Clean Run - October 2010 - 59

Coaching International Teams:

Helping Teams Achieve Their Objectives
By Steve Croxford, chart by author/PACE-Agility

Why Are We Here?
Any team involved in competitive events must first answer the question of why are we here. Having a clear objective based on a simple statement of intent should be the driving force behind the whole team. In a previous article I referred to the England World Cup Rugby team whose statement of intent during their successful World Cup campaign in 2001 was, “Winning—that is why we are here.” This simple statement was the driving force behind everything the team did; it shaped the objectives for the desired outcome at the end of a four-year process, which was to win the World Cup. However, for any agility team competing at an international event, there is going to be more to it than this. In my view, for any team involving dogs, there is a moral obligation to protect our competition partner from the human objective of winning! So any simply defined statement of intent must be tempered by the need to “ensure the health and welfare of the animals we intend to share the experience with.”

What’s Required to Support Our Objectives?
So you have set out clearly what the team is all about by answering the key questions: • What is the overriding objective for our team(s) at international events? • How do we ensure the dogs under our care are looked after and do not become the victims of the process we set out? The next step is to identify what is required to support the objectives defined in the statements set out above. If you hold the view that team members can get on with it from here on in, then this is probably as much of the article you need to read. But if you want to read on, a subset of questions need to be addressed next: • How do we measure success? • Have we identified the tasks that will help us to achieve our aims? • How do we implement the tasks identified as a result of the objectives defined? • Do we need a support team to ensure the tasks are carried out? • How do we ensure the support team is efficient in performing its tasks? The answer to these questions should determine whether a support team is necessary. You may recognize the above process is similar to the approach I take with clients to determine their season’s goals and how we are going to achieve them (see my earlier articles in this series). I have set out a typical time line, together with some objectives and key tasks for each phase of the planning cycle in the chart. You will also see that I have defined the key roles I think a professional team setup needs to ensure the objectives are met and the tasks are performed on time. I also realize that I probably am not anywhere near convincing the skeptics among you that any of this is really necessary. So let me continue the argument by trying to help people understand why international competition is different.

In my view, for any team involving dogs, there is a moral obligation to protect our competition partner from the human objective of winning!
October 10 | Clean Run 59

Clean Run - October 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - October 2010