It’s hard to believe that Sporting Advantage is now over 3 years old.  Creating a business and working for myself has always been something that’s intrigued me and without having completed any formal studies in business, has been a terrific challenge.  We haven’t based the business on the model of any other business.  Sport and fitness has always been something I’ve loved and we identified a need and developed Sporting Advantage in a way we felt would be most useful to our future clients.

I am very proud of what Sporting Advantage has achieved since we kicked off at the start of 2009.  Our major achievements include:

• Developing strategic and operational plans for over 35 different sport and recreation organisations throughout North Queensland
• Starting the NQ Corporate Carnival (previously the Townsville Corporate Games) that’s had over 600 participants in the first two years
• Delivering presentations and workshops for a range of sporting and corporate clients throughout North Queensland
• Developing sport and recreation and facility master plans for three North Queensland Councils
• Successfully applying for over $850,000 in grants funding on behalf of not for profit sporting organisations, for facilities, sporting programs, future planning      and volunteer training
• Re-establishing softball competitions in Townsville
• Sourcing almost $100,000 of sponsorship for a number of sporting organisations

Thank you very much to everyone that’s supported Sporting Advantage in our business adventure so far.  I’m loving what I’m doing.  Sure, life’s pretty flat out and there’s plenty of challenges, but I wouldn’t want it any other way!

Luke

1. Obtain a map of Australia and work out the route your teams will follow to cover the whole country
2. Work out the distances between each of the major towns and cities along your route
3. Organise your workplace into teams of 4 and allocate each a token marker to move around the map
4. Outline what training or exercise sessions team members need to complete to take them certain distances on the map.  For example, 2 team members doing a  half hour walk might take the team 100km, whereas all 4 team members doing a 60 minute circuit class might take them 500km
5. Have each team record and submit the training sessions they complete each day or week (depending how often you want to update the race progress) then transfer this onto the map by moving each team’s marker
6. The more training and exercise sessions each team does, the faster they will move around the map
7. The first one home is the winner!

This is a simple and fun way to get everyone in your workplace interacting and encouraging people to be active.  If you’re not convinced of the benefits of having active and healthy employees, check out some of the research we’ve conducted here.

If this all seems a bit too challenging to organise, we can manage workplace challenges like this one for you, along with other games such as ‘No Tackle Footy’, ‘The Hobart to Sydney’ and ‘Bat-less Cricket’.

A healthy and positive workplace atmosphere without doubt creates a much more productive environment.  Being able to have fun with your colleagues, interact with them socially outside the workplace and enjoy their company whilst working,  will ensure people enjoy coming to work with an attitude that shows they feel responsible for more than their job and don’t mope around saying they just work there.

Run through this checklist and rate each question ‘not particularly, ‘ok, but could be better’, or ’absolutely’.

1. I am keen to come to work
2. I get along really well with my workmates
3. We have a laugh together at work
4. We work together as a team effectively
5. We’re happy to put in extra work when it’s needed
6. My workmates and I are enthusiastic about what needs to be done
7. There is a high level of energy in our workplace
8. We enjoy socialising away from work
9. We support each other to be active and healthy
10. I feel the organisation I work for looks after me

If you’ve answered ‘absolutely’ to the majority of these statements, then that’s fantastic.  I’ll bet your team and workplace is productive, energetic, positive and confident.

Alternatively, if you’ve gone the other direction, then I’m guessing enthusiasm is minimal, people are regularly taking sick days, you have a fair turnover of staff and people turn up spot on starting time and leave spot on knock off time.

Businesses and employers who have already identified the benefits of creating a healthy workplace environment are reaping the rewards of having implemented team building and wellness programs.

Any workplace can be injected with enthusiasm, enhanced with energy and developed to exude team morale.  It may take 12 months or it may only take 3 months, but it certainly can’t be achieved by keeping things the same and expecting a different result.  To initiate a positive change, have a read about our team building opportunities, or give me a call to discuss your specific needs and challenges.

Remember that some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, whilst others make it happen.

1.  Set short term goals

What do you want to achieve over the next few weeks and months?  Maybe aiming to do 4 sessions per week, be able to run 5kms without stopping, losing 500 grams.  Go for a blend of challenging and achievable, then write them down!

2.  Set long term goals

Same idea as the short term goals, but obviously looking over the next 6-12 months or even the next few years.  Scaling a particular mountain, walking the Kokoda Trail, doing a half ironman, fitting into size 10 jeans, hitting a 300m drive down the middle of the fairway.  Write them down.

