What kids' sports can teach us about people + culture.
Like many Aussie parents, my weekends are centred around kid’s sport.
My daughters play basketball and netball so from Friday nights driving to their rep game, to Sunday morning training sessions our time is built around this. And, whilst my husband and I often reminisce about the days of going out for a Friday night after work drink, we love being a part of this world and seeing the enjoyment they get out of working hard at a goal they are passionate about.
As a People + Culture person, I spend my days working with clients on the practices and rituals to build high performance teams. And, last week, whilst watching my daughters play in a regional netball competition, I realised just how many crossovers there were with kids sport and the corporate world. It is useful to rethink some of the concepts we live and breathe from a different perspective to see what else we could do.
Leadership
In workplace teams, the leader plays such a critical role in setting the vision of the team, creating ways of working and setting the tone for expectations of behaviour and performance. Kids' sports are no different. The coach engages, motivates and builds the dynamics within the team. Not only are they technically across the game, but they also balance the need for performance and output with motivating, engaging and pivoting quickly if need be.
They must also manage several stakeholders (often with competing needs) – from associations, to parents and refs – balancing the needs of all of these parties is an essential part of the gig.
After many years of kids’ sport (and many coaches) the ones that stand out genuinely care about their players, they have a plan for developing the skills of their team and whilst the outcome of the game is important, what is emphasised more is how the team work together and seeing the progress they make. As Amabile & Kramer outlined in the Progress Principle, it’s making progress—not just reaching the finish line—that energises and sustains performance
Role clarity
While not the most exciting topic, role clarity is one of the most important things to focus on as a leader. If employees know what is expected of them and what success looks like, they are more likely to perform in their roles.
Kids sport nails role clarity (in netball your role is even on your bib!). It is clear for yourself and everyone else on the court what you are there to do. No ambiguity or confusion. Coaches will be explicit around tagging players or positions to ensure roles are clear. And this may change depending on the team make-up on the day or the opposition you are playing. It is an example of being transparent, yet flexible to meet the changing environment.
Feedback
Once you have role clarity you are in a better position to give feedback. In games, you often see coaches give in the moment feedback after a play, they use huddles and time outs to provide feedback on gaps and where to improve. Conversations and feedback are constant and expected. How would we expect kids to improve in their sport of choice if no one gave them feedback on areas to improve?
The same should be applied to a corporate team. Conversations should be regular, focused and drive performance forward. Waiting until the annual performance review to provide feedback, won’t build the momentum you are looking for.
Team performance
Kids sport is an opportunity for kids to try things for the first time. Some kids think they will love a sport, yet when they give it a go they realise they want to try something different. In other instances, they give something a go they were reluctant to try and realise they are great at it. This type of curiosity and experimentation should be encouraged in corporate too – don’t pigeon hole your team into the roles or skills you know them for. Give them different projects or opportunities and see how they thrive (or not).
One of the fundamentals of team dynamics is around the capability in your team. From a sporting perspective, this is having the right skills, in the right position at the right time. On Friday night with the game on the line, it wasn’t the time for experimentation and development, it was about getting the right talent on the court in the positions they excel in to give the team a chance to win.
But building capacity in your team is critical so when every kid has a virus in the middle of winter, you still have a player who has the skills and confidence to step into their position.
Practices & Rituals
When we think about great culture, it is often the small things that add up. How you do things is so critical.
When I think about my kids' sports teams, rituals and practices are built into how the team operates. There are scheduled training sessions where key concepts are reinforced and practiced. There are pre-game routines and rituals. All of these elements reinforce the culture of the team. As one of the girls coaches say ‘how you train is how you play’ – it sets the tone.
From a work perspective, don’t underestimate the importance of rituals and practices. How you optimise face to face time, meetings and 1:1s ensures a continued focus on your team objectives. Cancelling last minute regularly shows that you don’t see the importance of these rituals and could impact your team's contribution.
Connection
Let’s be fair, often kids want to play sport to hang with their friends. And this connection should be something that should be nurtured and supported.
In sporting teams, identity is important and starts with the team name and uniform. Often there are team chants or songs. But this isn’t true connection. Connection comes from building trust, learning together and recognising wins.
As Australia is facing an increase of loneliness, with 1 in 3 Australians saying they feel lonely (State of the Nation report, 2023), connection is the antidote to that. Asking your team about how they want to connect, carving out time to ensure it is prioritised and activities are inclusive, are all ways to prioritise connection.
Great cultures and performance doesn’t just happen—it’s built on the right elements, and sometimes we all need a reminder of what those are. Look no further than kids’ sport, where the lessons are often closer to home than you’d think.
Although the team at Nine Yards can’t claim to be sporting legends, we do know People and Culture. So if you believe you and your team could benefit from support in building capability in the areas covered in this blog, reach out.