The Talent Equation Podcast Stuart Armstrong

In this episode, I talk about the necessity for a system shift from a coach education system that is almost completely dominated by 'qualifications', which are no more than a demonstration of competence in a moment in time to a more development and progressive model that recognises the expertise of the practitioner along their developmental journey. 

A significant majority of coaches want the industry to recognised as a profession and would like the work they do to be recognised by the wider public. In order to do this coaches must understand that in order to be professional recognised they need to hold themselves accountable to a process of ongoing scrutiny of their skill set so that the public can be assured of their commitment to professional development and those coaches who do show commitment to personal development can be truly separated from those that don't. 

Hope you enjoy the podcast and look forward to comments or ideas. 

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Mark Bennett makes a welcome return to the podcast. This time to help me out with some challenges that I have experienced during my last season of coaching. 

How to establish an agreed set of performance behaviours with a group that is equally spilt between wanting to be recreational and wanting to be driven by performance goals. We also explore how you deal with people who are self deluded and think that they want to be performance driven but then behave like recreational athletes. 

Mark shares a few new tools that he uses when supporting a group to be self reliant and self organising inclusing the 3As 

I got a lot out of the discussion...I hope you do to...

BTW - Mark has launched a new online training space with loads of courses, videos and resources check it out at https://www.needcentred.com/

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Richard Burcuson and Dean Holden are the hosts of the Grass Roots Minor Hockey Podcast. A show dedicated to all things grass roots ice hockey in Canada and beyond...

As they describe it...

"A provocative, in-depth podcast that examines the world of minor hockey, from coaching to program development to the myriad of issues faced by everyone in the game."

The guys reached out to me following my latest series called 'Coach Education is broken' as it resonated with many of their own experiences as coaches and coach educators and we decided to do a 'simulcast' which would be jointly posted oon our respective podcasts. 

Richard evoked the famous Monty Python sketch about a dead parrot when describing this topic so we decided to get all theatrical and do our own reading of the famous sketch...

https://www.grassrootsminorhoc...

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In this episode I call for a complete rethink about the way that we think about support for coaches. I suggest that we need to 'turn the telescope around' and start to consider the skills, knowledge, and understanding that coaches already possess, rather than forcing everybody to obtain formal qualifications through coach education courses. 

I share a story about a brilliant coach I know who hasn’t gone down the route of formal certifications, yet their coaching abilities are second to none. They’re the kind of coach who, despite lacking the official badges, has that 'secret sauce', that ability to connect with people and make their experience memorable. 

We need a shift in mindset within coach education to appreciate and support people based on their current expertise and experiences. It’s about creating tailored learning experiences, recognising prior learning, and making coaching more accessible to a wider range of people.

As I said in the episode, “It’s not about the piece of paper; it’s about the real-world impact a coach has.”

Ultimately, the coaching community is calling for a more inclusive approach in coach education not the 'one size fits all' model that is still too prevalent. A move towards effective and personalised support, ensuring every coach can thrive and contribute in their own way. By doing this, we can build a stronger, more diverse coaching community.

Hope you enjoy the episode as much as I enjoyed recording it. Let’s keep pushing for change and making a real difference in the world of coaching.

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Episode 1 of 'Coach Education is broken' - 'Transformation not transaction'

I take a hard look at the nature of coach education courses as a machanism to provide coaches with the kind of support they need. I criticise the thinking behind this approach and the 'culturally resient practices and beliefs' that fosters their continued use. 

This focus on efficiency means that coaches often get their qualifications without genuinely engaging with the material or retaining what they’ve learned. As a result, they’re left unprepared for the real-world challenges they will face in their coaching careers.

I call for a shift towards newer, more agile and dynamic educational approaches that prioritise quality learning experiences and practical application.

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A new dog walk diary where I begin a new multi part series talking about all of the ways that coach education and development needs to change to meet the needs of a new generation of learners.

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