3.  Train for an event

It might be a 5km run, a marathon, corporate team event, triathlon, rowing regatta or regular sporting fixtures.  There are lots of opportunities out there, so find something that tickles your fancy.  A friend is training to do her first marathon at the moment and is going to Paris to do it!

4.  Make it fun

Fun is the key to absolutely everything in life.  If you enjoy the exercise and training you’re doing, you’re going to do everything to be there.  Look at exercise as an opportunity to have fun – it’s not a chore!  John Lennon said all you need is love, well, I reckon all you need is fun!

5.  Make it social

Incorporate your training or exercise with other people.  Play a team sport, train with a group for an individual sport, attend group fitness classes or organise a group of friends, family or work mates to go for a walk together.  Real social interaction beats social media hands down!

6.  Set out a plan

Use your short and long term goals, then work out what you need to do each week and month to achieve these.  Create a map and step it out bit by bit.  Make sure you are challenging yourself, and celebrating when you achieve your goals!

7.  Be accountable

Personal trainers are fantastic for this.  At your weekly, fortnightly or monthly catch ups, you know you’ll need to show them what training you’ve been doing and they’ll be able to see through you if you go for the cover up.  Having said this though, if you’ve taken short cuts or cheated somewhere, the most important person, the one in the mirror, will know.

8.  Commit

If you are meeting someone, somewhere at a specific time, or playing a team sport, no matter what, you simply have to be there.  I know I’ll struggle to pull myself out of bed in the morning to train by myself, but if I’ve committed to a friend or group, then there is no ignoring the alarm option.

9.  Create a support network

Yeah, this sounds a little airy fairy lovey dovey, but if you can talk, text, email and interact with other people in a similar situation as yourself, it can be just the ticket to keep you going when it all seems too much.  There’s over 7 billion people on this planet, so you’re not alone!

10.  Make it fun

Oops, I’ve already said this one, but it is so ridiculously important, that I’m saying it again.  Life certainly isn’t long enough for us not to have fun, so in the words of Wayne Bennett, don’t die with the music in you!

Now go forth and train the house down!

What constitutes being a winner?  Success?  Coming First?  Achieving personal goals?  Recognition?  Representative honours?  Attitude?  Trying your best?  Fame?

What constitutes being a loser?  Failure?  Not winning?  Coming last?  Giving up?  Not being as good as someone else?  Poor sportsmanship?

For mine, whether it’s in sport or life, a winner will always take responsibility for their own actions and do everything they can to the best of their ability.  Giving up or not trying your best is simply not an option and is largely a result of your attitude.  If you’re going to go to the effort to do something, then do it well.  Choose your attitude and put everything you can into it.  If it doesn’t work out as planned, then look at how you can improve for next time.  Is there extra training, practice, research or time required to progress and do it better?  If yes, then do it.

Ricky Ponting didn’t just score his first 100 in almost 2 years (while I’m writing this blog) under enourmous pressure without working hard, not giving up and not believing in his ability.  Australia II didn’t break the longest domination in world sporting history to win the America’s Cup, just by using a cutting edge new winged keel.  They raced in previous years, lost, then focussed intently on improving in every way possible.  Steven Bradbury, Australia’s (and the Southern Hemisphere’s) first ever gold medal winter Olympian, didn’t just happen to be in a short course speed skating Olympic final where the other skaters all crashed.  Many years of hard training, overcoming serious injuries that included a broken neck and a gash that bled 4 litres of blood and required 111 stitches and 3 previous Olympic Games all lead to that ultimate moment that he crossed the line first.

Success is also relative to a person’s goals and expectations and what one person may percieve a failure, another will percieve as a success.  The media is great for sport, however, their perception of an athlete winning can be very different to the reality of the situation.  Ian Thorpe, our most successful ever Olympian was perceived to have failed by a number of high profile media outlets in his comeback to international swimming last year, as he didn’t win a final.  But is representing Australia and making the final in an international race really a failure, particularly for a person that hasn’t raced at that level for 5 years?

On a lighter note to finish with, here’s a few good winner and loser cliches that are actually a pretty helpful guide to keep a check on your attitude.

