduction of UEFA Coach Education Courses in England. In 1997 he became Technical Coordinator and was responsible for the creation of the FA Coaches Association, the introduction of Mini-Soccer and FA Learning. He also worked with The FA’s technical director at the time, Howard Wilkinson, to create the academy system in England.

Russell left full-time employment with the FA in 2005 to become UEFA Football Development Consultant and start his own business in e-learning in football, Sports Path. He has acted as a consultant on e-learning, coach education and football development projects with FIFA, CONCACAF, AFC, for a number of national associations and clubs, Southampton FC and Shakhtar Donetsk.

THE ORGANISATION Sports Path is a world leader in online learning courses for football coaches.

The interactive courses use a combination of video interviews, interactive tasks, scenario-based assignments and case study reviews, while students are supported through webinars, discussion forums and tutors.

Sports Path developed the very successful LMA School of Football Management Online Courses and other courses, which include themes such as Successful Media Interviews, Soccer Diet, Careers in Football and How to Capture and Organise Content from the Web. Courses have also been developed in conjunction with the PFCA (to be launched in March 2017) for coaches who work with or aspire to work with talented young players between the ages of eight and 21.

CONTACT RRussellsportspath@gmail.com www.sportspath.com

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JEREMY SNAPE Jeremy Snape MSc, Founder of Sporting Edge, is a former international cricketer with a Master’s degree in Sport Psychology and is a non-executive director at the LMA. His analytical thinking and ability to simplify complex performance challenges into practical solutions has fuelled his reputation as a thought leader for high performance.

MICHAEL CAULFIELD Michael Caulfield MSc is also a key figure at Sporting Edge. He is one of the UK’s leading sport psychologists and has worked in professional sport for over 25 years. Drawing on his work in the Barclays Premier League and other professional sporting codes, he knows what is needed for high performance. Caulfield’s wealth of knowledge, energy and enthusiasm delivers a powerful impact every time.

THE ORGANISATION Sporting Edge is a high-performance coaching company that fast tracks success by sharing the secrets of the winning mindset. Its fresh approach to coaching is powered by a digital library of exclusive video interviews with the world’s top coaches and athletes. These insights are blended with practical tools from performance psychology to drive results.

Talent is not enough. Following decades of investment in fitness and analysis, the mental game is undoubtedly the next frontier. Without the mental attributes of confidence, motivation and resilience, those at elite level have little chance of achieving and sustaining success. Sporting Edge has the solution and can deliver: confidential 1:1 coach and athlete support; inspiring team talks; coach education programmes; and cultural identity projects.

CONTACT +44 (0) 1858 414214 info@sportingedge.com sportingedge.com

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Twitter: @thesportingedge Facebook: thesportingedge

Bring the Winning Mindset to your Club Sporting Edge shares the practical techniques used by the world’s most successful sporting champions and their coaches to make you and your team more confident, resilient and successful.

Enquire about our inspiring presentations and exclusive video content today.

Visit www.sportingedge.com

Inside the Mind of Champions T: +44 (0)1858 414 214

W:

E: info@sportingedge.com

TW: @thesportingedge

sportingedge.com

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ALICE HOEY Passionate about the power of great leadership inside and outside of sport, Alice Hoey was part of the team that came up with the concept of The Manager, the LMA’s quarterly member magazine. She has been its editor for most of the eight years since its inception and has commissioned, edited and helped to write all four LMA leadership and personal development guides.

Hoey’s expertise in the fields of leadership, elite performance and wellbeing is built on over 16 years of experience in the publishing industry, producing bespoke content for clients including a number of major banks and legal firms, technology giants, and training and learning institutions.

Working for media agencies in the City and now as a freelance editor she has interviewed countless key figures in the fields of business, the arts, politics and sport and written on everything from insomnia, travel and London 2012 to adversity strategies, telecoms trends and business auditing.

CONTACT alicehoey1@gmail.com

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LMA PARTNERS DIRECTORY

LMA commercial partners offer preferential rates and exclusive services to LMA members from travel to healthcare, and electronics to property.

If you have an enquiry or request, contact the commercial partner listed below directly or speak to the LMA team on 01283 576 350.

