Being a people manager is not an easy job, and motivating employees is one of the most challenging aspects of the role. As a parent, I found myself facing similar challenges when it came to motivating my child in competitive sports. However, the lessons I learned while coaching my child have proven invaluable in my role as a people manager. In this blog post, I will share three key ways that training my child in competitive sports has helped me understand my leadership style better.

Understand Individual Motivations

My son started playing tennis at the age of six, with his only motivation being to have maximum fun. In the first year of introducing him to this sport, we aimed to establish consistency in his playing times. We identified four time slots during the week that worked for all of us as a family. During those times, we would go to the tennis court and spend the evening playing tennis freely with him. Although learning was the ultimate goal, our approach was to learn by having fun.

As he started learning the craft, we slowly introduced him to competition. It was then that I realized that my son was really driven by a sense of achievement through winning, and we could use that as leverage to motivate him to further hone his skills. As a parent, I learned that every child has unique motivations, and it’s important to understand these motivations to tailor their training programs accordingly.

Understanding my child’s motivations was a key factor in helping me understand that people have unique motivations – be it career advancement, personal fulfillment, achieving work-life balance or having a sense of purpose. It’s important to align the unique motivations of each employee with the goals of the organization. I took the time to understand and appreciate my team members’ individual motivations and developed personalized approaches to motivate each of them, resulting in higher engagement and productivity. This requires actively listening to their needs and being patient with them. Just as I must be patient with my child as he learns and grows, I must be patient with my employees as they develop their skills and work towards achieving their goals. Being a parent has taught me the value of drilling down into learning and understanding the unique motivations of each individual, whether it’s our children or our employees.

Create an Effective Feedback Loop

Learning to provide effective feedback was a crucial skill that I acquired while coaching my son’s tennis team. The foundation of this skill was to be very specific while also providing positive reinforcement. As a coach, I had to learn to give feedback in a constructive and motivating way. I engaged my son in a two-way dialogue to ensure that he feels vested in the process and could absorb and use the feedback to improve his skills. This is similar to being a people manager and creating an effective feedback loop with employees. As a manager, my role is to provide feedback that helps employees grow while also encouraging them to continue performing at a high level. The key to providing effective feedback is to be specific and focus on solutions rather than problems. Providing feedback in a psychologically safe manner (in a private setting) is also important. Engaging the employee in a dialogue rather than giving unilateral feedback ensures that they feel heard and valued. Finally, it’s important to make sure the feedback is positively reinforcing to encourage continued growth and improvement.

Emphasize the Importance of Continuous Learning, Patience and Resilience

Training my child in competitive sports has taught me valuable insights into goal-setting, perseverance, patience and resilience. As a coach, I learned the significance of setting clear goals and working hard to achieve them, while also understanding that setbacks and failures are natural parts of the learning process. I apply these lessons at work as well. I encourage my team members to set specific goals (also stretch goals that will allow them to flex their skill muscle for further growth), work hard, be patient, and bounce back from challenges. Patience is key as it takes time and effort to hone a new skill and produce great results. I allow my employees to learn, grow, and improve at their own pace.

Just as I had to adjust my son’s training regimen to keep pace with his development, I realized that it was important to provide similar opportunities for continuous learning and improvement for my team members. To achieve this, I provided training programs, mentorship opportunities, and set aside time for employees to learn new skills or explore new ideas.

Training my child in competitive sports has provided me with valuable insights into employee motivation that have helped me become a more effective leader. By understanding individual motivations, creating effective feedback loops, and fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement, I have been able to motivate my team to perform at a higher level and achieve organizational goals. As a parent and a people manager, I have learned that the lessons we learn in one area of our lives can often be applied to other areas, resulting in greater success and fulfillment.