Business Skills at The National Para-Driving Championships 2013

Insight’s Director Liza Pern recently attended the National Para-Driving Championships at Sandringham, in her role as trustee of the charity Sports Driving Unlimited.  A charity, supported by Insight, which enables people with disabilities to drive ponies and compete in both local and national competitions.  This is what she says about the event.

I’m starting to realise that many of the skills that I’ve learnt working with Insight over the years, and that we teach in our management training sessions, are widely transferrable into other diverse events and experiences!  A national carriage driving competition is a perfect example!  I recently supported three drivers with disabilities, their able bodied grooms and ten ponies at the National Para-Driving Championships in Norfolk.  The three grooms were also competing as able-bodied drivers in the event – hence the 10 ponies – a team (four), a pair, three single ponies and a single horse.  The logistics of getting the various ‘turnouts’ (ie. Pony, driver and carriage) to their required start positions at the right time was a real challenge.  Especially as the grounds of the venue, Sandringham House, are huge and start positions were miles apart!

So here were some of the skills employed over the weekend:

• Managing people (and ponies) – the logistics of persuading people to knuckle down to all the tasks required to get themselves and their ponies spruced up to the required standard for competition.  Oh and also reminding them to eat now and then to keep their blood sugar levels stable! 
• Communication skills – especially at 5am when the grooming and plaiting of manes had to start and tempers fray when sleepy ponies are less than cooperative.
• Meeting skills – keeping a diverse bunch of people with differing requirements on track around the table (usually over early breakfast) to ensure that jobs get done, and in time.
• Influencing and Empowerment skills – persuading the least interested of the team that the mucking out still has to be done regularly to keep competing ponies clean and that it’s a really important task, vital to the success of the competition, not just a slog.
• Delegation skills – with a team leader who is also competing delegating tasks to other members of the team was essential.

  
  

  

  
  
• Managing information – sorting out running orders and getting drivers and ponies to the right starting point at the right time.
• Problem Solving – what to do when an essential piece of kit is missing, or when a horse pulls a shoe just before going into the ring (thankfully a farrier was on hand!)
• Presentation skills – giving a short talk introducing the disabled drivers to the public whilst the actual results are searched for by the organisers!
• All the hard work was more than worth it as our young driver Charlotte finished as National Novice Para-Champion, and Graham was Reserve.  Both drivers are supported by the charity Sports Driving Unlimited and are now able to compete regularly both indoors in the winter, and outdoors in the summer. 

So trainees – never think that the management skills we teach you are only for the workplace – they have far wider relevance!

~ Liza