TRAVEL THE ASPIRATION GROUP The Aspiration Group offers a bespoke travel booking service including flights and accommodation. In addition they facilitate golf at the best courses around the country, and manage golf days and golf breaks both domestically and abroad.

CONTACT Simon Wordsworth EMAIL simon@theaspirationgroup.com PHONE 07956 996179

CONTACT Ady Wheatcroft EMAIL ady@theaspirationgroup.com PHONE 07826 936665

THE BERKELEY 5-star hotel in Knightsbridge, central London with designer rooms and suites, a private terrace and a two Michelin starred restaurant.

CONTACT Knut Wylde EMAIL kwylde@the-berkeley.co.uk PHONE 020 7235 6000

COURTHOUSE HOTEL SHOREDITCH Newly opened hotel mixing contemporary with the traditional in the centre of Shoreditch.

CONTACT Chris Blastland EMAIL chris.blastland@mastcraft.co.uk PHONE 07740 512258

S H O R E D I T C H

LIMELIGHT ESCAPES Limelight Escapes offers a bespoke concierge travel service including internal transfers with their Limelight Driven brand.

CONTACT Matt Brady EMAIL mattbrady@lmielightaccess.com PHONE 020 017 8771

THE MARYLEBONE Luxury hotel in central London, part of the Doyle Collection with 257 rooms.

CONTACT Garreth Walsh EMAIL garreth_walsh@doylecollection.com PHONE 07979 808650

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Partner Directory

OLD COURSE HOTEL Bordering the 17th Road Hole of the Old Course, St. Andrews in Scotland, AA 5-star hotel, golf resort and spa with 144 including 35 suites.

CONTACT Helen Parker EMAIL helen.parker@oldcoursehotel.co.uk PHONE 07825 746988

ROYAL GARDEN HOTEL 5-star hotel in Kensington central London with renowned Min Jiang Chinese restaurant offering stunning views across the London skyline.

CONTACT Mark Anderson EMAIL markanderson@royalgardenhotel.co.uk PHONE 020 7937 8000

VIRGIN ATLANTIC Domestic and international flight provider offering LMA members access to the best available rates for flights to all their destinations including New York, the Caribbean, Johannesburg and Shanghai.

CONTACT James Rowan EMAIL james.rowan@fly.virgin.com PHONE 07912 309766

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LIFESTYLE LG ELECTRONICS Supplier of consumer electronics including TVs and home entertainment, mobile phones and domestic appliances. LMA members can receive exclusive rates.

CONTACT Mark Hill EMAIL mark.hill@lge.com PHONE 07740 062970

SAVILLS Global real estate services provider offering a bespoke, personal service for property buying, letting or renting in the UK or overseas.

CONTACT Ian Camplin EMAIL icamplin@savills.com PHONE 01932 586 200

SPORT MOBILE Personal and secure mobile phone and data service dedicated to elite sports people.

CONTACT John Shepherd EMAIL john@sportmobile.co.uk PHONE 07774 785385

SUMARIDGE ESTATE WINES Private vineyard owned by the Bellingham Turner family in South Africa producing award winning white, red and rose wines.

CONTACT Holly Bellingham EMAIL holly@bellinghamturner.com

SYTNER The Sytner Group represents 19 of the world’s most desirable car manufacturers and can provide exclusive rates for new and used car ownership in addition to personal contract plans.

CONTACT Gareth Whitehead EMAIL garethwhitehead@sytner.co.uk PHONE 07817 017157 LMA AFFINITY SCHEME 0845 051 7825

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Partner Directory

HEALTHCARE PERFORM Official healthcare provider to the LMA and St. George’s Park offering access to state-of-the-art healthcare equipment and clinicians to support on sport and exercise science, performance science, injury rehabilitation and strength and conditioning.

CONTACT Ali Betson EMAIL ali.betson@leaguemanagers.com PHONE 01283 576363

PROSTATE CANCER UK Charity raising awareness of the disease and funding research into cures. Official charity partner of the EFL. CONTACT Mike Summers EMAIL mike.summers@prostatecanceruk.org PHONE 020 3310 7258

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I AM NOT AFRAID OF STORMS FOR I AM LEARNING HOW TO SAIL MY SHIP” LOUISA MAY ALCOTT

KNOWLEDGE

INSIGHT

LEADE

EXPERIENCE VALUES

PASSION