Rugby Australia's Coaching Bombshell and the Lessons for Small Business

#theartofcoaching

Yesterday Australian Rugby dropped a bombshell as they sacked Dave Rennie who was the contracted coach to the end of this year’s World Cup and supposedly been speaking to Rugby Australia about a contract extension. They then announced the new coach would be Eddie Jones, the previous Wallabies coach and someone who was contracted to England until the end of 2023.

I find it ironic and quite startling how sporting coaches are so quickly discarded by their Clubs or Associations – they seem to wear all the blame whilst players are not held accountable for their on field performance.

Especially when these coaches have contracts which in the world of sport, seems to mean nothing anymore which is why I advocate for 1 year contracts for both sporting players and coaches. They work in a performance and results based workplace so wouldn’t it be better for everyone (coach and Club) to evaluate everyone at the end of each year to see if they’re still the right fit for the club (aka the business). But alas instead, Clubs sack coaches at will and often have to provide them with a huge payout which then has a detrimental effect on the financials.

What I also find interesting about the appointment of Eddie Jones is that, accordingly to this article, the plan to poach him from England was being hatched at secret meetings held last year. What a betrayal to both Dave Rennie and England Rugby – here they are planning how to win this year’s World Cup without any knowledge that this work will be for nothing.

We also know workplaces are looking at ways to help people manage mental health issues and yet for sporting coaches, the impact of blindsiding them and sacking them whenever they wish doesn’t seem to be considered at all by their employers.

Wouldn’t it be better to have honest conversations between the Club/Organisation and the coach so they are not stabbed in the back?

Surely people should be valued more than a disposable product who can be discarded at will?

I’m wondering then is this type of behaviour occurring and/or condoned at your business? Have you ever told an employee they were doing well only to ‘unexpectedly’ let them go a few months later?

I know in sport, just like in business, people don’t always excel in their roles or fit into the culture of an organisation.

But before we show them the door, I believe management and business owners should look honestly at themselves first, to see whether they have provided all the tools and support needed to succeed including documented procedures, clarity of role and responsibilities, coaching, mentoring and key targets to be met.

Only time will tell if going back to a coach who previously didn’t have much success with the Wallabies is better the second time around. I look forward to seeing how the Wallabies perform at the 2023 World Cup.

I also hope someone from Rugby Australia is fulfilling their duty of care to an employee and checking in to see how Dave Rennie is really doing.

#businessbehindsport #smallbusiness #businessgrowth #businesscoaching

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/rugby-union/secret-meetings-and-a-chicken-dinner-the-inside-story-of-jones-wallabies-return-20230116-p5cctj.html