Serial Winning Coaches
by George Blackwell
The research I’ve been diving into recently has been that of Professor Sergio Lara-Bercial and Professor Cliff Mallett on ‘serial winning coaches’ (SWCs). They define SWCs as coaches who have produced and reproduced world level success (i.e., world / Olympic medals) in more than one setting (i.e., multiple clubs or coaching set-ups).
In their research, they coined the term “Caring-Determination” defined as the relentless pursuit of excellence, balanced with a genuine and compassionate desire to support athletes and themselves. The concept of ‘caring determination’ is not a fixed model, but more a dynamic continuum. For example, coaches that produce consistent, world level results balance the exceptional standards and expectations of a world class environment (on staff, athletes, and themselves) with a balance of person-centred care and empathy.
The more the coaches care and support their athletes and staff, the more they can push for complete commitment and set high standards for themselves and others. One of these without the other results in sub-optimal performance, whether it’s the lack of care, or the ‘lower standards’ in the context of performing at a world leading level.
Another key concept from Sergio’s work is coach wellbeing. Sergio’s message was clear. Some of the most successful coaches in the world not only recognised the person behind their player/athlete, but placed a strong emphasis on their own wellbeing in order to power performance and add a greater meaning to everything they did.
A graphic to summarise is below:
References:
Learning from Serial Winning Coaches: Caring Determination - by Cliff Mallett and Sergio Lara-Bercial (2023)