Parallels have always been drawn between business and sport and at times the analogies have been somewhat strained and tenuous. We understand the need for drive and determination and the requirement to practice, practice, practice BUT in some circumstances the analogy doesn’t work.
However this article from Richard Claessens at Sales Tec struck a chord with me as I had recently been talking with businesses about their issues about employing ‘millennials‘. Managing stress and dealing with setbacks are actually issues for all of us, not just millennials (or condescendingly called the ‘snowflake generation’).
Richard is ex military and also a qualified athletics coach as well as having worked in business for many years and therefore qualified to speak on such a topic. Having been in the military too I do remind people that when on operations around the world most of our soldiers performing heroic tasks are from the ‘snowflake generation’! It is possibly not a generational issue (no matter what the fabulous Simon Sinek says) but how we, as managers and leaders, deal with people’s expectations and provide support for them to get the best from them.
Where does this fit with the topic of ‘innovation’ I hear you ask? With a new generation and new expectations maybe we as managers and leaders need a new approach to managing the workforce and sport coaching might just give us a breakthrough this time?