Editorial

What Does Tom Weigh?

When I was much, much, younger, the following kinds of brain teasers seemed to be all the rage, great fun, and often exasperating: 'Tom's height is six feet, he's an assistant at a butcher's shop, and he wears size 9 shoes. What does Tom weigh?' Now, I'm no neuroscientist, but I'm guessing that in order to answer this question you need to be in some sense creative  €_ creativity: what does that mean to you? What does being creative look like in coaching, at home, at work, in planning, at meetings, when writing editorials? As you may have guessed, I've been reading and thinking about creativity a bit recently. And as we head into a new year, I'm wondering what I could do to make it my most creative year ever. What would that look like? How would it feel? What impact might that have on the people around me? Right now, I don't know. But I think it's worth considering. I do know I've enrolled in a 6-hour (over three weeks) 'Introduction to Drama' course starting on January 8th. I'm hopeful this will be a creative experience (and not, as it feels right now, just scary). So, I have two challenges for you as a coach (both challenges assume, by the way, that creativity is a good thing, and that everyone can be creative - feel free to challenge those assumptions in your own time). Anyway, my two challenges for you are: (1) What can you do in 2018 to be an even more creative coach? And (2) What more could you do to draw out the creativity of the people you coach?  €_And so  €_with 2017 drawing to a close, from everyone at Sport NZ, thanks for subscribing to NZ Coach Mag, a happy Xmas and New Year to you and those you hold dear, and we look forward to being back in your inbox in February 2018.Nga mihiBrett Reid, Community Coaching Consultant'The role of a creative leader is not to have all the ideas; it's to create a culture where everyone can have ideas and feel that they're valued' - Ken RobinsonWhat's in this issue? Grit; Coaching and life balance; O'Gara on the move; How we think; Why kids play sport; the Pygmalion effect; Ed Smith on reading the game; Thought depends on knowledge; Bring back conversation.Angela Duckworth on how to develop gritLast month I highlighted the research of Angela Duckworth on why grit can matter more than IQ in determining success in life. But that doesn't help us become grittier. [Farnharm Street Blog]Coaching and life balance  (short video)[MoreGold Performance Coaching]Gerry Thornley: O'Gara's bold move makes perfect senseWhen reports of Ronan O'Gara and his family relocating from Paris to Christchurch first broke; on *some levels it seemed a little unlikely. [IrishTimes]How we think: John Dewey on the art of €_Decades before Carl Sagan published his now-legendary Baloney Detection Kit for critical thinking. [Brainpickings]A message for youth coaches  €_ and sports parents too  (short video)Sport NZ is running a series of video messages on its Facebook page from Australian coaching and parenting expert Wayne Goldsmith. In this video; Wayne reminds us all why kids play sport. It's a message that coaches may wish to share with the parents of their team or participants.Coaching - the Pygmalion effect and self-fulfilling prophesiesIn Greek mythology; Pygmalion was a sculptor; who fell in love with his sculpture of a woman. [AIS]Ed Smith reading the gameIf the 10;000-hours theory were all it's cracked up to be; there would have been 10;000 Steffi Grafs. [1843]Thought depends on knowledgeTwo children start school on the same day; mid-way through the academic year. [3-star learning experiences]Bring back conversation  €_ by shutting up and listeningIt seems that we're talking more than ever. And it's true that we have more platforms for connection and communication than ever before. [The Guardian]