Building a stronger future for athletes

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The Association of Canadas National Team
Athletes

• Building a stronger future for athletes

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Leadership Project Research Summary
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Leadership Project

• Purpose of this project is to investigate a
  competencies based model for athlete leadership
  development

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Background

• Surveyed and interviewed athletes and NSOs
• 48 Athletes responded to a survey
• Athlete Reps and National Sport Organizations
  interviewed on the types of leadership and skills
  training they would find beneficial

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Athlete Rep Feedback
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Athlete Rep Findings

• 75 active athletes
• 75 serve a two-year term
• Majority are elected 15 appointed
• Of those elected, less than half chose to run
  most were asked to run by a fellow athlete
• None had to meet formal requirements for the
  position, but the respect of fellow athletes and
  NSO were critical

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Athlete Reps in Leadership Roles

• 13 of 43 sports have an Athlete Council all
  report to the NSO Board
• Over 2/3 of Athlete Reps hold a seat on their NSO
  Board and attend the AGM
• 50 of Athlete Reps sit on Committees. (e.g.
  financial, competition, LTAD, marketing,
  strategic planning, appeals)

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Orientation to the Role

• Less than a 1/4 had an orientation session
• While nearly 3/4 have a mentor, many had to find
  one on their own fewer than half of the NSOs
  offered to match them up with one
• Less than 1/2 were provided with job descriptions
  or other documents / information upon becoming
  Athlete Rep

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Orientation Information
Examples of information provided to Athlete Reps

• Organizational outline
• Meeting minutes
• National team handbook
• AGM discussions
• Protocols
• Financial statements

• Voting procedures
• Description / terms of reference for role of
  athlete rep
• Policy manual
• Program evaluation outline and overview

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Knowledge Gaps Identified by Athlete Reps

• Effective communication methods
• Legal knowledge
• Contract negotiation skills
• Understanding the structure governance of their
  NSO
• Ability to develop and review policies
• Ability to bring issues to the table
• Conflict resolution skills

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Issues and Challenges

• Big learning curve
• Confidentiality requirements
• Difficulty in engaging teammates
• Balancing needs of the NSO and the athlete
• Team selection and carding
• Funding Structures

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Athlete Reps Want to Learn More About.

• Athlete reps in other sports
• Athlete Assistance Program
• Team selection processes
• Own the Podium/Road to Excellence
• Athletes fit in NSO structure
• Athletes Councils for sports with different
  disciplines
• Sponsorship

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Readiness for the Boardroom

• 90 were comfortable in the boardroom
• But majority say they would benefit from
  additional training on etiquette and procedures
• Coles Notes reference material would be good
• Training is needed soon after becoming athlete
  rep

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Other Suggestions

• Understand all aspects of the position before
  taking on the role
• Have a mentor to facilitate transition to the
  role
• Better methods of communication with teammates
• Better communication between NSO's and athletes
  on operations, expectations and responsibilities
• NSO's should provide more professional
  development opportunities
• Attend more events like AthletesCAN Forum

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Other Suggestions (continued)

• Develop Athlete Reps Handbooks
• Information could include
• Related sport organizations
• Policies and procedures (e.g., Sport Canada
  funding)
• AthletesCAN programs
• Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (doping)
• Sport Dispute Resolution Centre Canada (dispute
  resolution and arbitration)

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National Sport Organization Feedback
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Beneficial Skills and Abilities for Athlete Reps

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to learn quickly and apply knowledge
• Availability time to commit to the positions
  demands
• Natural leader
• Organizational skills

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Desired Knowledge

• Understand the structure, policies and procedures
  of their sport organization
• Knowledge of general business practices and
  administrative processes
• Comfortable with boardroom policies and
  procedures
• Awareness of media opportunities
• Financially savvy

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Athlete Rep Feedback Received by NSOs

• The majority of NSO's report that their athlete
  reps did NOT approach them with questions,
  concerns or suggestions
• Some athlete reps did express interest in
• Public speaking and effective communication
• Leadership and how to motivate their athletes
• Ability to navigate through policies and
  procedures
• Resume building

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Other NSO Comments and Suggestions

• Support the idea of mentorship
• NSOs need resources on how to facilitate athlete
  rep training mentorship
• Would like to see athlete reps stay on after they
  retire
• Athletes come back from AthletesCAN Forums with
  better perspective
• NSOs need to be kept informed of programs for
  athlete
• Boardroom mannerism is a significant issue

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Process for Morning

• Present research findings
• Overview of 10 resources
• BREAK
• Move to small group 45 min.
• Present to full group
• Pick your top 3