• The winner is always part of the answer, the loser is always part of the problem.
• Winners say “There ought to be a better way to do this”, losers say “That’s the way it’s always been done.”
• A winner feels responsible for more than their job, a loser says, “I only work here.”
• The winner sees an answer for every problem, the loser sees a problem for every answer.
• The winner says, “It may be difficult but it is possible”, the loser says, “It may be possible but it is too difficult.”
• When a winner makes a mistake, he says, “I was wrong”,  when a loser makes a mistake, he says, “It wasn’t my fault.”
• A winner makes commitments, a loser makes promises.
• Winners have dreams, losers have schemes.
• Winners say, “I must do something”, losers say, “Something must be done.”
• Winners are a part of the team, losers are apart from the team.
• Winners see the gain, losers see the pain.
• Winners see possibilities, losers see problems.
• Winners believe in win-win, losers believe for them to win, someone has to lose.

Print them out and stick them to your wall - I have.

• To help others
• For personal satisfaction
• To do something worthwhile
• Fun
• Be with family and friends
• Social contact
• Meet new people
• To be active
• Gain work experience
• Learn new skills

These are all brilliantly positive aspects, so let’s create an attitude of enthusiasm, motivation and opportunity when talking about volunteering!

Here are 7 points that will help your club attract and retain an efficient crew of happy volunteers.

Appoint a Volunteer Coordinator

You have coaches that train your players, you have a president that organises the club, you have first aid officers responsible for injuries, so appoint a volunteer coordinator to look after all your volunteers.  It makes sense doesn’t it!

Obtain Information from Members and/or Parents

Registration forms should include questions like:

• What is your occupation?
• Do you have a coaching or officiating qualification?
• Do you have a trade or specific qualification?
• Do you have experience in volunteering with other sporting clubs?
• What aspect of our sport or club administration would you be interested in learning more about?
• In what way would you be comfortable to assist the club?

If you are registering junior club members, include these questions for parents to complete.

Develop a Volunteer Register

Take all the information from your registration forms and summarise it in one document (an Excel spreadsheet is a good format) so it’s easy to scan and find people who would suit specific volunteer roles.  Something like:

Outline Position Descriptions

What roles need to be undertaken in the club and what do each of these incorporate?  Make a list and develop a range of position descriptions so that people are aware of the skills and time required to volunteer.  You wouldn’t apply for a job if you didn’t know what it incorporated would you?

Approach People to Volunteer

The volunteer coordinator now knows what specific positions need to be filled, what they incorporate and a database of who within the club may be able to assist.  They can now approach people individually over a coffee, beer, before or after training, to have a chat about being involved in a volunteer role that suits their skills, interests and availability.

Up-skill Volunteers

There are plenty of grants programs available to accredit volunteers with coaching, officiating, first aid, administrative and management qualifications, so that individuals learn new skills without being out of pocket.  Also look at training programs around strength and conditioning, marketing, grants writing and event management.

Reward Volunteers

A simple and sincere thank you goes a long way, however, you can take rewarding volunteers further through public recognition, a volunteer end of season party, providing gifts such as a club shirt or hat or nomination for Council awards.  You can be imaginative and creative, but whatever you do, just don’t forget!

You can tap into more volunteer management insights by giving Luke a call.

We know when the North Queensland Cowboys play, Matt Scott is going to take the ball forward all game, Dallas Johnson is going to make a thousand tackles and Jonathon Thurston is going to create attacking opportunities from all parts of the field. The individual contributions of each player culminate to produce a positive team performance. If one person is carrying an injury or hasn’t prepared themselves at training, they won’t do their job effectively, meaning another won’t be able to do theirs. If any athlete turns up to their game or event knowing in their mind that they didn’t do every sprint, lap, push up or drill at training, then they are prepared to lose.

So adapting this analogy into a workplace, as business leaders, we need to make sure that our people are looking after themselves and enjoying what they are doing. Being physically active and healthy will make an enormous difference. Those that are, know that it makes you feel more energetic, you are more focussed, the attitude you choose when life bowls a bouncer at you is more positive and you’re more productive in everything you do. Imagine your workplace with a whole team of healthy people, how up-vibe and electric the atmosphere would be, the number of creative and innovative ideas would emerge, how productive your team would be and how much fun you could have whilst doing the everyday routines that with the wrong attitude can be perceived as monotonous and boring? These workplaces do exist and are the ones that have not only seen the light in knowing that our people are our greatest asset, but have actually acted on this. Have a read of the book ‘Fish!’ or pick up one of Wayne Bennett or Richard Branson’s autobiographies and you’ll see exactly what I mean.

