Got Advocates?

The opportunity to blog here could not have come at a better time. I spent the last 3 days at the ACAC Tennis Academy in Charlottesville, VA. What I experienced there with Tennis Director Jason Grigg and his assistant Dan Manilla brings to mind Kouzes and Posner’s classic work “The Leadership Challenge”. In it the authors discuss 5 exemplary principles of leadership, “modeling the way”, “inspiring a shared vision”, “challenging the process”, “enabling others to act” and “encouraging the heart”. To this end, these guys truly exceeded my expectations. I was inspired, challenged, pushed and encouraged into incremental improvement. All that knowledge and work in a short period of time was like drinking from a fire hose. The extra strength pain reliever came in handy Saturday and Sunday.

This experience only reinforces my belief in just how much of an advocate or “key influencer” the Teaching Tennis Professional is or can be, on and off the court. Advocates provide necessary stimulus to make change happen in any organization. I have seen this through our Facility Analysis Services work at over 150 clubs all over the US in the past 5 years. This opportunity has provided a first-hand glimpse into the advocates behavior. One common denominator I see for making enduring change happen is “sustained advocacy” by the Teaching Professional. This advocate also inspires others to the same enduring cause, like developing a master plan that ensures the long-term success of the tennis program and the facility where the game is played.

The Teaching Professional has the most knowledge of where the facility and the program are now and where they could be in the future. That knowledge is difficult to forge into a vision without the help of other advocates. And although some advocates “emerge” on their own, some need to be identified and recruited from the court. And we all know there is precious little time to waste on this effort.

When you think of all the committees in your organization and the fact that most people rotate off every few years, you begin to feel like one of the few “constants” in the organization. I feel that everyone who plays the game has the potential to be an advocate in some way. How has inspiring a shared vision, challenging the process, encouraging the heart and enabling others to act worked for you?

Ed Montecalvo
Consulting Services Manager
Lee Tennis Court Products