If you are a cog in a machine, you are replaceable; there are many more cogs than there are machines. If you are a linchpin, you are critical to the success of a process, and without a linchpin, the machine doesn’t function quite the way it could. A linchpin possesses creativity, problem-solving, and emotional labour, and is much more likely to take a systems view.
Are grassroots coaches “cogs” or “linchpins”?
A coach is asked to scope, co-create, and deliver learning experiences.
A coach is expected to be the bridge to parents, connecting them to the club’s values, expectations for player behaviours, and a moderator of sideline support.
A coach is an impresario; they organise the orchestra.
Yet, ask a grassroots coach if they are part of a wider “workforce,” and they are unlikely to know what you are talking about – much like a cog in a machine that focuses on its specific function.
Yet, many grassroots coaches quit once their child has moved through the age groups or quits the sport.
Yet, grassroots coaches are trained in the art of war – the tactical and technical elements of sport – not the war of art.
And my point?
If you have a linchpin in your organisation (my guess is that you have many more than you think), wouldn’t you ask them to contribute to the culture of the club or organisation, instead of sending out coach developers to fix the problem of “churn?”
People who can scope, co-create, and deliver learning experiences don’t grow on trees, but they do grow in a culture that knows the difference between a cog and a linchpin.