As much as business leaders can provide motivation, inspiration and opportunities for staff to be active and healthy, of course the individual needs to also take responsibility for themselves. This time of year after the fun and indulgence of the festive season, we have so many great intentions to hit the streets running, climb Castle Hill’s goat tracks every day of the week, bust a poofoo valve in the gym, ride to Woodstock and back, eat nothing but rabbit food and cut out all forms of alcohol and sweets. For sure, this may be achievable for a few weeks, but if you want to be fair dinkum about being healthy and active, you need to approach it from a sustainable, lifestyle perspective.

Make your exercise sessions enjoyable by:

• Incorporating other people
• Playing sports
• Walking or running scenic routes
• Simply choosing things you like doing

Incorporate these into your everyday routine, so that exercise is something you look forward to and is not a chore. Think of it as an opportunity to catch up with friends, clear your head, enjoy some family time, get some peace and quiet or blow away the stresses of the day.

When eating, aim for 5 or 6 small meals throughout the day and do a bit of preparation so that each meal includes the 5 food nutrients:

• Fats (the good ones, not the evil saturated ones)
• Carbohydrates (lower GI complex carbs get a big thumbs up)
• Protein (the lean/low fat types)
• Vitamins and minerals (fresh fruit and vegies are the go)
• Plenty of water

My whole life pretty much revolves around sport and being active, however, I know personally that if I don’t set short and long term training goals I can very easily fall into bad habits. Lifestyle and creating healthy opportunities in both your workplace and home life is the key. A rather famous basketballer once said, ‘some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen’. Go Jordan!

Which Christmas treats do you indulge in each year?  My wife (aka admin manager) makes an impressive rum ball and they are my Achilles’ heel of all the treats on offer during the silly season.  Remember, you don’t have to miss out on the culinary yummies on Christmas day and you can get creative and substitute ingredients if you prefer a less fat, no alcohol or gluten free option.

Sporting Advantage Rum Balls

While you are exercising your self control at the dinner table, don’t forget to aim for some exercise on Christmas day too.  Noooooooo I hear you scream, but this can involve running around in the mandatory game of backyard cricket, a pool volleyball challenge, going for an early evening walk or running after the kids on their new bikes!

Just remember, anything in moderation!  Train hard during the year and you can enjoy a treat or two on Christmas day (you may want to attempt to hide the sweets in the freezer like my wife does, so they actually survive until Christmas day).

• Get as many different ideas from as many different people involved with the club as possible.  This will give you different perspectives and hopefully some original ideas.  It will also help to make people feel included in the club and its future direction.
• Look at what other clubs or sports in your town are doing.  What’s working for them and what’s not?  Also look at similar clubs in other towns.  If you know people from these places, don’t hesitate to give them a call and pick their brains.  There’s no harm in replicating what’s working for a different club.
• Aim for a blend of ambition and achievable.  If you set the bar too high, you may burn out a lot of good volunteers and cew through a lot of money trying to reach your lofty goals, but if you set the bar to low, well, what’s the point?  I’d rather err on the side of ambition.
• Consider all aspects of your club, making sure you don’t forget membership numbers, teams, community demographics, growth, income, expenditure, volunteer recruitment, education and training, facility development, equipment, image and culture, support networks, policies and procedures, risk management and communication.
• Try to keep your overall number of goals limited to 6 or 7 main points.  Break each goal into a number of individual targets/projects that become the responsibility of someone in the club to to set in motion within a given timeframe.
• Look for resources such as templates, websites, blogs (I know a good one!), development officers, Council S&R officers or other club volunteers that can help out with the running of specific projects.

Once you know what your club wants to achieve, when you want to achieve it and how you’re going to go about achieving it, then you’re already halfway along the road to success.

Just promise you’ll remember to do two things, use the plan to its fullest and enjoy the ride along the way!

Review and update the club’s strategic plan
What has our club achieved this year, what projects still need to be started, where have things changed, where can we improve and how does this place us for 2013?

Recruit volunteers
What roles do we need volunteers filling, how can we create a volunteer coordinator role, who do we know that would be good for a specific role and where’s their phone number?

Outline a calendar of events
What social, fundraising, competition and carnival events do we need to organise next year, how can they be improved from this year, when should we run them and how can we create the wow factor?

Increase income
Have we contacted all our 2011 sponsors to thank them and provide a summary of the year, have we asked them about backing up next year, have we identified grants programs we can apply for and are they open?

Keep in contact
Can we organise a social off season event to catch up with everyone, are there any social sporting competitions we can join to keep the players together, can we email, facebook, text or tweet the team?

The start of next season will creep up quickly and appear from nowhere if you are bold enough to ignore this list. A little bit of preparation now will make your life so much easier when that first whistle blows next year.