A common challenge with seasoned dragon boat teams is trying to balance seniority and team participation criteria when teams evolve and when new paddlers join the team.
Without the groundwork that defines what gets a paddler on a boat and in a race, many teams struggle trying to move forward and sometimes new the new paddlers get frustrated and don't return.
Seniority Mindset – when teams are attracting new paddlers
Let's take a look at a common scenario:
Jim, the founder and a long-time member, believes his years of commitment and contributions should grant him a seat on the boat in practice and in all races. However, the team's new goal is based on performance and participation to the training programs that define a more competitive team.
This situation commonly pits loyalty and seniority against the team's goals.
In many ways, Jim's struggle is about recognizing the new parameters to ensure the team's success and reaching its goals. The team's goals have changed from being a community-driven team to one focused on performance and results. This struggle can lead to conflicts, especially when seniority creates a perception of seat entitlement, regardless of current performance. Here are the three main issues the seniority mindset and team loyalty can create:
- The role of seniority vs. merit: Jim believes his history and longevity should outweigh the criteria of expected performance, but the rest of the team has decided that performance and dedication to the process should be the deciding factors.
- The transition from community to competition: As paddlers gain skills and become more competitive, they want more. What worked before, where loyalty and seniority played a significant role, might no longer be sustainable in a competitive environment.
- Team evolution: There's a positive side to this scenario, though. With the right structures, all individuals, regardless of tenure, can find ways to contribute to the team's growth and success. While not selected, Jim still has the potential to play a significant role in mentoring or supporting the team in other ways.
Why founders and senior members are important on teams
When a teams are formed, the founder's role and contributions are essential to longevity and the foundation of its members. After all, without the founders' efforts new paddlers would not be able to enjoy the sport.
However, as the team grows, shifts and accommodations must occur, or teams risk staying the same while trying to get better. There is no room for improvement when trying to keep the status quo in an attempt to please some paddlers.
The question is, how can we keep what is working while building on the already present success?
Managing Team Division
The challenge comes when managing the tension between respecting an individual's seniority and fostering a culture prioritizing criteria-based performance that defines a team's overall success. It requires clear communication and, importantly, a structure that allows everyone to see how they can contribute and evolve alongside the team.
How to work with seniority and founders in the transition from team to club mentality
Jim can be offered a new role that recognizes his legacy and experience while ensuring the team remains competitive. Being a mentor, coach, or coordinator in specific areas, for example, can allow him to leverage his experience without disrupting the team's focus on performance.
Club Role - Developing a club mindset, not a team mindset
The fact that this article resonates with your team or club is a sign that you are on your way to growth and need a structure to support the development of new people while creating ways to maintain the health of the founding teams. This is exciting!
Clubs with more than one team can benefit from having a team level or particpation structure based on criteria that determine the specific role of the paddler to be part of that team. Clear guidelines allow paddlers to be with like-minded individuals with the same paddling goals and aspirations. Listed below are three avenues that clubs should consider when restructuring the club, having new plans of growth, or wanting to build new programs for paddler development:
- Recognition of criteria
- Paddler self-assessment tools based on the criteria
- Parameters of participation and commitment
- Races and events based on team goals
In closing, please remember that this situation is not unique to sports teams; it happens in any setting where long-standing members face the evolving priorities of a group and the development of a club.
The key takeaway is the importance of adaptability—both on a personal level (in accepting change) and structurally (in how the paddlers navigate the transition from being part of a team to an integral component of a growing club).
If you are restructuring your club or looking to grow your membership and want the templates to build the foundation that supports growth and sustains clubs be sure to visit this page: https://cherylroose.com/dragon-boat-coaching-course-build-healthy-team-cultures
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