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• Communication Tools
• Communication Skills
• Board Room 101
• Preparing for a Board Meeting
• Mentorship
• Sport System 101
• Athlete Rep Tools
• Athlete Rep Orientation
• Navigating the NSO/Athlete Rep Relationship
• Athlete Council

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1. Communication Tools

• Templates for e-mail communication (e.g.
  introduction e-mail)
• Collecting and managing contact details
• Systems for effective 2 way communication

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2. Communication Skills

• Assertive communication
• Being strategic with your issues and ideas so
  that your points get heard
• How to summarize issues to allow for effective
  consultation with athletes
• Tips on networking

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3. Board Room 101

• Overview of a typical Board meeting (including
  summary and/or link to Roberts rules of order
  role of Chair, minutes)
• Financial Information how to read financial
  reports
• Legal Information what are your obligations as a
  Board member
• Policies and Procedures, By-laws and
  Constitutions

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4. Preparing for a Board Meeting

• How to read and use the documents minutes,
  agenda, background information, and the time it
  takes to be prepared
• Templates for agenda and briefing notes
• Issues management getting support for my ideas
  strategy level conversation cone of silence
• Athlete rep report
• Problem solving

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5. Mentorship

• Is about learning from others
• Sharing experiences
• Creating networks
• Different mentors for different areas of
  expertise

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6. Sport System 101

• Summary of the sport system in Canada the
  players how they fit together
• Sport Canada and carding
• Team selection
• Funding of High Performance Sport
• Sponsorship
• CCES (doping)
• SDRCC (dispute resolution and arbitration)
• Acronyms

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7. Athlete Rep Tools

• Checklist of resources for an Athlete Rep
• Job Description

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8. Athlete Rep Orientation

• Organizational structure of your NSO
• Checklist of information to review and discuss
  with the outgoing athlete rep
• Questions and information to discuss with your
  NSO
• Summary of documents to review before first
  meeting with you NSO and / or athletes
• Sample athlete rep orientation plan

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9. Navigating the NSO / Athlete Rep Relationship

• Issues that you may face
• Key players supporters and saboteurs
• Leveraging your influence
• Creating a positive environment
• Avoiding the us vs. them dynamic

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10. Athlete Council

• Why is an AC important?
• Does my sport need an AC?
• What does an AC do?
• How do I start an AC?
• How does the AC stay engaged?

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Process for Morning

• Present research findings
• Overview of 10 resources
• BREAK
• Move to small group 45 min.
• Present to full group
• Pick your top 3

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Small Group Discussion

• Join a small group (10 people maximum)
• Discuss your resource
• Record your ideas
• Present to plenary (1115am)

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(No Transcript)
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15 Minute Activity

• Sticky Dot Vote for your top 3 resources - Pick
  the 3 that would be most useful to you right now.
  
• Post it Notes Do you have anything to add to
  the flip charts? Add any additional thoughts and
  examples for any resource - use a post it note

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Highlights from the Discussion on Leadership
Resources

• Building a stronger future for athletes

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Getting to Today

• Board commitment to Leadership Project
• Research conducted early 2008
• Identified 10 potential resources
• Detailed discussion during Forum 08
• Forum delegates voted on priority resources

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Themes from Yesterday

• 1. Need for Resources
• Strong need for materials and info
• Many athlete reps need direction, information,
  tools and support
• Need support be an effective athlete voice

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Themes from Yesterday

• 2. Format Content of Resources
• Develop focused, concise information
• Provide links to more detailed information as
  required
• Ensure information is athlete focused
• Information needs to be easy to reference

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Themes from Yesterday

• 3. Share Information on
• Athlete rights responsibilities
• Meeting expectations
• Job Descriptions

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Themes from Yesterday

• 4. NSO Specific Information
• Need NSOs involved in providing input for
  sport-specific tools
• Need scrapbook pass between athlete reps
  (history, inside information, etc.)

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Results of Dots

• Sport System 101 (28 votes)
• Athlete Rep Tools (26 votes)
• Mentorship (24 votes)
• Athlete Council (20 votes)
• Athlete Rep Orientation (19 votes)
• Board Room 101 (16 votes)
• NSO/Athlete Rep Relationship (13 votes)
• Communication Skills (12 votes)
• Preparing for a Board Meeting (9 votes)
• Communication Tools (5 votes)

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Moving Forward

• Leadership is a high priority for the Board
• Discuss the Forum input during the Nov conference
  call
• Identify which resources will be developed (what,
  when, how and who)